NFL Needs to change Pass Interference Penalty

[mcdonut16]

The NFL's penalty structure for defensive holding and pass interference makes no sense at all.

If Assante Samuel had grabbed Lelie by the arm and thrown him out of bounds, taking him totally out of the play before Plummer through the ball, he would have got a defensive holding penalty for 15 yards. Instead he plays perfect coverage, looks back for the ball, established position, and is pushed by Lelie at least 3 times and gets an interference call and the ball is place at the one yard line. Normally interference is a spot foul but because the "penalty" occured in the end zone the ball was place at the 1. It is no worse to hold that it is to interfere. Does the fact that the ball is in the air make the outcome any different. In either case the play is a pass play and the intent is to pass the ball. Why should it matter if the defender impedes the progress of the reciever regardless if the ball has been thrown or not.

My point here is that I am suggesting the NFL institute an additional level of pass interfence call that awards the offense 15 yards and a first down instead of spot fouls when the interference is not "a blatant attempt to prevent the reciever from catching the ball". Pass interference at all other levels of football is 15 yards and a first down. There is no penalty in sports as severe as the pass interference penalty other than maybe a penalty kick in soccer.

I am not suggesting that the spot foul interference penalty be removed, but that it only be used in cases of blatant interference. I don't believe that Samuel commited any interference on the now infamous play, but the back judge (I think) thought he saw something. Rather than letting the opinion of one referee swing the entire momentum of the game, if he had the option of levying a lesser penalty maybe he would have taken that, therefore in his mind awarding Denver a first down and 15 yards and making the wrong a right, without completely upheaving the game by placing the ball at the one, effectively awarding the Broncos a TD. Video review could also be used in the case where one ref and another disagree as to an interference call. The ref closest to the play did not think Samuel commited a penalty, but the ref half a field away felt obligated to call something that wasn't there. The referee could then take a look at the play himself (if the coach asks for a replay) and make the final call.

The basis for my idea somewhat already exist in the NFL for the face mask penalty.

It is the descretion of the referee to objectively determine if a defenders hand was just on the face mask (5 yards and a first down) or if the defender was grabbing and pulling the face mask (15 yards and a first down). The referee can dish out the appropriate punishment for the appropriate level of infraction.

 

[primetime]

I just find it to be an exception to every other NFL penalty. Every penalty besides interference is an amount of yardage from the spot of the foul or line of scrimmage, and possibly an automatic first down. Only defensive pass interference has the ball placed at the spot of the foul.

 

[BelichickFan]

The penalty is ridiculous, it assumes that every deep ball would be caught.

Like you're saying there should be a two tiered system - a spot foul for a flagrant PI in which the DB dives and tackles a guy who's got 2 steps on him. And a 15 yarder, like in college, for pushing and shoving.

 

[onegameatatime]

Doesn't college now have a fixed yardage? Do they find people intentionally taken out to avoid obvious catches?

I've always thought the penalty was excessive, and it's called too much and too inconsistently. The idea that the defender has an equal right to the ball is a sham in practice. On Saturday, they should have held the flag, but if it was caled, it should have been on Lelie.

... not to make excuses for the loss -- the Pats turned the ball over themselves.

 

[PATSNUTme]

That would open up a can of worms and take a 3 to 3.5 hour game into a 5 hour game.

There are some calls that have to be left to the judgement of the offcials. We got screwed it's true, but the league has to deal with the ref that called it. We will never know how much heat he got and how much of a downgrade he got on his review.

 

[letekro]

there should be a two tiered system - a spot foul for a flagrant PI in which the DB dives and tackles a guy who's got 2 steps on him. And a 15 yarder, like in college, for pushing and shoving.

That should be the rule. However the rule as is promotes deep pass attempts and scoring - two things the NFL presumably wants to encourage.

 

[Pats_Bryan]

Placing the ball at the 1 yard line for pass interference in the end zone basically makes the penalty distance as far as the QB's arm can throw. And in most cases it will result in a TD on the next play. That's just too severe for pass interference. If they're not going to make the call reviewable, they should at least change the penalty. 15 yards is sufficient, though I could be persuaded by a two-tiered system as noted previously.

 

[Julius]

Pass interference has always been my least favorite call in football. It promotes the mind set of just throwing deep even if no one is open. I agree about a two tier system. I also think receivers should get a penalty for pushing off defensive backs more often.

 

[hwc]

The NFL should just go ahead and institute the rule they really want: a total ban on pass defense. Maybe award an automatic touchdown if any defender drops back more than 15 yards off the line of scrimmage at any time during a play.

