The new pass interference rules — in which owners voted to allow both offensive and defensive PI calls and non-calls to be challenged and reviewed — rights a wrong that happened in last year’s NFC championship game and Super Bowl.
What it could also do is completely ruin the two-minute drill in this coming season.
Imagine this scenario for a moment: The Green Bay Packers are down six to the Chicago Bears with a minute to go to open up the 2019 season. Aaron Rodgers comes out of the huddle at his own 25 with a five-receiver set and chucks up the ball 40 yards downfield. The pass goes off the fingertips of Davante Adams, who is bumped by Bears safety Ha Ha Clinton-Dix and cornerback Kyle Fuller.
The whistles blow and a lengthy replay review reveals Dix made contact before the ball arrived. Pass interference is called and the ball is placed at the Bears’ 35. The next play? The same thing — everyone goes downfield and Rodgers rears back to throw up a jump ball again. There are hints of pass interference again — maybe it was Packers wideout Geronimo Allison this time who pushed off? Let’s go to replay. Another flag gets thrown, this time on the Packers. So Rodgers takes the snap and … you get the idea.
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You hear it every Sunday from NFL fans: There’s pass interference from either side on practically every passing play. If that’s the case, reviewable calls and non-calls have the chance completely destroy the two-minute drill, both for teams and for fans.
Offenses can employ the “toss up a jump ball and hope instant replay hands them an interference all” strategy I detailed above. Even if they don’t, there are going to be a lot of stoppages to review incomplete passes or completions that might be due to offensive PI. You’ll end up watching replays more than actual game action. And what about Hail Mary passes? Someone’s going to get an untimed final play at the one-yard line and win a game because of all that jostling in the end zone put under a microscope that ends up in interference.
Getting the call right is still imperative in all sports. But I also wrote in January why this idea may not even result in correct calls. If no one still knows what the definition of a catch is, then there will inevitably a playoff game where PI should be called and isn’t or vice versa. The resulting debate will be a headache and the league will be under fire again. “[Cornerback name] interfered” will become the new “Dez caught it.”
And the most exciting two minutes in sports could become a long, drawn-out mess where offenses hope replays win games.
