By Bob Condotta
The Seattle Times
PHOENIX — The Seahawks and the rest of the NFL have converged on the Arizona Biltmore resort here for the league’s annual spring meeting.
It’s an event that the league is using to help kick off what will be a year-long celebration of the NFL’s 100-year anniversary — you can’t go more than about, well, three feet here without seeing the NFL 100 logo the league has introduced for this season.
The meetings serve a few different purposes, many related to mundane league business reviewing the season that just was and the season to come.
What tends to get the most notice are the rules changes that get hashed over here and can then be sent on to the owners for a vote (rules changes are typically made final in May).
One that gained traction Sunday is a proposal for an onside kick alternative — specifically, allowing each team an option once per game, and only in the fourth quarter, to try one fourth-and-15 play from its own 35 instead of an onside kick to keep possession. The Denver Broncos proposed the change as an option to what has been the increasingly dire odds of recovering an onside kick.
The proposal was approved Sunday by the Competition Committee and now will go to the owners for a vote.
And what may be the biggest topic on the table here is whether to expand instant replay to allow a review of pass interference penalties in the wake of the controversial pass interference penalty that was not called in the Rams-Saints NFC Championship game (a proposal would allow penalties to be reviewed as a test for one season. The change would need to be approved by 24 owners).
As for the Seahawks, they were one of four teams (the others being the Rams, Eagles and Panthers) to propose a change to add reviewing designated player safety-related fouls (called or not called) as plays that coaches can challenge.
There are also a few proposals aimed at minor changes to rules regarding NFL rosters designed to give teams more flexibility for adding players, particularly during training camp.
Here are a few more items to watch:
PETE AND JOHN TALK
Every NFL coach meets with the media here during an annual breakfast, an hour-long session that will be held on Tuesday. The past few years that has meant Seattle coach Pete Carroll handling a lot of question on hot-take topics such as trade rumors involving Richard Sherman, or last year, the decision to cut Sherman.
The Seahawks may not be quite at the top of the NFL news chain this year — the Patriots have a few interesting items to talk about that figure to draw the bulk of the attention here.
But there are still lots of questions to be asked of Carroll and general manager John Schneider — who also typically meets with reporters here — such as the decision to franchise tag Frank Clark and what happens next, the team’s actions during free agency, and Russell Wilson’s contract situation.
WILSON, CIARA TO MAKE PRESENTATION
Speaking of Wilson, as reported first by ESPN’s Adam Schefter, Wilson will appear here Monday along with his wife, entertainer and singer Ciara, to give what is an annual guest talk to the wives of those in attendance (such as wives of GMs, owners and head coaches). The topic for Wilson and Ciara, according to Pro Football Talk, is how the couple has applied goal-setting as an integral part of achieving success.
As Pro Football Talk reported, Wilson is one of 13 current or former players who will participate in the meetings, either via giving addresses or participating in clinics and other such activities.
Former Husky QB Mark Brunell and former Seahawk Michael Robinson are each among players who will help lead a youth football clinic here.
NO SEATTLE OWNERSHIP DISCUSSION
A sizeable topic at the NFL’s fall meetings last October was the future of the Seahawks — those meetings occurred just days after the death of Paul Allen.
But that’s off the table now with the Seahawks since having solidified their new ownership structure and declaring that the team is not for sale. The team is now owned by the Paul G. Allen Trust with his sister, Jody Allen, listed as the chair and Bert Kolde as the vice chair.
Neither Jody Allen, nor anyone with the Seahawks, is currently a member of any of the NFL owner committees — Schneider is chairman of the Subcommittee on College Relations and also on the General Managers Advisory Committee. Carroll is not currently on any of the coach’s committees.
