Of the three rule proposals made by the New England Patriots at the NFL owners meetings that officially begin Monday, New York Giants owner John Mara (also a member of the competition committee) gave a rundown of what he anticipates:

Broaden what can be challenged on instant replay (proposal No. 1): “I think it probably does not have enough support to pass. One of the problems is you need 24 votes to make any change and I just don’t see that happening. I think the competition committee [was] 9-0 against that because it adds too many challenges to the game. Right now, I think we average less than one challenge per game. There’s no question in my mind, if we went that route, we’d have four challenges a game, maybe more if you’re successful on two, because any time there is a big play, you’re going to want to challenge. I just don’t think we’re ready to go there yet.”

Fixed cameras on boundary lines (proposal No. 12): “I’m not optimistic that one gets passed because every stadium is configured differently, and to construct camera locations and whatnot, I just don’t know if there is a need to do that.”

Move the point after attempt to the 15-yard line (proposal No. 14). “We’ve had a lot of discussions about that and I think that one has a chance. I don’t know, again, if it’s going to get 24 votes. I happen to be in favor of that one and think it’s a good proposal because we have a play right now that is a ceremonial play. Why not make it a competitive play?”

As for the competition committee’s rule proposal to require eligible players who have been declared ineligible to align within the tackle box, Mara was asked his personal opinion on the Patriots’ playoff tactic, which sparked the rule change.

“I didn’t have a problem with what they did. What they did was within the rules, so they had every right to do it,” Mara responded. “The question is, 'Is that what we want in the game going forward?'

“There are different schools of thought on that, one of which is should the official just slow things down and make sure the eligible and ineligible players are clearly identified. Or should he make the ineligible player line up within the tackle box?”

Mara added that Bill Belichick “is as smart a coach as there is in the game and is always coming up with different strategies. The one they used against Baltimore was ingenious and certainly within the rules. The question is, do we want that going forward? Probably the majority of coaches say no. You can ask them.”