rest - http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap300...edium=referralCHICAGO -- With relocation no longer looming over their agenda, NFL owners are expected to turn their attention at a brief meeting here to two issues that will shape the game on the field.
Owners are expected to approve a proposal to reduce the length of overtime in the preseason and regular season from 15 minutes to 10 minutes. The shift is being billed as a player-safety issue, because of concerns about the number of additional plays if teams play a full 15-minute overtime, particularly if one of those teams has to play its next game on a short week.
When first discussed during March's Annual League Meeting in Phoenix, the idea garnered strong support from coaches, who see the effects of long overtimes up close. Baltimore's John Harbaugh said players are usually exhausted by the 10-minute mark of overtime, and they are merely trying to hang on for the final five minutes.
Reaction from fans, though, has been largely negative, mostly rooted in the premise that shorter overtimes will lead to more ties. Since the creation of modern overtime rules in 1974, there has never been more than two ties in a single season.