Pass Interference Reviews

[Harlan Huckleby]

This thread is a chance to share your thoughts in a safe, non-judgmental space. I'll start.

I think a problem with reviewing PI is that it is unrealistic to expect defenders to never arrive a little early. If you call PI every time a guy is a tenth of a second early, defenders would have to play scared. When you look at PI situations frame-by-frame, there is usually gonna be contact, and contact that matters.

Tonight, there was serious PI on both plays that didn't get called. What is point of reviews if the slow-Mo isn't going to really be used?

The intantaneous judgment of ref is just as good. The Slow-mo replay just pisses off fans.

[mraynrand]

Like I said in the game thread, I really believe the league is trying to (re)set the threshold so that coaches will only throw the flag for obvious muggings.

[texaspackerbacker]

Apparently it's considered an experiment this season. I wouldn't be surprised if they do away with the PI challenge next season.

Both of the reviews could have been changed to interference, but the Packers challenge was extremely more obvious. I wonder what they coulda been thinking in not calling it on review.

[Harlan Huckleby]

I was completely in favor of pass interference reviews. Now that I see how it "works", it doesn't seem to get us anywhere.

https://sports.yahoo.com/upheld-nocall-in-packers-eagles-game-renews-pass-interference-review-debate-025025702.html

If I had my way, I guess I would allow replay to identify more PI violations. Trying to separate egregious and mild pass interference is too subjective. Both incidents last nigh were PI. Doesn't matter if you draw blood. Interfering with the catch is enough.

[pbmax]

INT at the goal line video.

https://twitter.com/muldowney/status/1177431803985977344

[mraynrand]

I was completely in favor of pass interference reviews. Now that I see how it "works", it doesn't seem to get us anywhere.

https://sports.yahoo.com/upheld-nocall-in-packers-eagles-game-renews-pass-interference-review-debate-025025702.html

If I had my way, I guess I would allow replay to identify more PI violations. Trying to separate egregious and mild pass interference is too subjective. Both incidents last nigh were PI. Doesn't matter if you draw blood. Interfering with the catch is enough.

Good points. But except for the final 2 minutes, the coaches still have to throw a flag and blow a challenge. And if they know the close/minor stuff will not be overturned, they stop throwing flags. I don't know what you do about the final 2 minutes, but last night suggests that they will swallow whistles and let them play, unless there's a mugging.

[mraynrand]

INT at the goal line video.

https://twitter.com/muldowney/status...31803985977344

In the NBA, they would have called that for sure if it had been Adams (Jordan) on the slant vs. Craig James (Fred Roberts).

[mraynrand]

Another take: Officials are basically saying "FU, we don't get calls wrong"

[Harlan Huckleby]

There is only one reason to have replays: get the call right. Replays do not interfere with the flow of the game - that is a phony argument. The flow of the game is already destroyed by the festival of TV commercials. Limiting the number of challenges should not be a priority. The NFL, as usual, has taken a simple problem and made it complicated. Fans will not mind challenges. They care about getting the call right.

Every time there is a challenge, the TV should automatically cut away for two minutes of commercials. Always. There are plenty of commercials that need to be aired. Then when a return is made to the game, replays are queued up. The decision is never announced until the TV audience is back.

Do not try to just overturn "the worst" offenses. Don't worry about discouraging challenges so much. Just determine whether PI occurred. The downside is that there will be more PI calls, not perfect, but much better than a frustration machine.

[mraynrand]

There is only one reason to have replays: get the call right. Replays do not interfere with the flow of the game - that is a phony argument. The flow of the game is already destroyed by the festival of TV commercials. Limiting the number of challenges should not be a priority. The NFL, as usual, has taken a simple problem and made it complicated. Fans will not mind challenges. They care about getting the call right.

Every time there is a challenge, the TV should automatically cut away for two minutes of commercials. Always. There are plenty of commercials that need to be aired.
Then when a return is made to the game, replays are queued up. The decision is never announced until the TV audience is back.

Do not try to just overturn "the worst" offenses. Don't worry about discouraging challenges so much. Just determine whether PI occurred. The downside is that there will be more PI calls, not perfect, but much better than a frustration machine.

This is obviously correct. Go all in and get it right or accept on field officiating as final.

[texaspackerbacker]

Good Points, Harlan. There's no reason to even have review of PI if they aren't gonna change anything. It just eats up time outs. There should be automatic booth review of all PIs without even the coach dropping the red flag. That still wouldn't account for the no calls, though - like the two that absolutely killed the Packers last night.

[pbmax]

This is obviously correct. Go all in and get it right or accept on field officiating as final.

Yep.

[Harlan Huckleby]

I could live with the old system. I suppose that's where we'll end up and NFL will say "we tried."

When the ref screws up on the field it's easy to accept, or at least understandable.

When a reviewer gets it wrong it is infuriating systematic stupidity.

[mraynrand]

I could live with the old system. I suppose that's where we'll end up and NFL will say "we tried."

When the ref screws up the field it's easy to accept, or at least understandable.

When a reviewer gets it wrong it is infuriating systematic stupidity.

This is like when the intelligence community screws up and instead of improving and not letting terrorists through, they instead subject everyone to body cavity searches at the airport. Doesn't solve the actual problem, makes everyone infuriated, but hey, at least they can say they are 'doing something.'

The astonishing thing last night is that there were three PI calls in question and they got all three wrong, even with the ability to review.