When the NFL’s Competition Committee meets next week in Florida, it will have a jam-packed agenda that includes sorting through several different potential rule changes to instant replay and pass interference penalties, per NFL.com’s Judy Battista.
Reviewable penalties, 15-yard pass interference among proposed NFL rule changes
Could every play become reviewable? Should pass interference be a standard 15-yard penalty? Those are among the potential rule changes that could be on the table at the league meetings in March.
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One of the most interesting potential rule changes is a proposal to alter the pass interference penalty. NFL VP of Football Operations Troy Vincent told Battista that the league could make the play reviewable, or possibly change the penalty from a spot foul to a standard 15-yard penalty.
The unprecedented number of proposals comes on the heels of several highly controversial finishes during the playoffs, and the subsequent public outcry over the apparent inconsistency and inaccuracy of officiating in the NFL. The majority of the proposed changes center around the expansion of replay, and range from small rule modifications to making every single play reviewable, according to Battista.
In all, the league reportedly received 12 different proposals regarding replay, but Vincent cautioned against making too many plays subject to review.
“We saw 12 different proposals on replay, which means it’s something we have to look at,” Vincent said. “You want to get it right, but you could be creating fouls. And long term, if we start here, you just continue adding year in and year out, and is that what you want? You don’t want to go down the road of opening Pandora’s Box, and this year it’s expanding this, and next year it’s expanding that.”
Vincent’s idea of “creating fouls” refers to the inevitable consequence of expanding replay to include penalties that were not called by officials, which could encourage coaches to challenge phantom calls in order to reverse a potentially game-changing play against them. Another concern regarding all-inclusive replay is that it would significantly undermine the credibility of officials, who are doing their best to make calls in real-time on the field. Vincent noted that “sometimes game speed and rule changes aren’t always compatible.”
Battista reports that, according to committee members New York Giants president John Mara and Vincent, the rule change that has the best chance to pass is a relatively minor one, allowing the use of replay to review hits on defenseless receivers. Given the league's desire to improve player safety and the difficulty of making the correct call in real time, it would seem to be a strong candidate to become a reviewable play next season.
The Competition Committee met last week in Indianapolis to discuss these potential rule changes, and will assemble again in Florida next week to draft proposals that it will eventually present to coaches, general managers and owners at the annual league meetings in late March.
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