Replays of interference calls (1 Viewer)

If nothing else, there is no reason that these plays can't be review-able after the 2 minute warning of each half. Like the booth reviews on scoring plays.

The only reason this won't pass is because Goodell is afraid to admit that the refs can't keep up with all the insane rules that change every season.
 
I don't see how this won't become a reality at some point. Everyone knows it's a problem. Eventually they'll run out of reasons it can't work.
 
Even if you review them, how many PI calls can you think of where there was zero contact? Even if the contact didn't effect the WR? Even on that ridiculous PI against Vacarro, you had people arguing he didn't turn his head in time, that he made contact, etc. They wouldn't of overturned it.

It's like challenging a spot. Refs are gonna do everything they can to not admit they were wrong.

The only way to really fix this is to change the rule and what constitutes PI. No more pointless "get your head around rule." No more underthrown balls being PI. Tighten up the "catchable pass" definition. Allow more contact as long as the WR isn't seriously effected.
 
Even if you review them, how many PI calls can you think of where there was zero contact? Even if the contact didn't effect the WR? Even on that ridiculous PI against Vacarro, you had people arguing he didn't turn his head in time, that he made contact, etc. They wouldn't of overturned it.

It's like challenging a spot. Refs are gonna do everything they can to not admit they were wrong.

The only way to really fix this is to change the rule and what constitutes PI. No more pointless "get your head around rule." No more underthrown balls being PI. Tighten up the "catchable pass" definition. Allow more contact as long as the WR isn't seriously effected.

All good points, and I really think it should be a 15 yard penalty.
It's getting to the point where if it's not an interception it WILL be a completion. Regardless of whether the pass was defended or not.
 
All good points, and I really think it should be a 15 yard penalty.

This.

I don't think the call itself can be fixed/changed/adjusted to something that everyone will agree on. It's simply too subjective of a call.

Having said that, the penalty for it DEFINITELY needs to be changed. The fear has always been that reducing the penalty will create too much of an advantage for the defensive player, even allowing them to deliberately interfere with the WR to prevent a catch because the penalty doesn't sting enough.

Unfortunately, what we have now is the exact opposite by favoring the offense. Little time left in the half/game. A country mile to go for a FG/TD. Throw it up for grabs and wait for the 50 yard penalty that allows them to steal the ballgame.

I'm not suggesting that every PI is bogus. We all saw Sherman interfere with Jones at the end of last week's Seahawks-Falcons game. No question that should've been a PI call. But a 15 yard penalty only keeps the drive alive. It doesn't give the Falcons the victory like the current penalty would have done.

Too many teams over the years have secured victories they probably didn't deserve simply because of a 40-50 yard penalty at the end of the game. That wouldn't necessarily have be true had the penalty been 15 yards instead of this spot foul garbage.
 
Even if you review them, how many PI calls can you think of where there was zero contact? Even if the contact didn't effect the WR? Even on that ridiculous PI against Vacarro, you had people arguing he didn't turn his head in time, that he made contact, etc. They wouldn't of overturned it.

It's like challenging a spot. Refs are gonna do everything they can to not admit they were wrong.

The only way to really fix this is to change the rule and what constitutes PI. No more pointless "get your head around rule." No more underthrown balls being PI. Tighten up the "catchable pass" definition. Allow more contact as long as the WR isn't seriously effected.
I thought the "get your head around" rule was already history and that faceguarding is allowed? Did I imagine this?
 
Too many teams over the years have secured victories they probably didn't deserve simply because of a 40-50 yard penalty at the end of the game. That wouldn't necessarily have be true had the penalty been 15 yards instead of this spot foul garbage.

Just look back to the 2007 and 2008 Saints. Literally, every team we played would 2-3 times a game would heave a deep ball and wait for the penalty. It was brutal to watch us claw out way into games and then a deep bal PI would set the opponent up with 1st and goal at the 1 or at worst a chipshot game winner.

PI needs to be revamped or the fans will move on. It's too frustrating to watch this penalty changing games.

We'd have beaten Oakland if not for a questionable penalty and a questionable call in NY impacted the outcome of that game as well.

4-1 would look a lot nicer right about now.
 
I'm all for having the refs be more selective about what they call for P.I.

But lately I've been seeing alot of complaining about the actual spot-foul rule. Personally I don't have a problem with it. If you start doing just the 15 yard penalty, you're gonna start seeing more pass interference calls as a defensive strategy.

Example: 20 seconds left in the 4th.....a team is down by 3 or less........that team is on their own 22 yard line.......QB takes a shot for his WR, who is around the opponent's 40 yard line. Defender sees what's likely about to happen and blatantly interferes. Without a spot-foul penalty, now that team only gets to move to their own 37 yard line. And oh btw, about 8 seconds went off the clock, so not only are they still 13 yards short of even being at mid-field, but they're also working with only about 12 seconds.

Again....all for the refs "letting them play" and just calling the blatant stuff......but the whole point of the current P.I. penalty is to discourage it from happening altogether.
 
Even if you review them, how many PI calls can you think of where there was zero contact? Even if the contact didn't effect the WR? Even on that ridiculous PI against Vacarro, you had people arguing he didn't turn his head in time, that he made contact, etc. They wouldn't of overturned it.

