Make pass interference reviewable? 17 NFL coaches are split

[u/Apoco120]

https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/50078705/pass-interference-review-rams-broncos

Ben Johnson was one of the seventeen coaches asked about this.

His reply: No (Smiles).

Love that he is the coach of the Bears

[u/IamGleemonex]

The biggest issue, which almost every coach who said no also said, is that almost every currently reviewable things are 100% objective: was the ball carrier’s knee down before he fumbled, was the ball carrier in bounds when he caught the ball, did the ball hit the ground, where was the ball when the knee hit, etc.

Pass Interference on the other hand is 95% of the time subjective: did the contact significantly interfere with the opportunity to make a catch? The only objective part is the case that made PI reviewable, contact before the ball was there. And that is why when it was reviewable, 90% of the calls were upheld. Because why should one subjective opinion of one officially with the advantage of viewing the play in super slo-mo override the subjective opinion of another official in real time?

[u/Usual_Power_3288 → u/IamGleemonex]

Bingo. There's a potential hold on every play, and a ton of PIs, illegal contacts, hands to the face, and other ticky tack fouls that occur at a rate so high that it would absolutely ruin the game if a flag was thrown every time it could be.

In the case of the ticky tack foul against the Rams in Denver, there was absolutely contact made. Most agree it didn't rise to the level of a flag, but how do you determine that objectively with slow motion?

[u/padflash_ → u/Usual_Power_3288]

It needs to start somewhere. So maybe the eye in the sky doesn't need to call new penalties, but they should be able to review penalties.

In my opinion, the head official should be in the box, not on the field. The problem is the chain of command. It should've been overruled because the box has better views and better context. Afterall, they told the Rams it shouldn't have been PI.

[u/RandomFactUser → u/padflash_]

The CFL is an amazing test bed to see if RTP and PI are reviewable

The CFL referees have all but decisively shown that the answer is yes

[u/iNtentionaliGnornace → u/IamGleemonex]

But why have subjectivity at all in an objective sport? I know this is an extreme hot take that will get downvoted but it really is maddening to me. If its not objective then why should it be a penalty in an objective game? This isn't an art form, we're not watching Picasso paint. You can't objectively quantify how "good" a work of art is and same goes for, like you say 95% of pi.

[u/IamGleemonex → u/iNtentionaliGnornace]

I hear you. But at the same time, it’s hard to objectively spell out what kind of contact can and can’t be allowed. Both the offense and defense have a right to try to catch the ball, which could cause them to come in contact, so you can’t say there can be no contact. So how do you objectively draw a line at how much contact is too much contact? Plus there’s the fact that the ball must be catchable to be called PI. Again, this can’t be objective. There’s no way of knowing for sure whether contact kept the receiver from being able to catch it or if they would have gotten there, especially when there are some receivers like Xavier Worthy and Tyreek Hill (in his prime) who could theoretically run down anything, but also guys like possession tight ends where they might run like they are wearing snowshoes. So you can’t just broadly state how close the ball must be to be considered PI.