PALM BEACH, Fla. -- Heavy discussion Tuesday on the possible return of instant replay will lead to a vote on the topic Wednesday at the NFL owners meetings.Packers coach Mike Holmgren discusses the elements needed to reinstate instant replay. (271k wav) | RealAudio | About RealAudio
Washington Redskins general manager Charley Casserly proposed a system in which the use of replay would be limited to scoring, out of bounds and change of possession plays. However, there is probably not enough sentiment to sway 23 of the 30 NFL owners, the number required to pass any measure.
"I think there is a way to do this so it doesn't disrupt the timing of the game," Packers coach Mike Holmgren said.
The league's competition committee voted 4-3 against instant replay but the issue still came to the floor.
The three votes for replay came from the three coaches on the committee -- Holmgren, Minnesota's Dennis Green and San Francisco's George Seifert. The votes against came from team officials -- the New York Giants' George Young, Cincinnati's Mike Brown, Dallas' Jerry Jones, and Tampa Bay's Rich McKay.
Instant replay was used from 1986 to 1991 to help officials make calls.
Franchise stability will be a topic of discussion for the final two days of the meetings.
NFL owners approved a commitment to place a team in Cleveland by the 1999 season Monday, the first day of the meetings. The deal was approved by Cleveland officials Friday, making slight changes that the owners approved Monday. One option gives the city 45 days to ponder an alternate site for a new stadium, which the league would like to see built on the current site of Municipal Stadium.
The deal stemmed from the decision at league meetings last month to allow Browns owner Art Modell to move his team to Baltimore. NFL Commissioner Paul Tagliabue agreed to provide Cleveland with an NFL team by the end of the century.
It is uncertain if the owners will vote on the move of the Oilers from Houston to Nashville, Tenn.
Houston Mayor Bob Lanier spoke to the owners Monday and, like the city of Cleveland, asked for another team for the city if the Oilers move. Oilers owner Bud Adams has applied to move his team to Nashville for the 1998 season, but he would like to move sooner.
Tagliabue is expected to present a report on the plan of Seahawks owner Ken Behring to relocate his team to Los Angeles. Behring's group, led by attorney Ron Olsen, also is scheduled to make a presentation with a group representing King County, Washington, having its say later this week.
The spiraling salary cap will also be discussed by the owners. A recent federal ruling increased the salary cap from $37.1 million to $40.773 million. It is believed the owners will ask for a "hard" cap that will cut down on signing bonuses.
The owners also will hear a report from the competition committee, which is expected to ask that rules on the chop block be modified. The current rule came under fire in the NFC championship game when Green Bay defensive lineman John Jurkovic was injured on a chop block by Dallas tackle Erik Williams.
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