ORLANDO, Fla. -- The NFL officiating department will help referees rule on instant replay reviews starting next season. League owners passed a rule Tuesday allowing referees to consult with director of officiating Dean Blandino and his staff to help determine whether a call should be upheld or overturned. NFL officials said the change should speed up the process. Blandino and other staff will be monitoring the games from league offices in New York, and they will immediately begin reviewing challenges before the referee even gets to his monitor. They can make recommendations on what replays to look at, but the referee still will make the final decision. Rich McKay, Falcons president and co-chairman of the influential competition committee, called it "kind of a proof of concept to see how this works. We feel pretty comfortable with it, though." "What we do like is we take the true experts in replay, those in New York, to be able to communicate with the referees who have the ultimate decision," McKay said. "We just think we get a more consistent decision-making process." Blandino said the new process will be faster and make more eyes available to help in the reviews. "Well be reviewing all the angles the network is providing, in essence finding what is the best reviewable aspect, and getting a baseline for the referee," he said. "Then we will begin the communication process with the referee once he is done speaking to the coach and announcing the challenge. "Consistency is what we are striving for in officiating and this will definitely help us in that area." One coach, Cincinnatis Marvin Lewis, a member of the competition committee, believes the entire procedure has been upgraded. "By consulting with New York, they can speed up the review process while they talk to the referee," Lewis said. "They can tell the referee: Here are the shots all set for you to look at." Blandino wasnt sure this change would lead to more challenges, noting that coaches will still lose a timeout for an incorrect challenge. Players no longer will be allowed to dunk the football over the crossbar of the goalposts in celebration. Blandino said the NFL is making a clarification of the rules for mutual respect and sportsmanship. "We put a rule in several years ago about not using props on the football field: the football, the pylon," he said. "This is just expanding upon that rule to include the crossbar of the goalpost. We had the situation with (Saints tight end) Jimmy Graham knocking the uprights off kilter last season and it delayed the game. "We have a potential rule change where we could raise the uprights, so you may have more issues with that if guys are dunking." The owners also banned roll-up blocks to the side of a player. In the past, the rule only barred such blocks from behind. "We saw some plays on tape that we just felt like we needed to expand that protection," McKay said. Commissioner Roger Goodell believes small changes like that one, along with other recent rule changes, have made the game safer. "We went through that (data) in greater detail with the outside firm thats been tracking that for us and its very clear that the rule changes we have made had the positive impact that we intended," Goodell said Monday. "While there are some that say it has had a negative (impact) -- as an example, ACL injuries being up -- thats not the case. What weve seen is that players have adjusted to the rules and they are finding that target zone and it is a safer, better game because of it." A dozen other proposals for rules or bylaw changes were being considered by the owners, with votes on them expected Wednesday. Nike NFL Jerseys Cheap . Particularly when speaking in the stadium of Tuesdays opponent: Manchester City. 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Cincinnati has lost back-to-back games in overtime, wasting a chance to take a commanding lead in their division.Mobile, AL (SportsNetwork.com) - In the final bowl game before the College Football National Championship, the Toledo Rockets will meet the Arkansas State Red Wolves at Ladd-Peebles Stadium in the 16th installment of the GoDaddy Bowl. Toledo compiled an 8-4 record during the regular season, including a 7-1 mark in Mid-American Conference play. The Rockets won the final two games of the regular season, and are making their second appearance in the GoDaddy Bowl (it was known as the GMAC Bowl back in 2005, though). Toledo is 9-4 all-time in bowl games. Arkansas State, of the Sun Belt Conference, nearly backed into the postseason, but saved itself from a three-game losing streak to end the season with a win over New Mexico State. The Red Wolves have made it to an unprecedented four consecutive GoDaddy Bowls, going 2-1 in their previous three trips to the bowl that features a MAC and Sun Belt school. The GoDaddy Bowl marks the third time in history Toledo and Arkansas State will meet on the football field. The Rockets own a 2-0 all-time lead over the Red Wolves, with victories coming during the 1990 and 1992 seasons in