1999 NFL season

The 1999 NFL Draft was held from April 17 to 18, 1999 at New York City's Theater at Madison Square Garden. With the first pick, the Cleveland Browns selected quarterback Tim Couch from the University of Kentucky.

Jerry Markbreit retired prior to the 1999 season. He joined the NFL in 1976 as a line judge before being promoted to the referee in just his second year. To date, he is the only NFL referee to officiate four Super Bowl games: Super Bowl XVII, Super Bowl XXI, Super Bowl XXVI, and Super Bowl XXIX. Jeff Triplette was promoted to referee to replace Markbreit.

• Clipping became illegal around the line of scrimmage just as it was on the rest of the field.
• A new instant replay system (different from the one used from 1986 to 1991) is adopted to aid officiating. The system mirrors a method used by the defunct USFL in 1985:
  • In each game, each team has two challenge flags that can be thrown to start an official review of the play in question. Each challenge will require the use of a team's timeout. If the challenge is successful, the timeout is restored.
  • Inside of two minutes of each half, and during all overtime periods, all reviews will be initiated by a Replay Assistant. The Replay Assistant has an unlimited number of reviews, regardless of how many timeouts each team has left. And no timeout will be charged for any review by the Replay Assistant.
  • All replay reviews will be conducted by the referee on a field-level monitor. A decision will be reversed only when there is indisputable visual evidence to overturn the call. The referee has 90 seconds to review the play.
  • The officials will be notified of a replay request or challenge via a specialized electronic pager with a vibrating alert. Each head coach would also have a red flag to use as a backup to get the attention of the officials to challenge a play.
  • The replay system will only cover the following situations:
    • Scoring plays
    • Pass complete/incomplete/intercepted
    • Runner/receiver out of bounds
    • Recovery of a loose ball in or out of bounds
    • Touching of a forward pass, either by an ineligible receiver or a defensive player
    • Quarterback pass or fumble
    • Illegal forward pass
    • Forward or backward pass
    • Runner ruled not down by contact
    • Forward progress in regard to a first down
    • Touching of a kick
    • Too many men on the field

The league also added the following then-minor rule change that became significant in the playoffs a few years later:

When a Team A player is holding the ball to pass it forward, any intentional forward movement of his hand starts a forward pass, even if the player loses possession of the ball as he is attempting to tuck it back toward his body. Also, if the player has tucked the ball into his body and then loses possession, it is a fumble.[1]

This new interpretation of a forward pass would later be commonly known as the “Tuck Rule”, and was repealed in 2013.

• Baltimore Ravens – Brian Billick; replaced Ted Marchibroda who was fired after the 1998 season.
• Carolina Panthers – George Seifert; replaced Dom Capers who was fired after the 1998 season.
• Chicago Bears – Dick Jauron; replaced Dave Wannstedt who was fired after the 1998 season.
• Cleveland Browns – Chris Palmer; hired before the season, first coach of revived Browns.
• Green Bay Packers – Ray Rhodes; replaced Mike Holmgren who resigned to become Head Coach and General Manager of the Seattle Seahawks.
• Kansas City Chiefs – Gunther Cunningham; replaced Marty Schottenheimer who resigned at the end of the 1998 season.
• Philadelphia Eagles – Andy Reid; replaced Ray Rhodes who was fired after the 1998 season.
• San Diego Chargers – Mike Riley; replaced interim head coach June Jones who replaced Kevin Gilbride during the 1998 season.
• Seattle Seahawks – Mike Holmgren; replaced Dennis Erickson who was fired after the 1998 season.

• Baltimore Ravens: Ravens Stadium at Camden Yards was renamed PSINet Stadium after the internet service provider PSINet acquired the naming rights
• Cleveland Browns: The reactivated Browns team moves into Cleveland Browns Stadium
• Tennessee Titans: The renamed Titans moved from Vanderbilt Stadium to Adelphia Coliseum, with the Adelphia Communications Corporation acquiring the naming rights
• Washington Redskins: Jack Kent Cooke Stadium was renamed FedExField after FedEx acquired the naming rights

• Baltimore Ravens – New Raven head logo on helmets.
• Detroit Lions – Altered sleeve striping. Pants color for road uniforms changed from Honolulu blue back to gray.
• New Orleans Saints – Black numbers on road uniforms and added black pants with a wide gold stripe to road uniforms.
• Tennessee Titans – New nickname (from “Oilers” to “Titans”), new logo, new uniforms.
• Philadelphia Eagles - Added black stripping on sleeve ends on home uniforms.

• Football Outsiders 1999 DVOA Ratings and Commentary

• NFL Record and Fact Book (ISBN 1-932994-36-X)
• NFL History 1991–2000 (Last accessed October 17, 2005)
• Total Football: The Official Encyclopedia of the National Football League (ISBN 0-06-270174-6)
• Steelers Fever – History of NFL Rules (Last accessed October 17, 2005)
• NFL introduces Instant Replay technology (Last accessed November 4, 2005)
• Tuck Rule Hard to Grasp by Mark Maske, Washington Post, October 15, 2005 (Last accessed November 4, 2005)