The NFL has banned the chop block, a ploy occasionally used by the Falcons.
A chop block occurs when an offensive player blocks a defensive player and a second offensive player attempts to cut down the defensive player by blocking him around the knees.
The league's competition committee felt it was a dangerous play that produces serious injuries.
The Falcons use an outside-zone blocking system which sometimes results in chop blocks on the back side of running plays.
NFL owners also voted to continue having extra-point kicks snapped from the 15-yard line.
They also passed a resolution to expand what is a horse-collar tackle to cover the nameplate on the back of jerseys.
In all, seven rule proposals were approved. The others involved coach-to-player communications from the sideline as well as the press box; adding a delay-of-game penalty to a team that calls a timeout when it has none remaining; removing a 5-yard penalty for a receiver illegally touching a pass after being out of bounds; and eliminating multiple spots of enforcement for a double foul after a change of possession.
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