NFL seriously needs to fix pass interference... (1 Viewer)

[ShamrockPride]

Now I'll be up front, I'm a Pats hater. So it kills me to see NE gifted a win here, even though that's what the rules state.

But I've been saying this every time I see the situation that just happened between Pats/Browns for the past 4 or 5 years. It's just way too severe a penalty. It's not even like that was an easy call or blatant penalty. You can't have iffy calls directly impacting the outcome of games. Fine the refs, take them out of the playoffs, fine. It's still not enough as this stuff continues to happen.

This really should be #1 on the nfl's rules committee. There has to be a better alternative than setting a team up 1st and goal at the 1 after an iffy PI call. I get it is (and should be) a major infraction. But to essentially just give a team a score because of it?

There has to be something more appropriate. Like just give a 15 yard penalty next play? How about half distance to the goal and 1st down? There's no need to have 50, 60 yard penalties. Just my 2 cents. Am I wrong on this issue everyone? Opinions?

 

[PatsWillWin]

Pretty easy call here, not sure what the issue is. Even if you think it should've been a non-call, it pales in comparison to how ridiculous the non-call was on the Keuchly hug.

In any case, the reason why you can't just make it a 15 yard penalty is because everytime a CB was getting beat on a 60 yard route, he would just Keuchly-hug the WR. A 100% chance of giving them 15 yards is better than a pretty good chance of letting a wide open WR score a 60 yard TD.

There has to be the proper (dis)incentives.

 

[Ministry of Pain]

How would you handle end of games where a guy can just grab a WR when the offense is pinned deep? Like :30 left to play, those 40-50 yard penalties is what keeps some teams in the game.

 

[FF_WMD]

Now I'll be up front, I'm a Pats hater. So it kills me to see NE gifted a win here, even though that's what the rules state.

But I've been saying this every time I see the situation that just happened between Pats/Browns for the past 4 or 5 years. It's just way too severe a penalty. It's not even like that was an easy call or blatant penalty. You can't have iffy calls directly impacting the outcome of games. Fine the refs, take them out of the playoffs, fine. It's still not enough as this stuff continues to happen.

This really should be #1 on the nfl's rules committee. There has to be a better alternative than setting a team up 1st and goal at the 1 after an iffy PI call. I get it is (and should be) a major infraction. But to essentially just give a team a score because of it?

There has to be something more appropriate. Like just give a 15 yard penalty next play? How about half distance to the goal and 1st down? There's no need to have 50, 60 yard penalties. Just my 2 cents. Am I wrong on this issue everyone? Opinions?

I agree, I see way too may ticky tac pi calls that go for huge yardage, but I don't think they will ever change it.

 

[PatsWillWin]

I loathe how long some of these games have become, but maby they need to put in a rule that says PI calls over 30 yards, or PI calls in the end zone, etc. should be reviewed on film.

 

[Rove!]

1) have three grades to the penalty

== 5 yards

==15 yards

==spot of foul

ref's discretion

2) any call over 30 yards subject to review

 

[Tool]

1) have three grades to the penalty

== 5 yards

==15 yards

==spot of foul

ref's discretion

2) any call over 30 yards subject to review

That would create 3 times as many arguments.

Incidentally, there was a horrible call at the end of the Ravens game on PI as well that gave the ravens a chance to score at the end, which they did.

 

[ShamrockPride]

How would you handle end of games where a guy can just grab a WR when the offense is pinned deep? Like :30 left to play, those 40-50 yard penalties is what keeps some teams in the game.

Or...as we've been seeing the past few years, what gives teams wins.

Some teams at this point are even learning to take advantage of this and will just toss up a deep ball when down at the end of games and just wait for a flag to fly. Let the players decide the outcome. If a player wants to hack a receiver and give up yardage on a penalty then that's on him. But it shouldn't directly lead to a goalline opportunity or result in a penalty over half the length of the playing field, especially on iffy calls like the one in today's pats/browns game.

 

[Warrior]

Sorry, SP, but you're in the wrong here. Posters have demonstrated why your suggestions wouldn't work.

The current rule isn't perfect, but there is no better alternative, including the ones your suggested.

The solution is for defenders to stop interfering and follow the rules. If the penalty is harsh, learn to defend a WR within the rules. DBs who aren't good enough will continue to interfere and get called for it.

