Indianapolis Colts Submit Proposal to Open Roof at Halftime

Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports

On Wednesday, the Indianapolis Colts submitted a proposal to the NFL’s competition committee to permit teams with retractable roofs to open them at halftime of games.

The purpose of the rule change would be to increase and improve fan experience.

During Wednesday’s conference call, Jeff Fisher–competition committee member and head coach of the St. Louis Rams–further elaborated on the matter.

"“The idea is if the weather is poor prior to the game and you have the roof closed, and then it clears up and it would be nice to open it for the fans and the teams, then you could open it at halftime. It’s a fan-experience, fan-engagement proposal for teams with retractable roofs.” (Indianapolis Star)"

The owners meetings begin Monday in Orlando, where the proposal–along with several others–will be voted on.

Reliant Stadium (Houston), University of Phoenix Stadium (Arizona), AT&T Stadium (Dallas), and Lucas Oil Stadium (Indianapolis) are the only four NFL stadiums with retractable roofs.

The Colts have played a total of 15 games (out of 48) with the roof open in the last six seasons. Perhaps the most notable of those games came during Week 7 of this past season, when Peyton Manning’s Denver Broncos visited Indianapolis on Sunday Night Football and the Colts made the decision to play with an open roof. Game time temperature was just under 60 degrees Fahrenheit, leading to some speculation that the team opened the roof in an attempt to hinder Manning, who has struggled at times during his career in cold weather.

In 2014, the Colts will have home games against the Texans, Titans, Jaguars, Ravens, Bengals, Eagles, Redskins, and Patriots.