Why doesn't the NFL change Defensive PI to 15 yards?

[Magox]

Yeah, the commentator in the game got me to thinking about this and it is something that I had previously thought about before.

 

I do agree that in many cases the rewarded penalty seems to be harsh.  On the other hand what is to stop defenders from flagrantly penalizing a player whenever they are at risk of getting beat.  I think the end result would be less long touchdown passes due to this rule change.

 

If you did do it, you would have to bump up the penalty yardage to either 20 or 25 yards or half the distance to the goal line or automatic to the 3 yard line if it's in the endzone.

 

Also, they would need to have a different category of penalty such as they do in the NBA.  Flagrant foul.  If the defender does it and it is clear that they purposely did it then the defender gets a Flagrant foul which would incur some additional penalty.   Also, if players get a certain number of flagrant fouls in a certain time period they get booted from the game or the following game.   I'm just thinking aloud but something along these lines.

 

Or, they can just leave it as is.  

[CuddyDark]

Because chicks dig the long ball.

[cba fan]

11 hours ago, bills6969 said:

They should institute 2 levels of PI, both with different penalties.  A PI 1 is just your basic strong contact, no intention of taking the WR out - 15 yards penalty.  A PI 2 is blatant and intentional,  purposely trying to take out the WR so he cant make the catch - spot foul 

Great idea on paper, however, it would never work in practice.

Defenders would use this 15 yard penalty to prevent big plays and to kill clock late in game just like NBA players use "a foul to give" late in games to kill clock. Great finishes would go way way down. In basketball this use of infractions is valid capital to play as team avoided fouls and stockpiled them similar to but not same as NFL saving timeouts or challenge flags in football. Should be allowed to use it.

 

EX: final drive for team in closing seconds of game down by 6 and is at 25 yd line with no time outs trying for a late game victory. Get ready for repeated consecutive defensive PI as defense tries to run clock out.

 

1st play PI down to your 40 yd line

2nd to opponents 45 yd line

3rd to 30 yd line

4th to 15

5th to 7.5

6th to 3.75  all this would run off a minute or more of clock.

 

team would have no chance to stage a comeback. 

 

Players would be coached and practice how to do intentional PI and make it look like basic strong defensive contact.

 

Seahawks Jaquars and Pats would have a small coaching staff and support staff assembled just for that purpose. They would probably bring in Hollywood videographers to record it all and show the finer points of how it would all look live from officials point of view on the field. Job creation at its best.

Edited January 16, 2018 by cba fan
fix

[corta765]

The reason for it is there are times a CB is absolutely beat and will interfere so the WR doesn't get a TD. They would rather give the yards then TD. That happened in Bills Jags Myles Jack interfered with Shady who would've had a clear TD on a route out of the backfield up the sideline. Perhaps maybe give the ref more leeway to adjust the penalty between spot foul and 15 yards but I don't think the rule is bad.

1 hour ago, transient said:

Maybe the league should better define what’s good coverage and what’s PI and enforce it accordingly... you know, the same way they’ve so successfully pinned down the definition of a catch...

 

After the mess the league has made with what a catch is the last thing I want now is more rules and decisions by the league office

[peterpan]

12 hours ago, NoSaint said:

What stops the saints safety from just tackling the receiver before the ball gets there yesterday (besides his inability to tackle) if it’s a 15 yarder instead of spot?

I understand the argument but, that is the college rule and this stuff doesn't happen in college. 

[Dr. K]

12 hours ago, bills6969 said:

They should institute 2 levels of PI, both with different penalties.  A PI 1 is just your basic strong contact, no intention of taking the WR out - 15 yards penalty.  A PI 2 is blatant and intentional,  purposely trying to take out the WR so he cant make the catch - spot foul 

The last thing we need to add to an officiating system so shaky it is on the verge of collapse is another variety of judgment call. 

[row_33]

1 hour ago, bobobonators said:

Too many defensive penalties give the Offense automaic 1st downs

 

a weak D is horribly exposed on non-passing downs when suddenly it's a passing play

 

there's not much they can do but interfere or hope the throw is off.

 

 

The current PI rules aren't much fun when your current QB is afraid to throw more than 5 yards past the line of scrimmage.

 

[Dafan]

The simplest thing to do imo is make it a reviewable penalty.  The CFL does this.  If a PI penalty is called you can review it.

[row_33]

17 minutes ago, Dafan said:

The simplest thing to do imo is make it a reviewable penalty.  The CFL does this.  If a PI penalty is called you can review it.

 

Why should the NFL be held hostage to a barely semi-pro CFL's loser way of doing things?

 

 

 

My personal best answer for the NFL rules is...

 

I'd do a lot of road trips of NCAA on Saturday and then NFL on Sunday in the 90s and 00s.

 

Most college QBs ran a quasi-option and barely any of them could honestly call and deliver on a 50 yard strike.

 

Then you'd see warmups in the NFL and Favre throwing the ball 60 yards pinpoint to the EZ with ease and realize that a 50 yard pass was par for the course for most NFL arms.

