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NFL exec: Field widening has been discussed before

Former Indianapolis Colts president Bill Polian raised the idea of widening the field as a safety measure recently.

As it turns out, it's not a new idea.

According to NFL senior vice president Ray Anderson, the league's liaison to the competition committee, which Polian used to chair, the concept has been floated in the past.

"It was an idea bantered about two or three years ago as part of a safety discussion," Anderson said Tuesday afternoon. "It didn't get much traction at all then, and it's not on the agenda for this upcoming series of competition committee meetings. I don't see that as something to be discussed anytime soon."

When asked if the concept was floated by Polian, Anderson responded that he couldn't remember whose idea it was.

Anderson added, "I don't know if a guy having 30 yards, rather than 20 yards, to run at another player is going to lessen the impact.

" ... I don't have a firm opinion on it," Anderson continued. " ... I'm not a physicist, so I'll let Polian and (Houston Texans general manager) Rick Smith handle that part of it."

The competition committee will stage meetings starting on Sunday in advance of the NFL Scouting Combine, which runs Feb. 23 to 26 in Indianapolis.

Follow Albert Breer on Twitter @AlbertBreer.

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