Nolan: Let the punishment fit the crimeESPN.com news services San Francisco 49ers head coach Mike Nolan wants to see the NFL adopt a new pass interference rule that gives officials some leeway in handing out punishment. Nolan's plan would let officials decide if a penalty should result in a 15-yard penalty or a harsher, spot of the foul penalty. The current rules state that a defensive pass interference penalty rewards the offense with the ball at the spot of the foul or at the one yard line if the penalty happens in the end zone. Nolan, a former defensive back, points out that with the subjectivity of pass interference calls, it pushes offensive coaches into calling plays that simply try to draw penalties. "You'll see them drop back and throw it vertical," Nolan told the Sacramento Bee. "They'll overthrow the play; they just want the penalty." Nolan appears to be passionate about the topic but so far doesn't expect the issue to get much traction. According to ESPN.com's Len Pasquarelli, the NFL's powerful competition committee discussed the pass interference proposal in Naples, Fla. The concept received a lukewarm reception from the committee, which means it probably doesn't have much chance of passing muster with the full league membership at the Phoenix meetings later this month. "You can maim someone, and it's 15 yards," Nolan told the paper. "You can end someone's career, and it's 15 yards. Pass interference -- it's not a reflection of the severity of the crime. It's like getting the death penalty for going 75 mph in a 55 zone."
he does make a good point though. but then youll have a massive amount of issues with judgement calls. just like roughing the passer last year.
i like the idea, but honestly, hes a coach, why should he have any say in this....its not his place to make this kind of proposal
leave it the referee panel, coaches shouldnt bitch about the rules and penalties to be changed, only when they are set in stone and arent being implemented correctly....i agree with his point, but i dont feel its his place thats like a coach who knows his offensive line is good at holding, and says that they should ease up on the holding penalties
One thing I've never understood is why the penalty for defensive pass interference is much steeper than offensive pass interference.If you are going to assume that wide receiver was going to catch the ball for defensive PI,then surely you can assume the defender was going to catch the ball on offensive PI.A defensive PI call means that a pass that was going to go 40 yards will still go 40 yards,but offensive PI means that a an interception is turned into a 10 yard gain but no turnover or loss of down.
I am simply not a fan of the penalty allowing to be made at the spot of the foul. I am also not a big fan of judgement calls, but you cannot get rid of those entirely. I would be in favor of just making passing interference a 15 yard penalty from the spot the ball was originally marked from. It penalizes the defense, but doesn't give an obscene reward to the offense like putting them 30-40 yards downfield on one infraction.
People affected by the rules should have a voice on the matter. Coaches, owners, players should all be able to make suggestions. Saying otherwise is flat out silliness.
Good point. Maybe they could implement an intentional interference rule that allowed a harsher penalty... maybe spot of the foul. Kind of a moot point though. You get right back to judement calls and making the call on the play harder.
well someone needs to say it, I just dont think it should be a coach id be thrilled if the damn refs could figure it out themselves
I think this is a good idea - as well as allowing ANYTHING to be reviewed. So long as you only get 2 reviews per game, why can't you just challenge anything? They spend more time determining what is or isn't reviewable than it would take to just allow coaches to challenge whatever they want. Oh and as far as I'm concerned EVERY call is a judgment call.
YES! The reviewing situation needs to be looked at and fixed. There are some plays that you are flat out screwed for getting a review and that just defeats the purpose. Granting 2 chances at an open challenge to whatever isn't asking too much in my opinion either.
The competition committee which oversees all this is co-chaired by Jeff Fisher himself. Head Coach of the Titans. The entire league should have a say in all the rules.
interesting, i find that wierd that a coach has a say in the new rules of the NFL...i guess its just me
I guess you have to look at it like the coach is attacking the whole thing as for being for the betterment of the league. I'm sure they all address the benefits and concerns of everything on the table. The coaches do have an unparalled point of view of things from where they are on the field, and I'm not talking just physically.
-Mike Nolan I am all for coaches having a say in the rules of their game...i mean, don't lawyers have a say in the laws that are passed?-It's a professional no brainer-you will see it in any profession-those with the most intimate knowlege of the subject should and do have a say in the rules. That said, this quote has to be one of the worst analogies I have heard in a while...9 out of 10 times, the d-back doesn't get suspended and fined for a PI call, while the things he mentions do have much more sever penalties reflecting the crime, they just aren't assessed until after the game, when there is time for the league to decide if such harsh penalties are warranted.
Honestly, why can't there be a two level penalty like face masking? We have a 5 yard face mask penalty and the 15 yard version for severity Incidental contact and light pushing would become say a 15 yard penalty, but the clear cut "I got beat" PI would still be spot of the foul. Let the refs discuss the severity but...it would get rid of these intentional deep passes for penalties.
Very good point. As it currently stands defensive pass interference is penalized as though the catch had happened with the minor exception of the 1 yard line rule for DPI in the end zone. Offensive pass interference should also be penalized as though the interception had occurred with a turnover at the point of the foul.
i wonder what jerald sowell thinks? it pisses me off in college football that pass interference is 15 yards regardless, instead of a spot foul....i also hate the 1 foot in bound rules instead of 2, but this isn't about complaining about college football
