Call it the Peyton Manning rule. The Kansas City Chiefs are among those NFL teams proposing rule changes at the NFL owners meetings next week, including one that is seemingly related to a Peyton Manning play from the 2015 playoffs.
The Chiefs propose that a quarterback is prohibited from falling to the ground, getting up and throwing a forward pass. They're basically saying you can't do this:
Someone on Twitter pointed out that this play from Russell Wilson in the 2016 playoffs could also apply.
The Chiefs reasoning is explained: "When defenders see a Quarterback lying on the ground, there is a natural instinct to "let up," particularly in light of recent player safety points of emphasis. The Quarterback is incentivized to "play dead" without officially giving himself up, which puts the defenders in a precarious position. Sometimes simply touching the player down isn’t an option, as the defender needs to get to the Quarterback quickly That situation leads to player safety issues. If the Quarterback knows he can’t throw a forward pass after being in that situation (i.e., on the ground while possessing the ball), then he can stay on the ground long enough to have the play be blown dead. If he chooses to get up, he can always run with it (or even lateral to another player who can pass the ball)."
The Chiefs also propose that penalty yards (on infractions against the offense or against teams gaining possession) lost due to "half the distance" penalties will be added on to the distance needed to gain a first down.
An example the Chiefs provided was an offense commits holding penalty on 1st and 10 from its own 10-yard line on a running play that was stopped for no gain. An accepted penalty placed the ball at the offense's five-yard line, five yards is added to the Line to Gain, and the down and distance will be 1st and 20.
The Chiefs reasoning is explained: "Teams are incentivized to commit offensive or special teams' penalties deep in their own territory because the reward greatly outweighs the risk. Similar rules are already in place for situations where the Quarterback is standing in his own end zone (i.e., Intentional Grounding and Holding)."
Find all the rule changes here.