By Sam A., 6th Grade, Krieger Schechter Day School of Chizuk Amuno Congregation
The National Football League has officially instituted a new pass interference rule, allowing head coaches to challenge a pass interference call. Before the new rule, instituted at the winter meetings in late March, the referee’s call on a pass interference play was final.
A major reason for this rule change was a play in the most recent NFC championship game in January. The New Orleans Saints had the ball on the Los Angeles Rams’ 14-yard line. Drew Brees, the quarterback for the Saints, was in the pocket; he released the ball and threw it to Tommylee Lewis, a wide receiver for the Saints. Just before Lewis caught the ball, Rams cornerback Nickell Robey-Coleman knocked Lewis to the ground, a clear penalty even to the inexperienced fan.
However, none of the seven referees on the field threw a flag. “I’m not sure why the flag wasn’t thrown [on that play],” said Dan Mclntyre, physical education teacher at Krieger Schechter Day School. “Even if the referee on the sideline didn’t see it, there are other referees on the field that should have seen it.”
Jack Cohen, a sixth-grade student at KSDS, said, “All referees are human. Since the coaches can now challenge the plays, the calls will be more accurate.”
The new rule will enable referees to review questionable calls and avoid controversy as seen in the NFC Championship game. While the outcome of this game cannot be changed, hopefully games played in the future will result in better calls thanks to the new rule.
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