Pass Interference That Can Be Reviewed: Sean Payton's Victory Round at NFL Owners' Meetings

PHOENIX – Just before 5 pm Local time, Sean Payton emerged from a conference room in Arizona smiling Biltmore, with Saints owner Gayle Benson by his side. A few minutes later, Steelers coach Mike Tomlin gave Payton a cheerful pat as he passed.

Two months after a missed pass interference against Ramsie cornerback Nickell Robey-Coleman in the NFC championship game that played a role in the absence of the Super Bowl LIII by the Saints, the NFL adopted a change of rule to prevent a new error such as this from happening again. It was a win for Payton and his fellow senior coaches, who led the charge to pass a solution at league meetings this week, although the extension of the replay has long been a failure for many homeowners around the world. the league.

In the end, the NFL's 32 clubs voted quickly and almost unanimously – the Bengals being the only team not to vote no – so that interference in offensive and defensive passes could be reviewed, on the basis of one year trial. Coaches will be able to challenge call interferences called or not called in the first 28 minutes of each half; in the 2 minute warning, the replay wizard at the top floor will handle the revision, as is the case for other reviewable calls.

The last approved rule change was dubbed "6c", the fourth iteration proposed by the competition committee to develop instant replay. Other versions included the ability to review IP calls; to ensure that the PI, the passerby and the contact with a defenseless player are reviewable; and ability to review IP calls and unallowed calls without the replay wizard taking over within the 2 minute warning.

It was a surprising finding, since over the past two days, frustration and confusion swept the Biltmore. The official of the officials, Al Riveron, came out Monday of a meeting with the main coaches. the competition committee organized additional pow-wows Monday night and Tuesday afternoon afternoon; and the head coaches avoided their planned golf outing on Tuesday afternoon to make sure the final vote was passed.

"We had the impression of going around the block twice, and then we got to the right place," said Payton at the start of his victory lap.

Obviously, the victory expected by Payton was the end of January. But since then, after his self-indulgent ice cream and excessive consumption of Netflix, he led the charge to prevent mistakes as serious as the one that hurt his team, which led to the decision on Tuesday night. Payton had the help of Tomlin, the other head coach of the competition committee. And when the 32 teams converged on Phoenix for the league's annual meetings, the entire body of senior coaches came together to make sure the change was approved.

Last Friday, Falcons chairman Rich McKay, chairman of the competition committee, said that the idea of ​​a judge of heaven – an eighth official who would sit in a kiosk and use the replay to correct obvious mistakes of field arbitration – had no support. "From any member of the committee. But most coaches wanted a mechanism like the Sky Judge, frustrated by the fact that home supporters watching television viewing angles had more information about calls that were good or wrong than officials who made the calls on the ground.

Monday afternoon, a meeting of the main coaches of the league lasted about 90 minutes. The 32 coaches in the room were determined to find a solution to what they saw as a repairable problem. They were determined to make their voices heard and not leave Phoenix without at least a first step towards more precise arbitration. They voted 32-0 at this meeting to present a proposal to expand the responsibilities of the official in charge of the retransmission to the upper floor, to correct flagrant appeals such as PI. and maltreat the smuggler. The Competition Committee added Proposal 6b – the first to deal with non-appeals – Monday night, and then Proposal 6c, which was retained, a compromise combining the best ideas. The Competition Committee added Proposal 6b – the first to deal with non-calls – Monday night, and finally Proposal 6c, which brought together the best ideas.

The number of times PI will be evaluated per match is automatically limited by the coach challenge system, which awards each head coach two challenges per game and a third if they win the first two. And putting PI critics in the hands of the replay assistant in less than two minutes prevents coaches from throwing challenge flags on Hail Mary's passes at the end of half of the game.

This is only a beginning and, as Payton said, "there are obviously some calls that are not addressed". But the NFL presented an analysis that showed that 25 of the 50 heaviest penalties imposed in 2018 were interference defensive passes, McKay told the MMQB. Albert Breer. Calls concerning player safety, such as sudden contact with the smuggler and the headset contact, would be among the next to consider an extension of the replay. The idea that a type of judgment is now reviewable is important, as is the idea that an incorrect non-appeal on the ground can now be corrected. This could open the door to even more changes in the future.

"The group felt like we were coming in front of us, and of course, if we thought it necessary, we would eventually consider expanding the situation," said Payton.

An hour later, Payton crossed the lobby again, this time with a drink in his hand.