The_Philster
01-25-2003, 10:24 AM
SAN DIEGO -- In his annual Super Bowl state of the NFL address, commissioner Paul Tagliabue opened his remarks by mentioning the league's efforts to "challenge the status quo."
For the next 45 minutes, Tagliabue answered why it's difficult to do that. Every major topic had its challenges. Diversity hiring, perhaps the league's most explosive issue, is an exasperatingly slow process. Expansion to Los Angeles isn't likely in the next decade although momentum is building for a potential state of the art stadium for Southern California fans. Officiating, he said, is good although he's still steaming about the blown call that cost the Giants one last field goal attempt in a playoff loss to the 49ers.
As for overtime, the push is to try to make a drastic change to give each team a chance at possessing the ball, but Tagliabue has to keep the momentum and interests into making such changes for the next couple months when the owners meet in Phoenix in March. His roadblock is an ownership group that is slow to make change and can block an overtime rule adjustment with eight negative votes.....more (http://espn.go.com/nfl/playoffs02/columnist/2003/0124/1498314.html)
For the next 45 minutes, Tagliabue answered why it's difficult to do that. Every major topic had its challenges. Diversity hiring, perhaps the league's most explosive issue, is an exasperatingly slow process. Expansion to Los Angeles isn't likely in the next decade although momentum is building for a potential state of the art stadium for Southern California fans. Officiating, he said, is good although he's still steaming about the blown call that cost the Giants one last field goal attempt in a playoff loss to the 49ers.
As for overtime, the push is to try to make a drastic change to give each team a chance at possessing the ball, but Tagliabue has to keep the momentum and interests into making such changes for the next couple months when the owners meet in Phoenix in March. His roadblock is an ownership group that is slow to make change and can block an overtime rule adjustment with eight negative votes.....more (http://espn.go.com/nfl/playoffs02/columnist/2003/0124/1498314.html)