Chop blocks eliminated, PAT snaps from 15 permanent

BOCA RATON, Fla. (AP) — The chop block has been entirely outlawed from NFL games, and extra-point kicks snapped from the 15-yard line are now permanent.


NFL owners voted Tuesday to approve both those proposals by the competition committee. They also passed a resolution to expand what is a horse-collar tackle to cover the nameplate on the back of jerseys.

In all, seven rule proposals were approved. The others involved coach-to-player communications from the sideline as well as the press box; adding a delay-of-game penalty to a team that calls a timeout when it has none remaining; removing a 5-yard penalty for a receiver illegally touching a pass after being out of bounds; and eliminating multiple spots of enforcement for a double foul after a change of possession.