 

[gianmarco]

It has to be a reviewable play. When you have a penalty that can be 50+ yards and typically can only be seen by 1 ref, it should be reviewable just like 12 men.

 

[Rove!]

1) have three grades to the penalty

== 5 yards

==15 yards

==spot of foul

ref's discretion

2) any call over 30 yards subject to review

That would create 3 times as many arguments.

Incidentally, there was a horrible call at the end of the Ravens game on PI as well that gave the ravens a chance to score at the end, which they did.

did changing the running into/roughing the kicker penalty create twice as many arguments?

Nope. It fixed it.

This gives the refs a chance to make a call more equitable with the infraction

 

[KellysHeroes]

a PI in the endzone should be moved to the 5 yard line or half the distance of the goal if already within 5 yards.

 

[Steve Tasker]

Should be 15 yards like college, IMO.

 

[Courtjester]

I hate the Pats, but it could have been justified PI back 20 yards, but not in the endzone. The hand fighting in the endzone is normal. It shouldn't have been first down at the one

 

[ShamrockPride]

Sorry, SP, but you're in the wrong here. Posters have demonstrated why your suggestions wouldn't work.

The current rule isn't perfect, but there is no better alternative, including the ones your suggested.

The solution is for defenders to stop interfering and follow the rules. If the penalty is harsh, learn to defend a WR within the rules. DBs who aren't good enough will continue to interfere and get called for it.

If the rule isn't perfect, then why demand that players and refs are? When you're talking about these kinds of calls impacting playoffs and such, I, as a fan, demand that everything being called is correct.

No penalty should go for more than half the available playing field remaning. If you don't think half the field or 15 yards is enough, then throw in that time does not expire on a PI call either. I see plenty of acceptable solutions here that most are not willing to discuss because you can always fall back on the "players should just learn to adjust" excuse.

 

[Hang 10]

Should be 15 yards like college, IMO.

Works fine there.

 

[mad sweeney]

1) have three grades to the penalty

== 5 yards

==15 yards

==spot of foul

ref's discretion

2) any call over 30 yards subject to review

The refs couldn't even handle 2 grades of facemasking, how're they going to do 3? I'm solidly in the camp of PI needing to be changed or reviewed, but these guys can't handle it as it is, how're they going to grade it?

 

[lbouchard]

Should be 15 yards like college, IMO.

Works fine there.

If I was a CB and was beat deep, I would mug the WR. Would hate watching that in the NFL.

 

[Hang 10]

Should be 15 yards like college, IMO.

Works fine there.

If I was a CB and was beat deep, I would mug the WR. Would hate watching that in the NFL.

Do you watch college football? I'm trying to remember the last time that happened.

 

[mad sweeney]

Should be 15 yards like college, IMO.

Works fine there.

If I was a CB and was beat deep, I would mug the WR. Would hate watching that in the NFL.

Do you watch college football? I'm trying to remember the last time that happened.

A lot of things happen in the NFL that don't in college.

 

[Rove!]

1) have three grades to the penalty

== 5 yards

==15 yards

==spot of foul

ref's discretion

2) any call over 30 yards subject to review

The refs couldn't even handle 2 grades of facemasking, how're they going to do 3? I'm solidly in the camp of PI needing to be changed or reviewed, but these guys can't handle it as it is, how're they going to grade it?

facemasking is better than it was...

 

[ShamrockPride]

1) have three grades to the penalty

== 5 yards

==15 yards

==spot of foul

ref's discretion

2) any call over 30 yards subject to review

The refs couldn't even handle 2 grades of facemasking, how're they going to do 3? I'm solidly in the camp of PI needing to be changed or reviewed, but these guys can't handle it as it is, how're they going to grade it?

facemasking is better than it was...

Facemasking also isn't subjective...

 

[GroveDiesel]

IMO, the solution is to allow pushing receivers all the way down the field up until the ball is released. Give the CBs more of a chance but don't eliminate pass interference.

 

[Hang 10]

Should be 15 yards like college, IMO.

Works fine there.

If I was a CB and was beat deep, I would mug the WR. Would hate watching that in the NFL.

Do you watch college football? I'm trying to remember the last time that happened.

A lot of things happen in the NFL that don't in college.

So what is so different about the NFL? You really think corners would just start tackling open receivers because it's only a 15 yard penalty? I don't see it.

 

[PatsWillWin]

Should be 15 yards like college, IMO.

Works fine there.

