The rule change cheered by everyone Wednesday was the elimination of overtime in the preseason. NFL owners just left us to wonder why it took so long.
Most players who will make regular-season rosters are long gone by the fourth quarter of most preseason games, and the outcome, frankly, is meaningless. So overtime is, was and always has been unnecessary. (You could argue, especially considering last season, that the preseason is unnecessary, but the NFL will resume its exhibition season this year.)
The proposal to eliminate overtime in the preseason was put forward by the Competition Committee, and owners approved it.
Owners had not approved the proposal to eliminate overtime in the preseason in previous attempts to get rid of it. It takes at least 24 of 32 votes for a rule change to pass.