It's like challenging a spot. Refs are gonna do everything they can to not admit they were wrong.

The only way to really fix this is to change the rule and what constitutes PI. No more pointless "get your head around rule." No more underthrown balls being PI. Tighten up the "catchable pass" definition. Allow more contact as long as the WR isn't seriously effected.

I agree with this. That Vaccaro call was absurd but you could easily construct a frame by frame argument that it was PI according to the rule, no doubt.

More replay is not the answer - its still NFL refs looking at it.

I am ready to go further and ditch instant replay altogether. It adds delay/kills momentum and is still a human-based/subjective ruling.

NFL officiating sucks because of the rulebook. They're gonna get calls wrong either way - best to simply limit the ways in which they can make the game even more unwatchable.
 
Does anybody have a Gif or Vid link of the Vaccaro play? I keep hearing that it was such an "awful" call, but it looked like pretty clear-cut PI to me at the time?
 
This.

I don't think the call itself can be fixed/changed/adjusted to something that everyone will agree on. It's simply too subjective of a call.

Having said that, the penalty for it DEFINITELY needs to be changed. The fear has always been that reducing the penalty will create too much of an advantage for the defensive player, even allowing them to deliberately interfere with the WR to prevent a catch because the penalty doesn't sting enough.

Unfortunately, what we have now is the exact opposite by favoring the offense. Little time left in the half/game. A country mile to go for a FG/TD. Throw it up for grabs and wait for the 50 yard penalty that allows them to steal the ballgame.

I'm not suggesting that every PI is bogus. We all saw Sherman interfere with Jones at the end of last week's Seahawks-Falcons game. No question that should've been a PI call. But a 15 yard penalty only keeps the drive alive. It doesn't give the Falcons the victory like the current penalty would have done.

Too many teams over the years have secured victories they probably didn't deserve simply because of a 40-50 yard penalty at the end of the game. That wouldn't necessarily have be true had the penalty been 15 yards instead of this spot foul garbage.

Exactly, 15 yards in most cases would be a 1st down, but not the game ender. Teams routinely throw hail marys on us, knowing it's going to be an automatic 1st and goal.
 
Example: 20 seconds left in the 4th.....a team is down by 3 or less........that team is on their own 22 yard line.......QB takes a shot for his WR, who is around the opponent's 40 yard line. Defender sees what's likely about to happen and blatantly interferes. Without a spot-foul penalty, now that team only gets to move to their own 37 yard line. And oh btw, about 8 seconds went off the clock, so not only are they still 13 yards short of even being at mid-field, but they're also working with only about 12 seconds.


Today, the offense can just take a few shots down the field and hope for a PI call. If they get just one, it's basically game over - they win. Simple as that.

Now let's say the penalty is 15 yards instead of a spot foul. For starters, offenses will be much less inclined to simply chuck it downfield and would need to rely more on their own offensive production instead (the way it should be). But even if they did take some legitimate shots down the field and a DB blatantly interferes, the defense is still giving up not only sizeable chunks of yards but also temporary clock stoppages as well, which may be just as critical as the yards themselves.

I'm perfectly ok with a defense getting hit with 45 yards worth of PI penalties in the span of 3 plays at the end of a game because the DBs blatantly mugged the WR. I'm NOT ok with a defense getting hit with 45 yards worth of PI penalties in one play because both the DB and WR were going for the ball.
 
Today, the offense can just take a few shots down the field and hope for a PI call. If they get just one, it's basically game over - they win. Simple as that.

Now let's say the penalty is 15 yards instead of a spot foul. For starters, offenses will be much less inclined to simply chuck it downfield and would need to rely more on their own offensive production instead (the way it should be). But even if they did take some legitimate shots down the field and a DB blatantly interferes, the defense is still giving up not only sizeable chunks of yards but also temporary clock stoppages as well, which may be just as critical as the yards themselves.

I'm perfectly ok with a defense getting hit with 45 yards worth of PI penalties in the span of 3 plays at the end of a game because the DBs blatantly mugged the WR. I'm NOT ok with a defense getting hit with 45 yards worth of PI penalties in one play because both the DB and WR were going for the ball.

Again, I'm fine with more attention and scrutiny being placed on the actual calls themselves. But the whole "chuck it downfield and hope for a penalty" is only effective if a penalty actually occurs. Pass Interference should never be part of a defense strategy, outside of something like "ok this guy is about to be on the receiving end of a 78 yard TD reception if I don't reach out and grab him". At that point, yeah...a penalty beyond midfield is still better than giving up a 78 yard TD pass.

People complained a few years ago when Seattle was apparently implementing the strategy of "grab them and hold them, statistics show that the refs will only call it SOMETIMES."..........that sorta thing would only get worse if the PI penalty was reduced.

To me, the calls themselves need to be addressed more than consideration of reducing the yardage. Otherwise it's basically like saying "we're gonna remain flag happy, but hey, since that's gonna be the case....how about we compromise and only tack on 15 yards instead of the other?" No, I'd rather them be less flag-happy in general, and then if clear-cut interference occurs, pop them for it, as needed.
 

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