After witnessing arguably the worst missed call in NFL history in the NFC Championship game this past postseason, the owners around the league have decided to address the issue. During Tuesday’s league meeting session, the league’s owners passed a rule that will make pass interference and missed pass interference calls reviewable and challengeable.
Per USA TODAY, the league’s owners voted 31-1 in favor of expanded replay to look back on pass interference calls. Mike Brown of the Cincinnati Bengals was the lone owner to vote no on the issue, while Jags owner Shad Khan and every other owner was in favor of the change.
As mentioned above, the rule comes as a result of a play in which Los Angeles Rams defensive back Nickell Robey-Coleman interfered with a crucial pass play intended for New Orleans Saints wide receiver Tommylee Lewis. Robey-Coleman clearly hit Lewis early before the pass from Drew Brees got to him, however, the closest sideline official to the play somehow missed the call, sending the football community into an uproar.
Many fans are fine with the change, however, there is concerns that the new rule will prolong games because it opens the door for a wide array of pass interference plays to be disputed. Personally, I think the league should’ve incorporated an approach similar to the Alliance of American Football by putting a sky judge in the booth who could be given the power to call specific penalties like missed interference calls, which might speed the process up. Then again, that may be in the cards for the future but only time will tell.
