Good idea and about time!
[url=http://en.montrealalouettes.com/article/cfl-becomes-first-football-league-to-subject-pass-interference-to-video-review]http://en.montrealalouettes.com/article ... deo-review[/url]This has the potential to re-open the game. The clutching and grabbing had become accepted, what they call "press defense" is nothing but an interference defense.
Won’t change a thing except help officials get the right calls. You still only have a limited number of challenges per game, and you have to decide how to use them. Coaches who start blowing all their challenges to review PI calls are going to be kicking themselves in the fourth quarter when they can’t stop the clock…
Nonetheless, I think this is a very important first step. I have seen umpteen calls that were clearly PI and not called, while other PI calls were clearly not PI!
As always, a ref calls a penalty in the "twinkling of an eye" and, truth to tell, he is most often right, but video replay has helped get many calls right. The refs can even be ordered to review certain calls without the need of the challenge flag. This, to me, is a good thing. I absolutely abhor games being decided by iffy calls from the zebras. The issue here is getting it right.
Now, video replay is not in and of itself a panacea. A video replay, viewed from many angles, may still not prove to be conclusive evidence one way or the other, so the call on the field would stand. That said, PIs called or not called often influence the ebb and flow of the game. They can either prolong or halt drives which effects the momentum of the game.
Further, this rule may also influence other rules regarding the passing game. For example, how much of a "rub" is allowed? Where does that cross the line between good route-running and PI?
For me, I view this as good news. In subsequent season, this rule could be revised.
Your not debited a successful challenge
You’re not going to be successful every time. And even if you are, you can only challenge a certain number of calls per game. You can’t just throw the red flag out every time there’s a PI call or non-call you don’t like.
PI is a little different than the current reviews, which tend to be more isolated issues: was the knee down before the ball came loss, did the foot step on the sideline, did the receiver have possession before gluing out of bounds. PI is more complex. It involves the actions and reactions of two players: do you look at on instant or the play as a whole, was the one "instant" a foul or part of a fair battle, did one or both players embellish anything, was the ball catchable, did the contact prevent it from being catchable, etc.
The key will be the results of the first few challenges.
Like holding, PI happens too often to call every time; the question has always been where to set the line for what too call and what to allow. It will be important for Command Central and the on-field referees to be on the same page. Too high a bar in the CC will result in few overturned PI calls/non-calls that will result in fewer on-field flags. Too low a bar will result in a flag-fest; great when your team has the ball but terrible when it is defending. At either extreme there will still be calls that are just over/under the bar and cause controversy.
True but that thinking applies to most challenges
Are you going to challenge a 5 yard catch when its 2nd and 20?
And Im sure were would all have like to have had it in last years ESF
I do wonder why its not automatically review in the last three minutes like all the other reviewable plays?
If down by contact can be review at the command center’s discression…so should PI in my opinion
That said. I do believe that the command center should only be allowed to call for a review if the team that would benefit from it has one left I mean for all challengeable plays