Coaches not thrilled with overtime vote

Reporting from Orlando, Fla.

NFL owners make the final decisions with their franchises.

Never has that been more clear than when owners voted 28-4 in favor of a modified overtime system, even though many coaches and general managers advised against the change. While several coaches expressed their frustrations privately, New Orleans Coach Sean Payton vented publicly Wednesday about what transpired Tuesday.

“That kind of got slipped in the back door,” Payton said at a media breakfast. “That’s a taste you have in your mouth that is bitter.”

Later, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell defended the process.

“It’s probably no secret that there are certain owners who have different feelings than the coaches,” said Goodell, who added pointedly: “This might not come as a news flash, but the owners have a vote.”

Goodell was asked why the owners voted Tuesday instead of waiting a day.

“There were a few owners who couldn’t be here [Wednesday],” Goodell said, “so I think when we come to a resolution, we take a vote and move on.”

The owners will meet in Dallas in May and are likely to discuss expanding the just-adopted overtime rule to the regular season. Goodell acknowledged that one of the issues concerns the TV networks and the potential that “extended” games will overlap into other games or programming.

Eagles QB talk

Donovan McNabb’s days in Philadelphia could be numbered. Coach Andy Reid said the Eagles are willing to entertain trade offers for any of their three quarterbacks — Donovan McNabb, Kevin Kolb and Michael Vick — echoing what he told the Philadelphia Inquirer a day earlier.

“I wouldn’t say they’re on the market,” Reid said. “I’d say I’m listening. I’m not saying I’m doing anything.”

Before this, Reid has never publicly expressed a willingness to trade McNabb. Citing an unnamed source “with knowledge of the team’s thought process,” the newspaper reported the Eagles are looking for a second-round pick or a combination of high picks for either McNabb or Kolb.

Schedule tweak?

The NFL has searched for incentives for teams to play hard at the end of the season, rather than resting starters for the postseason. Now, there could be a solution. Goodell said the league is looking into making all the matchups in Week 17 (and possibly Week 16) division games, increasingly the possibility of matchups being significant.

Rule changes

Passed Wednesday:

—Any defenseless player can’t be hit in the head or neck area by an opponent who launches himself and uses his helmet, shoulder or forearm to make contact.

—When a player running with the ball loses his helmet, the whistle will blow and the ball will be placed at the “progress spot” where the helmet came off.

—The umpire will be stationed behind the offensive backfield rather than in the linebackers area.

—During a field goal or extra point attempt, a player can’t be positioned on the line directly across from the snapper.

—A dead-ball personal foul on the final play of the second or fourth quarters will cause a 15-yard penalty on the second half or overtime kickoff.

—If a punt returner makes a fair catch signal and muffs the ball, he is entitled to “reasonable opportunity” to catch the muff before it hits the ground without interference. The ball will be rewarded at the spot of the interference, but there will be no penalty yardage.

—When a ball strikes a videoboard, guide wire or sky cam, the play is whistled dead and replayed. The game clock is reset to when that play started.

—The replay judge will be allowed to initiate a review to consider interference with the ball. This is the only case outside of the final two minutes of the second and fourth quarters and overtime that the booth can order a replay. Coaches can also challenge whether there was ball interference.

—If the clock is stopped in the final minute of either half for a replay review, but would not have stopped without the review, officials will run off 10 seconds before resuming play. Either team could take a timeout to void the 10-second runoff.

Etc.

The New York Jets will be featured on HBO’s “Hard Knocks” this summer. …The 2010 schedule will be released in April.

sam.farmer@latimes.com