PHOENIX – The 2015 NFL Owners Meetings produced no high-profile alterations in the way the game is to be played, but that process remains subject to further review.
"Nothing radical in terms of rules changes other than some discussion about the extra point," Steelers President Art Rooney II said after the proceedings wrapped up today at the Arizona Biltmore.
"The marching orders, the expectation is the Competition Committee is going to go back and look at it again and then try to come up with a proposal for us by the May meeting (in San Francisco)," Rooney continued. "Moving the ball to the 1-, the 1-and-a-half-yard line (for the extra-point play) is definitely in the discussion.
"My preference is we wind up adding a football play as opposed to just making it a harder kick. If we can encourage the two-point play by moving the ball up, I think that's something to think about. We talked also about allowing the defense to score two points if they recover a fumble or an interception and return it."
Rooney also assessed the State of the Steelers as the organization transitions the brunt of its offseason focus from free agency into the draft.
"We had one of the better offensive seasons that we've had statistically," he said. "Ben (Roethlisberger) I think probably had his best season, and we had some other players who really had very strong seasons. It's really a question of trying to build on that. We have a couple of young receivers we need to bring along, but I think we like where we are with the offense.
"On the defensive side, I think we'll be younger. That'll be an opportunity for some young guys to step up and we'll see what we have in some of these guys."
Rooney addressed some other subjects:
The Steelers' intention to "continue to communicate with Troy (Polamalu) and his representatives regarding his future," as stated recently by General Manager Kevin Colbert: "We haven't put any drop-dead date on it; still more to come."
When the Steelers might be informed about a potential suspension of running back Le'Veon Bell: "I have had no discussion about that so I can't tell you."
Whether the Steelers might open the season in the Thursday night game at New England: "There was no discussion about the schedule today."
The Steelers' compensatory draft pick in 2015, which originally was said to be a seventh-round pick: "We did move up one round. I don't know how that happened, but apparently we now have a sixth-round pick. They just said they miscommunicated, so from what I understand we'll now have a sixth."
The Steelers' request to have road games at San Diego and Seattle in 2015 scheduled on back-to-back weekends: "I don't have high hopes that this is going to happen, but we'll see."