Toledo. Toledo needed a few things to go right in the final week of the regular season for the Ohio-based program to make it to the MAC championship game. But the Rockets were left on the outside looking in when it came to vying for a conference championship. Now theyll turn to their focus on trying to make it 3-0 against ASU all-time. Toledo averaged 247.3 rushing ypg as a unit this season, as sophomore back Kareem Hunt (173 carries, 1,360 yards, 11 touchdowns) led the way for the ground game despite missing three contests due to injury. Terry Swanson (six rushing touchdowns) is also a dangerous threat. Perhaps the Rockets are wondering what could have been, had regular starting quarterback Phillip Ely not been lost to an ACL tear two games into the season. However, backup Logan Woodside performed admirably in Elys absence this season, as Woodside passed for 2,087 yards and 19 touchdowns against just seven interceptions, helping the Rockets to average 34.4 ppg. Alonzo Russell (team-best eight touchdown receptions) and Corey Jones (team- best 66 catches and 812 yards) are the top two targets in the passing game for Woodside. Both receivers are averaging over 60 ypg through the air. Big receiver Justin Olack is third on the team with 19 receptions for 287 yards and four touchdowns. The Rockets won games this season thanks to a strong offense, but lost games because of a defense that seemed to struggle from time to time to slow opponents down. Toledo gave up 29.3 ppg this season and over 400 total yards of offense each game. It was especially troublesome against the pass, as Toledo allowed 282.4 passing ypg and 32 passing scores this season. Linebacker Junior Sylvestre led the team in tackles, registering 94 stops with 9.5 tackles for loss, five pass breakups and four quarterback hurries. He and Trent Voss (11 tackles for loss, 4.5 sacks) will be looking to keep Arkansas States run game at bay, while Christian Dukes (10 pass breakups) and cornnerback Jordan Haden (three interceptions) will be in charge of containing the Red Wolves pass attack.dddddddddddd. Haden is questionable to play however, with an undisclosed listed injury. We are honored to be chosen to play in the GoDaddy Bowl and looking forward to playing a very good Arkansas State team, said Toledo coach Matt Campbell. If the hospitality we received today is any indication, we are going to have a terrific bowl experience when we travel back here. Toledo will have its hands full trying to contain athletic signal caller Fredi Knighten for Arkansas State. The quarterback did it all in 2014, passing for a team-leading 2,874 yards and 19 touchdowns (against just seven interceptions), and added 11 rushing touchdowns with 775 yards on the ground. Knighten alone accounted for 239.5 passing ypg and 64.6 rushing ypg. He led the Red Wolves to 36.1 ppg this season, which included a 68-point outburst in the teams most recent clash against New Mexico State. Like the Rockets, Arkansas State finds itself relying heavily on the run game. The Red Wolves enter the GoDaddy Bowl averaging 229.0 rushing ypg with 35 of their touchdowns this season scored on the ground. Michael Gordon accounted for the good chunk of that total, rushing for 1,064 yards and 13 touchdowns on 149 carries this year. He and Knighten make up much of the run game, with Johnston White (six touchdowns) contributing to the cause. With a focus on the run game, the Red Wolves havent had many breakout players through the air this season. Tres Houston leads the team with 51 receptions, for 607 yards and three touchdowns. Dijon Paschal tops the squad with 642 yards and four receiving scores. We installed the game plan before we left (for Christmas break), and were going back through it again, said Arkansas State coach Blake Anderson. As much as anything, were just trying to get readjusted. You can tell the guys were focused in meetings, and theyve got a healthy respect for our opponent. Theyve watched enough tape to know that Toledo is a good football team, so I think they are prepared in that sense. Defensively, the Red Wolves may find it difficult to slow down a strong Toledo run game. Arkansas State is allowing opponents to gain 191.9 rushing ypg this season, and has surrendered 27 touchdowns on the ground in 12 games played. Overall, the Red Wolves are giving up 27.8 ppg to opponents, and hasnt held a challenger to fewer than 35 points in each of the teams last three games. Linebacker Qushaun Lee enters the bowl game leading his team in tackles, having registered 96 stops this season. But Lees stat line goes beyond the tackles, as hes also recorded seven tackles for loss, four interceptions and two forced fumbles. Defensive end/linebacker JaVon Rolland-Jones tops the Red Wolves with 12 tackles for loss and eight sacks in 2014, but hes missed the last two games with a knee injury. He will not suit up for the GoDaddy Bowl. Defensive back Artez Brown (four interceptions, five pass breakups) will likely lock onto either Russell or Jones in an attempt to defend the pass. ' ' '