If I was a CB and was beat deep, I would mug the WR. Would hate watching that in the NFL.

Do you watch college football? I'm trying to remember the last time that happened.

A lot of things happen in the NFL that don't in college.

So what is so different about the NFL? You really think corners would just start tackling open receivers because it's only a 15 yard penalty? I don't see it.

Not only would they, they would be lauded for making a smart decision.

 

[Hang 10]

Should be 15 yards like college, IMO.

Works fine there.

If I was a CB and was beat deep, I would mug the WR. Would hate watching that in the NFL.

Do you watch college football? I'm trying to remember the last time that happened.

A lot of things happen in the NFL that don't in college.

So what is so different about the NFL? You really think corners would just start tackling open receivers because it's only a 15 yard penalty? I don't see it.

Not only would they, they would be lauded for making a smart decision.

It does happen occasionally in college but it also happens in the NFL. The difference in the yardage does not alter how the game is played IMO.

 

[CowboyFan]

Should be 15 yards like college, IMO.

Works fine there.

If I was a CB and was beat deep, I would mug the WR. Would hate watching that in the NFL.

Do you watch college football? I'm trying to remember the last time that happened.

A lot of things happen in the NFL that don't in college.

A lot of things happen in college that don't in the NFL, but an ambiguous statement doesn't mean that a 15yd PI penalty wouldn't work in the NFL.

 

[CalBear]

In any case, the reason why you can't just make it a 15 yard penalty is because everytime a CB was getting beat on a 60 yard route, he would just Keuchly-hug the WR. A 100% chance of giving them 15 yards is better than a pretty good chance of letting a wide open WR score a 60 yard TD.

We have an enormous amount of data about what PI as a 15-yard penalty looks like (NCAA rule). It doesn't look like what you're saying. The NFL rule is stupid.

 

[CalBear]

Should be 15 yards like college, IMO.

Works fine there.

If I was a CB and was beat deep, I would mug the WR. Would hate watching that in the NFL.

How are you going to mug the WR? You're beat.

 

[mad sweeney]

Should be 15 yards like college, IMO.

Works fine there.

If I was a CB and was beat deep, I would mug the WR. Would hate watching that in the NFL.

How are you going to mug the WR? You're beat.

Swipe at the legs, plow through him when he adjusts to the ball, etc...

 

[ZWK]

Cap it at half the distance to the goal line, like other penalties. Spot of the foul or half the distance, whichever is less. So if the line of scrimmage is your own 20 then it can't go for more than 40 yards, if the line of scrimmage is midfield then it's capped at 25 yards, etc.

 

[General Tso]

I agree it's way too severe. 15 yards like college.

 

[pizzatyme]

Just make it reviewable! The Refs are a big part of the game and that should not be the case.

 

[ghostguy123]

As a clevelander, that was..........................abysmal.

So in some cases you can tackle a guy cause it's the end of the game, but in this case you barely breathe on the guy and you get a flag............and it's at the end of the game. Maybe not the last play of the game, but may as well have been.

I have never been one to say this even with the rule changes and ####-ification of the game..................but this really is becoming unwatchable.

It's like someone is rolling dice and we get random calls.

 

[lbouchard]

Should be 15 yards like college, IMO.

Works fine there.

If I was a CB and was beat deep, I would mug the WR. Would hate watching that in the NFL.

How are you going to mug the WR? You're beat.

Obviously, if you're completely toasted, you can't mug the WR. But in the NFL, being open is often a matter of inches. A little bit of separation is all it takes for the QB to pull the trigger. I would be able to make up that ground quite easily if I could just plow into the receiver. Being open in college and in the NFL are quite different.

 

[CalBear]

Obviously, if you're completely toasted, you can't mug the WR. But in the NFL, being open is often a matter of inches. A little bit of separation is all it takes for the QB to pull the trigger. I would be able to make up that ground quite easily if I could just plow into the receiver. Being open in college and in the NFL are quite different.

So the receiver is open by "a matter of inches," and the ball is coming into the general vicinity, and you're going to mug him and give him a free 15 because it's only 15?

 

[ghostguy123]

Obviously, if you're completely toasted, you can't mug the WR. But in the NFL, being open is often a matter of inches. A little bit of separation is all it takes for the QB to pull the trigger. I would be able to make up that ground quite easily if I could just plow into the receiver. Being open in college and in the NFL are quite different.

