There are usually mixed reactions when NFL referees flag pass interference.
League policy does not include language to explain what constitutes pass interference, so it is still considered a judgment call.
Jon Gruden, who coached the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to the franchise’s first-ever Super Bowl title in 2002, weighed in on the often criticized rule.
In the NFL, when officials call pass interference, the ball is placed at the spot of the foul. There have been instances where a pass interference call has resulted in a team benefiting from 25 or more penalty yards before the next snap.
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Raiders head coach Jon Gruden runs off the field for halftime during a game against the Chicago Bears Oct. 10, 2021, at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas. (Heidi Fang/Las Vegas Review-Journal/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)
After admitting pass interference was one of his top worries for the NFL, Gruden suggested the league adopt a penalty similar to what college football enforces. Instead of placing the ball where the foul occurred, Gruden would prefer the ball only move 15 yards per penalty.
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“I would make it the college rule, honestly, because some of these pass interference calls are impacting the game, just one play there,” Gruden said during a recent appearance on the “Pardon My Take” podcast.
Gruden then brought up the subjective nature of the call.
“I don’t think there’s a common thread in what is and what isn’t pass interference,” he said. “I think this crew calls it a little different from that crew. That is a penalty right now that, I think, has taken over a lot of these games.”
Las Vegas Raiders head coach Jon Gruden speaks on his headset during the first half of a game against the Chicago Bears Oct. 10, 2021, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/Rick Scuteri)
After the podcast co-host suggested an NFL quarterback could simply underthrow a ball and be rewarded with free yardage, Gruden argued pass interference should only be applied in situations where it was clear and “obvious” a foul was committed.
The NFL logo prior to a game between the Green Bay Packers and Miami Dolphins at Hard Rock Stadium Dec. 25, 2022, in Miami Gardens, Fla. (Megan Briggs/Getty Images)
“Jerry Austin taught me that pass interference should call itself. We should all be sitting in a bar in Chicago and go, ‘That’s PI.’ It should be a common, obvious pass interference. Otherwise, let these guys play. That’s my feeling.”
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In 2019, the league approved a proposal that made pass interference a reviewable play. The decision appeared to be a response to a controversial play in the 2018 season’s NFC championship game.
Referees did not call what many argued was pass interference during the NFC title game between the Los Angeles Rams and New Orleans Saints. The Rams defeated the Saints in overtime and advanced to the Super Bowl.
NFL teams’ ability to review pass interference was scrapped in 2020.
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