When NFL referees flag pass interference, there are usually a variety of reactions.
The league's policy does not include language explaining what pass interference is, so it is still considered discretionary.
Jon Gruden, who coached the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to their first Super Bowl victory in 2002, spoke out about the often-criticized rule.
In the NFL, when a referee calls pass interference, the ball is placed in the foul spot. In some cases, pass interference decisions have resulted in teams gaining 25 or more penalty yards before the next snap.
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Raiders head coach Jon Gruden runs off the field at halftime during a game against the Chicago Bears at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas on October 10, 2021. (Heidi Huang/Las Vegas Review-Journal/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)
After acknowledging that pass interference is one of the biggest concerns for the NFL, Gruden proposed that the league adopt penalties similar to those imposed in college football. Instead of putting the ball where the foul occurred, Gruden wants the ball to move only 15 yards per penalty.
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“Honestly, I would like to make that a college rule because some of these pass interference calls affect the game, just one play there,” Gruden recently said on the podcast “Pardon. He said this when he appeared on “My Take.”
Gruden then brought up the subjective nature of the call.
“I don't think there's a commonality between what is pass interference and what isn't,” he said. “I think this team is called a little bit different than that team. That's the penalty now, and I think that's taken over a lot of games.”
Las Vegas Raiders head coach Jon Gruden speaks into a headset during the first half of a game against the Chicago Bears on October 10, 2021 in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/Rick Scutelli)
After his podcast co-host suggested that NFL quarterbacks can gain free yards simply by underthrowing the ball, Gruden said pass interference can occur in situations where it's “obvious” a foul has been committed. argued that it should only be applied.
NFL logo before the Green Bay Packers vs. Miami Dolphins game at Hard Rock Stadium on December 25, 2022 in Miami Gardens, Florida. (Megan Briggs/Getty Images)
“Jerry Austin taught me that you should call yourself a pass interferer. You should sit in a bar in Chicago and all say, 'That's PI.'” That's often obvious pass interference. They should be, if not, let them play, that's how I feel. ”
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In 2019, the league approved a proposal to make pass interference a play under review. The decision appears to be a reaction to a controversial play in the 2018 NFC Championship Game.
In the NFC title game between the Los Angeles Rams and New Orleans Saints, referees did not call it pass interference, as many claimed. The Rams defeated the Saints in overtime to advance to the Super Bowl.
The ability for NFL teams to review pass interference was eliminated in 2020.
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