Short answers, pulled from the story.
The 1978 NFL season marked the beginning of a new era for professional football when the league officially expanded its regular schedule from fourteen games to sixteen games. This change remained in place until 2021 when the number increased again to seventeen games.
Officials implemented the Mel Blount Rule to open up the passing game by allowing defenders to make contact with receivers only within five yards beyond the line of scrimmage. The offensive team gained permission to throw one forward pass per play if the ball did not cross the line and return behind it, and penalties for intentional grounding decreased from fifteen yards to ten yards from the previous spot.
The Houston Oilers selected running back Earl Campbell of Texas with the first overall pick during the 1978 NFL draft that occurred over two days at New York City's Roosevelt Hotel between May 2 and May 3. Campbell had previously won the Heisman Trophy while playing college football.
Ten teams qualified for the postseason including eight division champions and two wild card teams added to each conference. These wild card teams played against each other immediately after the regular season ended before advancing to join the three division champions in the round of eight.
Running back O.J. Simpson held the top position for all players at just under $733,400 during the 1978 NFL season when average player salaries rose significantly to under $62,600. This figure represented a thirteen-point-two percent increase over the previous year.