PHOENIX — As the NFL world continues to buzz over the retirement of San Francisco 49ers linebacker Chris Borland, behind the scenes the league continues to leave no stone unturned in working to make the game as safe as possible.

When the Competition Committee presented a long list of rules proposals last week in a conference call previewing the league meetings, there was one not mentioned because it was still in its final development stages.

The plan was subsequently finalized and presented to ownership Monday with the expectation it will be voted on Wednesday. NFL games have had what is called an ATC Spotter in the press box, but now the committee wants the spotter to have the ability to have the game stopped to get a distressed player off the field.

The resolution says, “In the event the ATC Spotter has clear visual evidence:

1. that a player displays obvious signs of disorientation or is clearly unstable; and

2. it becomes apparent that the player will remain in the game and not be attended to by the club’s medical or athletic training staff, then the ATC Spotter will take the following steps:

1. If the player does not receive medical attention, contact the Side Judge over the Official-to-Official communication system to identify the player by his team and jersey number.

2. Contact the medical staff of the player involved and advise that the player appears to be in need of medical attention.

Upon being called by the ATC Spotter, the Side Judge will immediately stop the game, go to the player in question, and await the arrival of the team’s medical personnel to ensure that the player is attended to and escorted off the field.”

Committee chairman Rich McKay, president and CEO of the Atlanta Falcons, acknowledged that the incident in the Super Bowl in which New England Patriots wide receiver Julian Edelman appeared to be “unstable” contributed to the decision.

“The Edelman situation was a play we looked at and it was part of the issue,” McKay said. “There were a couple of other plays that go back a couple of years that we looked at and really it came a little bit from the health and safety committee just saying, ‘We got the ATC spotters, they’ve got a really good vantage point, they’ve got technology in their booth, they’re communicating pretty well with our trainers and doctors and we’ve got a pretty good rhythm going there, why would we miss a player where a player should come out?’

“And maybe this becomes the fail-safe. So that was the genesis of it. We do not expect this to be a rule that gets used a lot. We expect it to be a fail-safe when people just don’t see this player and the distress the player may have had, the ATC spotter does and stops the game.”

The league presented a health and safety report Monday, which shows progress, especially in the area of concussions. Numbers show concussions being down 25 percent from 2013 to 2014 and 36 percent from 2012.

“I think one thing to note here is, and it really became apparent when we talked to the NCAA because they’re seeing the same affect, is we now have players that have come through high school and college and played their games under their targeting rule and those players are now coming into our league and playing under a similar defenseless player rule and I think it’s starting to show itself as players have adjusted in the way they play the game,” McKay said.

“I will tell you that this year we had somewhere close to a 63 percent decrease in fines to players for hits on defenseless players from 2013 to 2014. That’s a really substantial drop. It shows that players are conforming to the rules and I think part of it is they’re growing up with rules that change the way they play the game.”

Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin said, “I am really impressed with our growth in that area. We want to continue to work hard to make our game as safe as we can possibly make it. But the statistics are impressive in terms of some of the growth that we had in that area. Beyond stats, I think our coaches have adjusted. I think our players have adjusted. I think we’re showing that we can continue to evolve in that area. It doesn’t soften our game. It simply makes our game safer. I think our game is still extremely competitive and I look forward to continue to move in that direction as a team and as a league.”

Cincinnati Bengals head coach Marvin Lewis, a member of the Competition Committee, said, “I really feel good about the changes in techniques, how we’ve gotten the players to adjust to how they’re playing the game. When you put on video, when you watch a game, you see how things have changed. Our secondary guys and linebackers are put in these vulnerable positions in how they do their job. There’s been an evolution of what used to be accepted and actually what was looked for compared to now.

“There had to be an evolution in how they go about tackling and how they go about trying to take the ball away off an offensive player. It’s been a big transition and you have to applaud the players from really getting it.”

In reaction to the Borland retirement, Lewis was asked his thoughts on whether the narrative that emphasizes the dangers of the game are overstated. He said, “Every time I say stuff like that I get in trouble, so I’ll let you say that.”

When it was noted that Borland researched information on issues with the game, Lewis said, “Just make sure the information is good.”

Asked the same question about the sport being dangerous, Oakland Raiders head coach Jack Del Rio said, “I don’t want to do anything to cause a situation to be inflamed or any of that. But it’s unfortunate. I had 11 great years as a player and I’ve been coaching now for 19. Thirty years of being a part of this league has been a tremendous blessing for me and my life and for me and my family. I’m very appreciative of that time and I wouldn’t trade it, but if somebody else feels differently, good for them.”

Accepting the risks that exist, Tomlin also said, “But there are so many positive things that come from playing the game, lessons learned that you can relate to life. I tend to focus more on those things than some of the potential negative things that may be associated with playing the game. The reality is that we’ve gone to great lengths, particularly in recent years to increase the safety of the game and safeguard the players in that way. And I am excited about where we are and where we are going.”

Baltimore Ravens head coach John Harbaugh concluded, “We’re on the cutting edge of health and safety. We’re doing everything we can to be the best we can be. Medicine is evolving all the time. There are things that we didn’t know medically 10 years ago we now know in every field. But we don’t go back and say we were negligent because we didn’t know that 10 or 15 years ago. I know they’re doing their best and they’re making great progress.”