NFL Rule and Structural Changes

Mental Floss said

Yeah no doubt Instant Replay is a contributor but I'm also thinking the changes to the rules are complicating matters. They have added a number of nuance and in the eye of the beholder penalties. The safety issue has really increased the burden on refs.

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One example would be just to review the rules of what is "a catch" or what is "Defensive Pass Interferences".

Those two descriptions alone probably changed in definition several times over the last 15 years alone. Sometimes by intention to make games more offensive and also some times to make the game easier to ref.

Knowing the rules have such intricate definitions, I'm surprised how often the ref, at live speed, can actually make the correct call. I would be lost out there.