Roger Goodell Unveils Plans To Improve “Flow And Pace” And Officiating Of NFL Games

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell announced in an email addressed to fans on Wednesday that the league is planning to implement changes designed to improve the officiating, viewing experience and overall pace of games beginning next season.

Roger Goodell Announces Proposed Changes to Improve Pace of NFL Games

In the email, Goodell states the NFL’s changes will be aimed at ameliorating “the flow and pace of the game, and commercialization and the number of necessary disruptions to the game on the field.”

Goodell will explain the changes in further detail in an interview on NFL Total Access at 7 pm EST on Thursday. He also sat down with NFL Network’s Judy Battista on Thursday to discuss the changes:

Here are some of the changes the commissioner has already announced:

“1) Clubs will vote on a change to centralize replay reviews. Instead of a fixed sideline monitor, we will bring a tablet to the referee who can review the play in consultation with our officiating headquarters in New York, which has the final decision. This should improve consistency and accuracy of decisions and help speed up the process.

2) Regarding game timing, we’re going to institute a play clock following the extra point when television does not take a break, and we’re considering instituting a play clock after a touchdown.

3) We’re also going to standardize the starting of the clock after a runner goes out-of-bounds, and standardize halftime lengths in all games, so we return to the action as quickly as possible.”

Goodell told USA Today’s Tom Pelissero that the possibility of the play clock being activated after touchdowns is still being discussed.

In addition to changes to the sport itself, Goodell revealed the NFL is also working with its broadcast partners to decrease the time and frequency of commercial breaks during games.

If the changes go into effect, each break would be increased from 1 minute, 50 seconds to 2:20 in accordance with the new format.

Goodell told USA Today the goal isn’t to shorten games, although he estimates the changes could reduce game length by about five minutes. NFL games lasted an average of 3:07:08 last season (down from 3:08:18 in 2015).

The commissioner specifically mentioned his frustration with commercials known as “double-ups,” which occur when a commercial break comes both before and after a kickoff.

“It drives me crazy,” Goodell told USA TODAY Sports on Wednesday. “We call those ‘double-ups.’ They actually occurred 27% of the time (on kickoffs last season). And that’s still too high for us.”

Goodell added the changes aren’t related to a pre-election TV ratings drop last season. However, he did mention the expiration of the NFL’s current TV deals in 2022 amidst a rapidly evolving media landscape, something he said is “top of mind for us on the broader picture.”

Goodell also said he is hoping to make changes that make broadcasts provide more “compelling” content.

Several of the proposed changes — such as the centralized replay review suggestion — will need to be approved by NFL ownership before their implementation. The Annual League Meeting of team owners, where the proposed changes will be reviewed, begins this Sunday in Phoenix.

HOUSTON, TX – FEBRUARY 01: NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell speaks with the media during a press conference for Super Bowl 51 at the George R. Brown Convention Center on February 1, 2017 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Tim Bradbury/Getty Images)