 

[workhorse]

Doesn't college now have a fixed yardage? Do they find people intentionally taken out to avoid obvious catches?

I've always thought the penalty was excessive, and it's called too much and too inconsistently. The idea that the defender has an equal right to the ball is a sham in practice. On Saturday, they should have held the flag, but if it was caled, it should have been on Lelie.

... not to make excuses for the loss -- the Pats turned the ball over themselves.

I think that if you have fixed yardage like college that you would see guys just tackling receivers if they were about to get burnt. Better to give up a 15 yard penalty than a 50 yard score. They can use illegal contact and defensive holding to lessen the penalty yardage, but once the ball is in play they are kind of limited to either calling PI or not calling it. Putting in a lesser penalty like they have with face mask is one possibility, but how easy would it be to set a distinct difference?

 

[Joker]

Don't worry...if the rule needs changing, you can be sure Bill Polian will engineer THAT this offseason, just like he has every other ridiculous change that's come down the pike the past four years

 

[tigerjohn]

The NFL needs to incorporate PI into the replay system. That would cut down on the number of opportunities to challenge, but still allow a correction for key plays.

 

[Tony Collins]

Pass interference has always been my least favorite call in football. It promotes the mind set of just throwing deep even if no one is open. I agree about a two tier system. I also think receivers should get a penalty for pushing off defensive backs more often.

Sort of like Bledsoe and what he did to Buffalo in 1996.

 

[workhorse]

Don't worry...if the rule needs changing, you can be sure Bill Polian will engineer THAT this offseason, just like he has every other ridiculous change that's come down the pike the past four years

Still beating that drum? All Polian did was asked them to enforce a penalty that was already on the books, he didn't change any rule. BB is the one that wants to change things. He wants goal-line cameras, which I think is a very good idea, but he is the only one that wants things changed.

 

[Willie55]

I thought defensive holding was only 5 yards, same as illegal contact.


I just think they should let the boys play, unless it's completly blatant.

 

[ClosingTime]

Now - Pats want to change pass interference rule after playoff loss.
Then - *****ing for years about a demand for the enforcement of the existing rules.
I can't believe some of you don't have a migraine from your own hypocrisy.

 

[mcdonut16]

Now - Pats want to change pass interference rule after playoff loss.
Then - *****ing for years about a demand for the enforcement of the existing rules.
I can't believe some of you don't have a migraine from your own hypocrisy.

Easy there big fella. I don't recall any plays during the Patriots vs. Colts AFC Championship 2 years ago where one of the alleged holding calls on the Patriots took away 7 point from the Colts or gave 7 points to the Patriots.

 

[ilduce06410]

the ref is the only one who can call it

That would open up a can of worms and take a 3 to 3.5 hour game into a 5 hour game.
There are some calls that have to be left to the judgement of the offcials. We got screwed it's true, but the league has to deal with the ref that called it. We will never know how much heat he got and how much of a downgrade he got on his review.

one thing that really impresses me about nfl officials is in almost every call, the official is standing right there. think about that, how much football knowledge it requires. ya gotta be in really good shape too. anyway, you can see him in the camera shot just about every time. ed hochuli not withstanding, nfl officials are SO MUcH BETTER than college official..
two more thoughts:
1. the nfl has an intensive system for rating officials. each crew and each official gets a numerical rating for each game (that means there's a team at the nfl that looks at every play of every game).
crews working playoff games are selected by having the highest numerical rating for that season. the crew rated #1 gets to work the SB and the all-star game.
so yeah, the play will be looked at. it was a play that affected a game, so a number of senior nfl folks will see it on a kind of "hiighlights" dvd for the season.
we'll never know what decision the league made about that play. or on the tuck rule. but you can be sure, it'll be looked at real close. also, they got some 'splaining to do to with a pissed off bobby kraft.

 

[Mainefan]

What I don't like about pass interference is that the offense tries to get the penalty, as a strategy to move downfield. This strikes me as an unfair use of the penalty system. I feel a little bit the same about the "hard count" business that's meant to draw the defense offside, as well as the "illegal motion" penalties that the defense attempts to trigger from the offense.

A two-tier PI penalty makes great sense. It's always seem wrong to me that a PI penalty can move the ball 20-30-40-50-60-70 yards down the field in an instant, even though the offense has accomplished nothing and the QB may have thrown into coverage with the intent of getting the penalty.

 

[MDPATSFAN]

Perhaps it could be made reviewable on PI penalties of over 25 yards.