Big Red
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- Mar 16, 2019
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The NFL can’t turn back time and allow the Saints to play in the Super Bowl, but it is hoping a Tuesday rule change will help teams that face similar situations in 2019.
The owners approved a proposal that will allow pass interference, including non-calls, to be subject to replay review. Coaches can throw a challenge flag in the first 28 minutes of each half, and the officials can review pass interference in the final two minutes.
New Orleans was on the wrong end of a blatant missed pass interference call in the NFC Championship game, which allowed the Rams to eventually win the game in overtime. Saints coach Sean Payton, a major proponent of the rule change, said he wasn’t worried about personal vindication and was instead focused on improving the game.
“These are fouls the analysts are able to point to and say, ‘Hey, they are the most impactful fouls,’” Payton said. “I think we got it right.”
The biggest hangup was the idea of adding a flag to a non-call, but competition committee chairman Rich McKay said the owners eventually came around to the idea.
After much conversation, the measure passed by a vote of 31-1. It will be re-evaluated after the season.
“It was messy at times, disruptive, but we believe membership, the decision they made, took us to the right place,” said Troy Vincent, the NFL’s executive vice president of football operations. “We all saw the issues that were apparent.”
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