 

The sound of violent collisions on the field was another matter of increase ten-fold on Sundays.

 

 

[DRutka]

11 hours ago, Schmuggs said:

At least make it reviewable. These refs are seeing money signs. 

This. Still remember the Jacksonville game a few years ago. The ref (based on the angle he had) called PI against us and the Jags won. Replay (from a different angle the ref had) showed we were 5 yards off the reciever. Would have made playoffs that year if we would have won that game (which we would have without that penalty). 

[row_33]

17 minutes ago, DRutka said:

This. Still remember the Jacksonville game a few years ago. The ref (based on the angle he had) called PI against us and the Jags won. Replay (from a different angle the ref had) showed we were 5 yards off the reciever. Would have made playoffs that year if we would have won that game (which we would have without that penalty). 

 

Let it go....

 

Now we have a future so bright and happy with the Bills.

 

[DRutka]

4 minutes ago, row_33 said:

 

Let it go....

 

Now we have a future so bright and happy with the Bills.

 

Have let it go. Just saying this is the reason it should be reviewable IN THE FUTURE. SMH

[row_33]

9 minutes ago, DRutka said:

Have let it go. Just saying this is the reason it should be reviewable IN THE FUTURE. SMH

 

PI calls of consequence....

 

Benny Barnes on Lynn Swann.

 

that's about all I can bother with since 1973....

 

 

[Sammy Watkins' Rib]

13 hours ago, NoSaint said:

What stops the saints safety from just tackling the receiver before the ball gets there yesterday (besides his inability to tackle) if it’s a 15 yarder instead of spot?

You simply make a rule that it becomes a spot foul inside of two minutes. Or inside two minutes make it a 15 yard penalty and put the original time back on the clock. In that situation the Vikings would have gained a free 15 yards and still had 10 seconds left. 

 

It is not unprecedented to have different rules for inside of two minutes of a game or half.

 

I agree for the most part that spot fouls on defensive PI's are overkill most of the time. Especially when a quarter of the calls seem questionable at best.

[Antonio]

13 hours ago, bills6969 said:

They should institute 2 levels of PI, both with different penalties.  A PI 1 is just your basic strong contact, no intention of taking the WR out - 15 yards penalty.  A PI 2 is blatant and intentional,  purposely trying to take out the WR so he cant make the catch - spot foul 

 

Like Facemask used to be... 5 yards or 15 yards depending on intention.

 

[Sammy Watkins' Rib]

12 hours ago, Rubes said:

 

Nothing, of course. But on one hand, the game can't end on a defensive penalty, so the offense gets another shot. And keeps getting shots until the defense stops doing it.

Yep. And we saw that this year withe The Chiefs vs. Raiders Thursday night game. I believe the Chiefs committed two consecutive defensive PI's on un-timed downs. Raiders finally scored on the third one.

[Rubes]

10 minutes ago, Sammy Watkins' Rib said:

You simply make a rule that it becomes a spot foul inside of two minutes. Or inside two minutes make it a 15 yard penalty and put the original time back on the clock. In that situation the Vikings would have gained a free 15 yards and still had 10 seconds left. 

 

It is not unprecedented to have different rules for inside of two minutes of a game or half.

 

I agree for the most part that spot fouls on defensive PI's are overkill most of the time. Especially when a quarter of the calls seem questionable at best.

 

Agreed.

 

Like others have said, I don't see grabbing receivers as a problem in college ball. I don't buy the argument that it's a lot tougher to do in college because receivers are faster, or whatever. If it made sense to grab or interfere with receivers to save the long ball, you'd better believe college coaches would be doing it.

 

Someone mentioned the Myles Jack play on Shady in the Wild Card game. Sure, but how many times do you actually see that happening in an NFL game? How different would that play have been if we got 15 yards instead of a spot foul? My guess is that the grab occurred right around 15 yards downfield.

 

I still like the idea of making it a 15-yard penalty and automatic first down, and when it's inside 2:00 of each half, it becomes an untimed down and the time is put back on the clock. That will certainly dissuade defenses from just grabbing guys at the end of games.

 

[row_33]

When you are blindly biased on behalf of the weaker team it looks like the refs are always stomping you.

 

 

[hondo in seattle]

I don't like that PI is a subjective thing.   A little pushing and shoving is okay but a lot gets you a flag.   The ref's judgment makes all the difference. 

 

They need it make it more black and white.   Any non-incidental contact before the ball on either player should be a penalty.

[row_33]

So how many penalties called by officials are cut and dry and not subject to judgment?

 

Holding?  Offside?  Neutral zone infraction?  Roughing the punter?  Roughing the passer?

 

 

When you are cheering angrily for the obviously weaker team and ready at a picosecond's notice to blame anything the better team does on the refs, then go berzerk in front of your TV like a little child over every successful play by the clearly superior team, it's time to get a real life...

 

Everyone around you would be so happy for you.