So the receiver is open by "a matter of inches," and the ball is coming into the general vicinity, and you're going to mug him and give him a free 15 because it's only 15?

Maybe a spot foul until you get inside the 20, then half the distance?? I don't know.

How bout instead of changing the rules, the idiots just start calling the game correctly.

 

[Craig_MiamiFL]

Make all penalties reviewable/challengable.

So many ridiculous calls around the league.

 

[hines]

two levels of penalties: one being a 10-yarder and an automatic first down and the other being a spot foul.

boom: solved

 

[ghostguy123]

two levels of penalties: one being a 10-yarder and an automatic first down and the other being a spot foul.

boom: solved

They do that now kinda with the holding.

Problem is, this doesnt solve anything because the refs still make a judgement call on whether or not it's a spot foul.

I guess I agree that ANYTHING and EVERYTHING should be reviewable. I mean, you get 2 challenges right?? Obviously you can't slop up the game challenging 500 things since you lose your challenges when you are wrong.

BUt in a case like today, you throw the flag and say you want to challenge whether or not it was a penalty. The guy will look under the hood, see how terrible the call was, go fire the ref on the spot, and reverse the penalty.

 

[pizzatyme]

How do you fix it? Make it challengable and if you win it you get to kick the official who made the bad call in the sack. Problem goes away pretty quickly IMO.

 

[captain_amazing]

How do you fix it? Make it challengable and if you win it you get to kick the official who made the bad call in the sack. Problem goes away pretty quickly IMO.

PI really needs to be reviewable. Maybe make it reviewable only under certain circumstances, as others have pointed out above, such as when it occurs in the endzone or results in a 50+ yard penalty. It seems like so many games are heavily influenced near the end by a PI call.

 

[cobalt_27]

I think the point the OP was making was the defender did follow the rules, that it was not PI, AND the punishment for such a terrible missed call cost CLE the game.

And to all three points, I agree. The NFL officiating is brutal, worse than any sport, any level, and this particular rule takes the game out away from the players and puts the outcome in the hands of the zebras far too often.

 

[Smack Tripper]

Ok, you don't like it, lets get creative....

How about PI is a 15 yard penalty or half the distance to the goal for any endzone PI...however

the offense gets the option of a ten second Add-On to the clock.

It doesn't automatically put you in 1st and goal from the one,

But still stays punitive enough to be a deterrent. Thus you can't just mug guys at the end of the game, but you're making teams earn their spot

 

[Stinkin Ref]

imo....the blatant pick plays that aren't getting called OPI are a bigger problem.....

 

[Craig_MiamiFL]

imo....the blatant pick plays that aren't getting called OPI are a bigger problem.....

Also a very big problem.

Unbelievable how much teams are getting away with it right now.

 

[Area51Inhabitant]

I dislike the Patriots as much as the next guy but why all the whining about this particular call? The guy kept putting his hands on the receiver and was obviously trying to skirt the line between good coverage and interference. He crossed it and was called for it. End of story.

 

[ShamrockPride]

I dislike the Patriots as much as the next guy but why all the whining about this particular call? The guy kept putting his hands on the receiver and was obviously trying to skirt the line between good coverage and interference. He crossed it and was called for it. End of story.

I don't mind the flag on the play. I mind the contact that produced the flag. Yes, the defender was actually PI'ing at the 15 or 20, but the contact in the end zone which produced the flag was just 2 guys fighting for the ball.

Should there have been a flag for contact? Yes. Should there have been a flag for the contact in the endzone? No.

 

[SaintsInDome2006]

The problem is in the subjectivity of the calls by the referees - what's PI here in one game is not PI in another. The PI can even be called two different ways on nearly the same play in the same game.

Subjective penalties are harming the competitive balance of the league on three kinds of calls these days:

• Pass interference
• Roughing the passer
• Illegal grounding

 

[ghostguy123]

I think the point the OP was making was the defender did follow the rules, that it was not PI, AND the punishment for such a terrible missed call cost CLE the game.

And to all three points, I agree. The NFL officiating is brutal, worse than any sport, any level, and this particular rule takes the game out away from the players and puts the outcome in the hands of the zebras far too often.

Plus the horrid personal foul call on the edelman touchdown right before that. How on earth is it a personal foul to hit the guy in the chest with your shoulder just as he is making a TD grab?

The idiot refs handed the patriots about 45 free BS yards.