Dec 30, 2012; Detroit, MI, USA; Detroit Lions head coach Jim Schwartz leaves the field after a game against Chicago Bears at Ford Field. Mandatory Credit: Mike Carter-USA TODAY Sports

Red-flag rule will be revised. (Jim Schwartz rule)

A play that would have been automatically reviewed by instant replay will still be reviewed even if a coach throws his challenge flag. Any coach who challenges a play that he’s not permitted to challenge would be charged a timeout, and wouldn’t get his timeout back even if he wins the challenge, or would lose 15 yards if his team is out of timeouts. But the play itself will still be reviewed. Call this the Jim Schwartz Rule. The league will also consider reviewing incomplete passes that are ruled a fumble all the way through the fumble — if a play is ruled on the field to be incomplete and overturned on replay as a fumble, the replay can consider everything that happens after that fumble.

Instant replay: Ruling of incomplete pass would be reviewable through fumble.

Long-snapper on extra point and field goal would be a “defensless player” in an effort to avoid more potential injuries along the line.

On field goals and extra points, restrictions are added to what rush teams can do. No more than six defensive players would be permitted to align on either side of the snapper, defensive players can’t push their teammates across the line, and the long snapper is considered a defenseless player.

Jan 20, 2013; Foxboro, MA, USA; New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady (12) throws a pass against the Baltimore Ravens in the AFC championship game at Gillette Stadium. The Ravens defeated the Patriots 28-13. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee/USA TODAY Sports

“Tuck Rule” would be eliminated. Arm moving forward + loss of possession = incomplete pass. Ball being brought back to the body + loss of possession = fumble.

No forcible blows with helmet outside of the tackle box.

Initiating contact with the crown of the helmet is a foul if the runner or tackler delivers a forceable blow against his opponent when both players are outside the tackle box.

Tight ends can wear the number 40-49.

You only have to retain a player claimed via waivers for one day. (old rule was two)

Final cut-down date may be adjusted to accomodate potential Wednesday season-opener.

Thigh and knee pads would be mandatory.

Jan 6, 2013; Landover, MD, USA; Washington Redskins quarterback Robert Griffin III (10) scrambles during the fourth quarter of the NFC Wild Card playoff game against the Seattle Seahawks at FedEx Field. Mandatory Credit: Brad Mills-USA TODAY Sports

League office will be more aggressive and proactive regarding field maintenance. (FedEx Field rule)

Fields must be maintained up to NFL standards, and the league can require clubs to maintain their fields up to the league’s high standards, at the club’s expense.

The final of these rules and bylaws is a result of Robert Griffin III shredding his knee on national television during the Redskins Wild Card matchup versus Seattle. These proposed regulations and rules will be voted on next week for confirmation.

Follow Riggo’s Rag on twitter @RiggosRag!

Jan 29, 2012; Honolulu, HI, USA; NFC linebacker London Fletcher of the Washington Redskins (59) sends a twitter message on the sideline against the AFC during the 2012 Pro Bowl at Aloha Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-US PRESSWIRE

In case you live under a rock in Australia, I have an update for you. Long gone are the days of expressing your opinion via a talk-back line at your local radio station. A water-cooler has been replaced with a circle on Google+ and in-your-face arguments now take place from thousands of miles away via Twitter and Facebook. A while back, our friends at SideLionReport.com did an article on how to call into your local radio station, a guide of sorts. Being the social media junkie that I am, I thought it necessary to lay out the basics of social media interaction for our readers and the nation. If you find yourself constantly breaking these rules then you may indeed be “that guy” or a “twitter thug” as some like to put it. Much like the an operating manual, this article is more of a guide than a rulebook.

When in doubt, thou shalt not tweet.

Are you the kind of person that types out 140 characters of pure anarchy and then holds down the backspace key until the entire message disappears? No? Well you should be. If you think to yourself, “self, this is a bad idea”, or even if you’re not sure, it’s best to let it mellow. The last thing anybody wants to see is somebody going off about a player’s personal life or attacking a member of the local media because they think the Redskins will go 6-10 this season and you’re thinking 7-9.

Thou shalt covet thy auto-correct.

What’s worse than a terrible argument? One that is riddled with grammatical and spelling errors; if you’re going to be loud (and potentially wrong), at least learn to spell and use proper grammar. Some of the basics that the twitterverse seem to be unaware of are the differences between plurality and possession. Some examples:

• There
• Their
• They’re

• To
• Too
• Two

The list goes on forever. In short, the red squiggly line is your friend. Use it.

Thou shalt @ or dap.

We all do it; it’s okay. If you’re engaged in a debate or moderately-charged discussion, you must mention that person directly- it’s imperative. This rule can be applied to regular conversation as well as any sports-related banter. Speaking in general terms about somebody via social media without mentioning them is the cyber equivalent of “I’m not pointing any elbows *points elbow*, but somebody has a Tony Romo Fathead in their bathroom.”

Remember the Sabbath day, to keep thou in perspective.

