NFL announces official rules changes

Football Betting Lines

04/12/2007 - New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - NFL owners adopted several playing-rules changes and two coaching employment rules changes at the NFL Annual Meeting in late March.

The penalty of unintentional touching of a forward pass by an interior lineman has been eliminated, because it was deemed that no advantage was being attained by the offense on this type of play. The result should expedite the game.

Instant replay was made a permanent rule.

"We think instant replay has been an accepted part of our game now for a number of years," NFL competition committee co-chairman Rich McKay said. "It's worked quite well."

Along with high-definition equipment for NFL Stadiums, the replay system's "down-by-contact" is now permanently a reviewable play, with each review limited to a maximum of 60 seconds.

A player spiking or throwing the ball after a down has ended, with the exception of a touchdown, will now result in a five-yard penalty.

"We did not think this type of spiking was good for sportsmanship or the administration of the game by officials," McKay said.

A player making a block below the waist against an eligible receiver while the quarterback is in the pocket will now result in a 15-yard penalty, rather than a five-yarder. Additionally, as a player who receives a snap fumbles or muffs the ball, the restrictions on the defense relative to illegal contact and an illegal cut-block will end.

The offense being required to be trailing or tied for a 10-second clock runoff to be exercised for an excess timeout with two minutes remaining in the first half or in the game has been eliminated. The 10-second runoff will now occur regardless of the game situation. Any advantage for the offense has been eliminated, and the defense has the option to decline a 10-second runoff.

An instant replay review prior to the two-minute warning will reset the clock at 25 seconds, along with an instant replay review after the two-minute warning that results in a reversal, were added to the rule of the play clock being restarted at the time that it was stopped prior to the snap.

Also, the five-yard penalty against the defense for excessive crowd noise has been eliminated, as the penalty has not been called in several years.

Assistant coaches of Super Bowl teams are now entitled to interview for a second time with a club for its head-coaching position during the off-week after the championship game.

"We wanted to make sure that coaches on Super Bowl teams did not feel it was a disadvantage," McKay said.

Teams also now have the exclusive right to an assistant's contract through the second Tuesday after their season has concluded, rather than the third Tuesday.

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Super Bowl 2009 Betting

Super Bowl 2009 Betting propositions

Underdog bettors love the Super Bowl and, history suggests, the underdogs love them back. And the big dogs bite harder.

Even so, there is a warning in store for Super Bowl gamblers who must love dogs: The Arizona Cardinals Super Bowl betting lines might not be enough of a Cinderella to make it worth your while.

Although the Cardinals were widely panned as one of the worst division winners and least playoff-worthy teams in recent memory, their trip to Super Bowl XLIII Jan. 31 in Tampa against the Pittsburgh Steelers Super Bowl betting lines comes with a little more respect from the oddsmakers than you might imagine. They are a 7-point underdog at most sports books.

If you count yourself among those who covet the big dog in the big game, this isn’t exactly great news. You should have been hoping for more points. This is because the facts show that the bigger the dog, the better the bet in the Super Bowl.

Case in point: Over the past 13 seasons, double-figure underdogs in the Super Bowl are 4-0-1 ATS and have won the past three outright. In fact, the last double-digit chalk to do the deed for bettors was the 1995 San Francisco 49ers, who managed to beat the astounding 19-point spot afforded backers of the San Diego Chargers in the 49-26 romp in Super Bowl XXIX.

By contrast, 7-point favorites are 2-1-1 ATS in the same span, the last such contest resulting a cover grinded out by the Colts in their 29-17 win over the Bears two seasons ago in Super Bowl XLI.

In 2004, the Patriots failed to cover the number in their 32-29 triumph over the Carolina Panthers in Super Bowl props while the Rams and Titans gave everyone a refund in 2000 after the Rams posted a 23-16 win as a seven-point favorite.

So while Arizona’s run has included impressive upsets as a 10-point road underdog to the Carolina Panthers and Sunday’s 32-25 win in the NFC championship game to the 4-point favored Philadelphia Eagles, their long-shot story lacks a bit of the David vs. Goliath storyline of past Super Bowl underdogs.

While the seven-point spread represents a significant gap in the perception of strength between the two teams, it is far from monumental. For example, last season the Giants were the wild-card afterthought turned road-warrior buzzsaw, with stunning wins over the Buccaneers, Cowboys and Packers to earn their place in the Super Bowl.

There, they played spoiler to New England’s bid to become the first 19-0 team in NFL history and cemented their place in sports betting lore with a 17-14 win as a 12.5-point underdog.

In other words, the Cardinals appear to have their work cut out for them as a mid-range underdog. But in homage to the spread beaters who have come before them, here is a brief look back at recent colossal upsets in the Super Bowl:

SB XLII -- 2008 -- New York Giants 17, New England Patriots 14 (Giants +12.5) – Eli Manning’s 13-yard touchdown pass to Plaxico Burress in the final minute clinched the historic upset for the Giants, who used a masterful defensive plan to slow down Tom Brady and the previously undefeated New England Patriots.

XXXVI -- 2002 -- Patriots 20, Rams 17 (Patriots +14) – This was the coming out party for the aforementioned Brady, who went from obscure sixth-round draft pick to Super Bowl hero in one fell swoop. He led the game-winning drive in the final minute – eschewing analyst John Madden’s advice to take a knee and play for overtime – leading to Adam Vinatieri’s memorable 48-yard field goal that split the uprights as time expired.

XXXII 1998 Broncos 31, Packers 24 (Denver +12) – The first of John Elway’s two consecutive Super Bowl titles to put an end to his Hall of Fame career was an upset for the ages. The Broncos used the determination of Elway and a 157-yard, three-touchdown performance from Terrell Davis to turn back Brett Favre and the heavily favored Packers.

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