One Huge Rule Change Needed in the NFL

[Lords of Scythia]

For a while I've felt that PI should be a spot foul up to 15 yards, or at most split the difference. It's too many yards that mean too much when the receiver might not even make the catch.

You'd have dbs bailing on a deep play by reaming the reciever, knowing it was only going to be fifteen yards instead of a td or whatever.

 

[Kixkahn]

On the 15 yards instead of spot of the foul... The complaints are reasonable both ways you would have to be able to tell if the interference was intentional or incidental, as in taking down the receiver on a long ball to get 15 instead of whatever more. Bottom line on it all the penalty is majorly flawed and also effects the games at times. The refs are also calling these as to their opinion.

 

[Largent80]

5 yards and automatic first down. How hard is that?

 

[CaptainSkybeard]

In generally DPI should be 15 yards or spot of the foul, whichever is shorter

However, it would be abused if it was changed. See a receiver about to make a 50 yard TD catch? Go ahead and maul him, take the 15 yards.

So maybe they need different degrees of it. If its ticky-tack (like the ones we saw in Indy) do the 15 yards/spot whichever is shorter.

If its "flagrant" do 15 yards / spot whichever is LONGER.

Thoughts?

 

[CamanoIslandJQ]

If nothing else can be done to help questionable calls:

I would like allowing coaches to challenge PI calls which would be less disruptive of the game than changing the current PI penalties and could help teams overcome "bad" calls against them.

 

[NINEster]

Reviewing penalties would really be opening up Pandora's box. I don't want booth review delays over checking on someone lining up in the neutral zone or not.

However, a rule change that MUST happen is that on a 2-point conversion, the NFL adopt the college rule of the defense can run it back for two points of their own. On the first conversion attempt, Walter Thurmond might have been able to take that one to the house.

Shouldn't discourage 2 point conversions any more than they already are, just because it could have benefited you one time.

 

[NINEster]

In generally DPI should be 15 yards or spot of the foul, whichever is shorter

However, it would be abused if it was changed. See a receiver about to make a 50 yard TD catch? Go ahead and maul him, take the 15 yards.

So maybe they need different degrees of it. If its ticky-tack (like the ones we saw in Indy) do the 15 yards/spot whichever is shorter.

If its "flagrant" do 15 yards / spot whichever is LONGER.

Thoughts?

Yeah, I would be down for a judgment call on PI.

You cannot reward an offense for more than they could have gotten by themselves. It's like allowing pass interference calls on hail mary passes.

And conversely since a game cannot end on a defensive penalty you have to protect the offense from exploiting loopholes in the rules like a defense putting 12+ guys on the field to trade a 5 yard penalty for a lot of time to come off the clock (final drive of SB 46 Patriots/Giants).

So in essence, flagrant pass interference in the end zone should always be 1st and goal from the 1.

 

[seedhawk]

Just to further the discussion here, should the Browner and Sherman PI calls have been illegal contact instead of PI. 5 yards, automatic first down. Seems to me the damn refs have some discression here and refuse to use it.

And, for all the other nitpickers. Remember the Wayne catch where they reviewed the spot? That was an obvious Pick play where the outside reciever for the Cults purposely got in Shermans way. Why no call for the pick on the review?

If you are gonna challenge a call, everything about the play should be reviewed.

 

[plyka]

I want computers to do all the officiating. Flood the stadiums with like 120 cameras showing all angles and lock 50 genius software developers in a room for 3 years to write software that can do it.

Take the officials out of officiating. I'd love to know every call that gets made is the correct one; or at least is unbiased.

This is surprisingly possible. In tennis you have cameras that pinpoint where the ball lands to the 1/10 of an inch. YOu also have them outline the course a ball takes in the air.

At the very least a chip should be put inside the ball so you can accurately tell where the ball should be spotted after plays.

Even if the computer thing is far off, ALL judgment calls should be reviewable. I'm not sure why they aren't. You need obvious evidence to overturn the call, and coaches have a limited numbers of challenges. A coach should have unlimited challenges as long as they get it right.

Also, anyone flopping should be suspended for at least 1 game and fined heavily. If you watch soccer you know the plague of the dive. Soccer players fake punches or direct strikes to the face in order to get the opposing player a red card / kicked out of the game --in which case they can't substitute another player in and the team has to play 10 vs 11. This plague is attacking the NBA now with all their flops, and worse of all I saw TA Hilton flopping on some of those PI calls, so eventually it will plague the NFL unless action is taken.

 

[SouthSoundHawk]

Not to derail the thread, but the Refs really need to spend more time honing their craft.

There's a great expose on a college level ref (could be lower, don't quote me on that) that opened a facility or program (can't remember which, maybe both) that trains refs and prepares them to be a more competent workforce. I'm sure it's still going on, and if it's not...that's a damn shame. It was a good idea, that I think all parties involved can benefit from.


Anyway, back to the judgement calls on PI. I think it would work IF, all judgement calls were reviewed. Let's face it, taking a few minutes to double check a call isn't going to hurt anyone. It's not liek they have to look that closely at slight movement of footballs, or tip toes stay in bounds. I think checking for PI would be pretty damn obvious, and wouldn't take tat long at all.


Maybe refs should carry some kind of tablet or smart phone device that they can receive video on (from upstairs or the sidelines). make it capable of zooming in real quick, and bam...they can group up on the field, look it over, and get on with the announcement and game.

Pipe Dreams.

 

[mikeak]

Watching Atlanta game 9.30 left in fourth. Long pass from Ryan to Jones. Jets defender doesn't turn his head, throws himself and locks Jones right arm right before ball gets there ends up incomplete.

So doesn't turn head, plays receivers actions and gets arms before ball. Textbook PI not called

The issue I have with PI calls is that it is so inconsistently called that it is impossible to have as reviewable. At least in most games the refs are consistent