A year ago, it seemed the NFL may have solved an issue about pass-interference calls.
For the 2019 season, both offensive and defensive pass interference was subject to review, including non-calls. Fans rejoiced ... until the games began.
It became evident early that while great in theory, the new rule didn't change much. When coaches challenged, replay officials rarely called pass interference, even though viewers clearly saw infractions.
Fans were frustrated, which may be one reason why the NFL has decided to ditch the pass-interference reviews.
ESPN NFL Insider Field Yates tweeted this on Thursday:
The good news is something better potentially is on the horizon. The Chargers and Ravens both have proposed adding an eighth official called a "booth umpire" who would view action from the booth on game day.
The role of the "booth umpire" is undefined, but ESPN's Kevin Seifert reported that a year ago "all 32 head coaches asked owners to consider adding (a sky judge) as a backstop to inaccurate calls on the fields. League leaders, however, did not think they could identify and hire 17 qualified sky judges in short notice last year. Instead, owners voted to add pass interference calls and non-calls to their list of reviewable plays."
Fixing inaccurate calls should always been the goal.
With the removal of pass interference from the list of reviewable plays, perhaps the "booth umpire" will be installed this fall to fix the calls/non-calls that seem to happen regularly in NFL games.
