NFL commissioner Paul Tagliabue postponed appointing a committee to search for his replacement on Monday, the opening day of the National Football League's annual club owners' meetings.
Tagliabue announced a week ago he would resign from the post in July, but was vague on Monday as to when he would select a search committee and team owners didn't seem bothered.
"It's not a race for speed, it's a race for success," said Jeffrey Lurie, the owner of the Philadelphia Eagles. "This is the CEO of a 32-team operation, so it's not the speed, it's the quality."
One reason for the delay is trying to avoid what happened in 1989, when outgoing commissioner Pete Rozelle appointed a committee of insiders. That alienated outsiders, leading to a seven-month deadlock.
That could still happen again.
Despite a last-minute agreement on enhanced revenue sharing that resulted in an extension to the NFL's collective bargaining agreement with the players' union, there is still considerable disagreement by low-revenue and high-revenue teams. Tagliabue is aware of that and will have to ensure the committee is balanced with the various factions among the owners.
Elsewhere on Monday, the competition committee recommended a series of rule changes. They will be voted on later in the week and include:
* Limiting end-zone celebrations to forbid players from demonstrating on the ground, such as doing sit-ups. They also can't use props, but can spike, dunk or spin the ball as long as they are standing up and are in the end zone.
* Toughening enforcement on pass rushers who hit quarterbacks below the knees. However, it wouldn't involve hits that defensive players can't avoid, such as the one in last year's playoffs on Cincinnati's Carson Palmer by Kimo von Oelhoffen, then with Pittsburgh, that severely injured Palmer's knee.
Schedule
A season opener tomorrow featuring Miami at Super Bowl champion Pittsburgh, and a Thanksgiving Day game at Kansas City highlight a portion of the NFL schedule announced on Monday.
The Miami Dolphins, who finished 9-7 last season, will play at the Steelers on Sept. 7.
Three nights later, the first featured Sunday matchup will be a brotherly quarterback feud between the Mannings as Peyton brings his Indianapolis Colts to the Meadowlands to play Eli and the New York Giants.
The league scheduled a doubleheader for Monday Sept. 11, when Minnesota will visit Washington, followed by San Diego at Oakland in an odd coupling.
While Washington sells out every game and has led the NFL in attendance for six straight years, Oakland rarely has a full stadium. That raises the potential for a TV blackout in the Bay Area for the game with the Chargers.
The Thanksgiving Day lineup on Nov. 23 features the Dolphins at Detroit, followed by Tampa Bay at Dallas, and the Denver Broncos visiting the Kansas City Chiefs.
The entire schedule will be released early next month.
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