For most of you ranting football fans, you’re going to be going ballistic on Sunday. No matter what deity you send up a prayer to, try to keep it relatively clean. It is possible to make an decent argument or express yourself accurately without having the FCC and/or Twitter put you in jail. This brings me to my next point; don’t release every little thought. RGIII runs 77 yards for a touchdown? Go ahead and let off an “AHHHHH!!!” tweet, that’s okay. If you tweet too often you will be subject to Twitter jail, it’s a real place. If you haven’t been then don’t worry just yet.

Honor thy father and thy mother.

You want a general rule of thumb so you don’t have 5,000 tweets with four-letter words pop up in a google search engine? Make your profile private or even better, don’t say anything that you wouldn’t say in front of your mother or father. You must realize that anything you say can be cut, pasted and retweeted- even if your account is private. Also, you may think Brian Scalabrine isn’t going to respond, but then he does. He takes your words and puts them up for all of his followers. Now your “I guess white men really can’t jump” comment becomes the next hot-button issue via the live scroll on CNN.

Thou shalt not kill.

Don’t kill anybody via Twitter or Facebook. The latest person that people tried to kill off was Michael Jordan. People were reporting heart attacks and buying up his shoes just in case. These are also the same people that believe Chris Bosh’s father was a velociraptor from Jurrasic Park. The gist of this rule is to do some fact-finding before you decide that what people are saying is true. Last season, a rumor that Michael Vick broke his arm spread farther than LeBron’s hairline within a matter of minutes. Do your due diligence and save the bombs for after your team wins.

Thou shalt not talk smack without prior allegiance.

The worst kind of sports fan you will ever come across is a fan that “doesn’t like any team” or “likes multiple teams, equally”… bullsh–. If you like more than one team, you like no teams and your opinion(s) are rendered worthless. People with no dog in the fight (sorry, Mike) like to “troll”, as the kids call it now. They roam the streets of Twitter and Facebook looking for a fight to start or a star athlete to tweet after a poor performance. If you wish to remain “neutral” but have the ability to criticize either side: be Teddy Bruschi, go work for ESPN, and then talk about how Chad Ochocinco isn’t allowed to be mesmerized by Tom Brady and the Patriots’ offense. Otherwise, stick to throwing out the occasional “wow, Cam Newton can run.”

Thou shalt not steal.

Steve Czaban just tweeted something hilarious. It’s filled with F-bombs and even incorporates a play on John Beck’s mullet. This tweet is the funniest thing in the world, but it’s 139 characters. There’s no room to mention Mr. Czaban so what do you do? You steal it. You pass this tweet of epic proportions off as one of your own and receive all of the lore and hype it brings. But then suddenly somebody recognizes his words spewing from your account. Your word is now useless. You might as well pack it up, change your email address and move to North Dakota. Don’t steal another person’s thoughts, ideas, general premise or actual words without mentioning them in that tweet or post. It’s just not a good look. This issue is mainly prevalent in the retweeting of private accounts, but still an issue nonetheless.

Thou shalt not commit any act that shalt lead to questioning of thy fanhood.

If you are a Pittsburgh Steelers fan you do not wear purple and black on Sunday. You do not say things such as “I wish we had Joe Flacco” and you certainly do not tweet such things. When your team loses, you lose. Everybody knows that guy that says “I just want to see a good game”, no. If you don’t have a thirst for blood leading up to, during, and after the game, you may not be a true fan. Your team is your team. “Oh, I use the Eagles in Madden though.” No. You play with your squad and you win with your squad. You can have other options, should you encounter a fan of the same team. You ride or die with your team. It’s the only way to live.

Thou shalt not take social media too seriously.

The golden rule of social media is to take it for what it is, media. It is not to be taken very seriously. Can you actually obtain valuable information through these networks? Yes. If somebody calls you a jackass (like a donkey), do you take it to the point where you’re googling addresses? No. Now, you don’t even have to unfollow that person that you absolutely despise on social media but love in real life. Certain applications will allow you to mute people or disable them from retweeting things on to your timeline. Use the tools available to you! It’s never that seriou

We will now open the floor to our readers. Feel free to chime in with your commandments for social media and sports. Also, head on over to Twitter and follow the blog (@RiggosRag) and myself (@KMawyer2).

Playoffs!?!?

Barring some miraculous turnaround that would include several Giants losses and an improbable seven-game win streak, the Redskins will miss the playoffs this year. At 3-6 the team is tied for last place with a nightmare of a team in Philadelphia, whom they lost to earlier this year 20-13.

After a decidedly better game versus Miami on Sunday in another losing effort, the Redskins focus is now on the Cowboys. If Washington doesn’t win another game (and some in the “Draft Position” camp would be okay with that) they must win this game. They had Dallas on the ropes inside the spaceship in Texas and lost in a game that consisted primarily of field goals.

The opening line for this weeks game is probably going to be Dallas as a favorite, anywhere between seven to ten points- possibly more. The Redskins need a victory not to establish “hope for the season” or to move into prime position to make a run or any of those things most fans dream of at 3-6. The Redskins need this game so they don’t lose their fans for the season. If the Redskins drop this game at FedEx, in front of 83,000 41,500 Redskins fans, the whole thing may collapse on top of Danny, Bruce and Mike.  (more…)