BOSTON TO ORLANDO -- We'll be en route to the NFL annual meeting, and the expectation is that we'll hear from Patriots owner Robert Kraft on Monday and head coach Bill Belichick on Tuesday.
This is also the time we often learn of teams earning compensatory draft picks, and the Patriots figure to be in that mix for a late-rounder this year.
As a primer of sorts, here is a look at most (but not all) of the rule proposals to be considered by teams, four of which have been proposed by the Patriots.
1. Move free kicks to the 40-yard line (proposed by Washington Redskins).
2. Allow personal foul penalties to be subject to instant replay (Redskins).
3. Eliminate overtime in preseason games (Redskins).
4. Extend the uprights an additional 5 feet above the cross bar on both sides (proposed by New England Patriots).
5. Move the line of scrimmage on the point-after-attempt to the 25-yard line (Patriots).
6. Place fixed cameras on all boundary lines to ensure solid viewpoints on instant replay (Patriots).
7. Allow everything outside of scoring plays and turnovers to be challenged (Patriots).
8. Make rolling up on the side of a player's leg illegal (proposed by competition committee).
9. Allowing officials to communicate with officiating department during reviews (competition committee).
10. Expanding instant replay to include recovery of a loose ball in field of play (competition committee).
11. Allowing game clock to run after QB sack outside of 2-minute warning in both halves (competition committee).
12. Pass interference should be called at any point beyond the line of scrimmage, not 1-yard and beyond the line of scrimmage which gives offense an unfair advantage (competition committee).
14. Increase the game-day roster limit to 49 players for Thursday games other than opening weekend (Redskins).
15. Raise the practice squad from eight players to 10 (Redskins).
16. Allow teams to trade players prior to the league year starting (Redskins).
17. Eliminate the roster cutdown from 90 to 75 (Redskins).
18. Allow more than one player to return from injured reserve during the season (Redskins).
19. Allow clubs to time and test up to 10 prospects that went to Combine at their NFL facility (proposed by Eagles).
20. Allowing a home team to open or close a roof or wall at halftime (proposed by Indianapolis Colts).
QUICK-HIT THOUGHTS: We'll be particularly interested in how the Patriots' proposals are received. It seems like a no-brainer to raise the goal-posts after what we saw in the 2012 game between the Patriots and Ravens. The only issue there would be cost. The same thought holds true for the proposal to put fixed cameras on boundary lines -- it's a no-brainer, just a matter of cost. ... It would be a major upset if the Patriots' proposal to allow everything but scoring plays and turnovers to be reviewed is passed, as that's the type of change that often takes more time for teams to accept. ... We'd also be surprised if the proposal to make the extra point a more difficult play was passed. That could be experimented with in the preseason. ... I'm also interested in the Redskins' proposal to allow teams to have 49 active players for Thursday games, but wonder if teams will view that as creating an unfair competitive advantage. ... In all, a lot of good topics to digest specific to the on-field product and roster construction.