Amid the flurry of rule changes, every West Coast team got a bit of bad news regarding a proposal specifically helping them heading into 2018. During March, the San Francisco 49ers proposed a rule change that would limit the amount of 1 p.m. ET start times for teams heading from the West Coast to the East Coastto three per team per year but according to the Seattle Times Bob Condotta, that rule was shot down by the owners on Tuesday. Of course, shutting down that rule means the Seattle Seahawks, Los Angeles Rams, Los Angeles Chargers, Oakland Raiders, and 49ers along with even the Denver Broncos and Arizona Cardinals have no limit to their East Coast trips with early start times.

A particular challenge for West Coasters can be East Coast games but not just any games particularly ones that start at 1 p.m. ET because after a long trip eastward the teams body clocks are playing a game earlier than usual. Obviously 1 p.m. on the East Coast translates to 10 a.m. on the West Coast or even 11 a.m. to the Cardinals and Broncos who are on mountain time. The East Coast and Midwest teams don't have the same problem going from east to west.

But early East coast starts doesn't automatically translate to schedule success, using the Seahawks as a guide the last two seasons prove that. In 2017, they had no late East Coast starts times and still managed their worst record in seven years at 9-7 including three losses out of four on East Coast trips despite them all starting afer 3 p.m. ET. The year prior, they had two 10 a.m. starts and went 1-1 in those games finishing with a 10-5-1 record.

So whether or not, you have early starts on your schedule isn't indicative of success but overall West Coast teams lose more of those games than they win; thus the 49ers suggestions to cap them at three. In the end, the NFL's schedule has so many variables that adding another may make scheduling too tough a challenge with only so many workable permutations and maybe that's why the competition committee turned it down. Or perhaps, they just don't like a rule that unevenly favors seven NFL teams; though the counter to that would be it actually evens the odds for those teams.

In the end, the 49ers rule change was shot down and there will be no limit on the amount of East Coast games with early start times but of course, there can only be so many of those on the schedule any way. But as so many things will be changing in 2018, the scheduling rules will not be one of them.