Precedent for NFL rules changes already established prior to botched call in Saints-Rams title game

When critical calls which become critical mistakes impact significant NFL games, as in playoff games, things change.

Change can be bad. Change can be good.

In the case of amending bad rules or bad calls, change is good.

What occurred last Sunday in the Mercedes-Benz Superdome is sure to spark discussion and debate.

Let us not be delusional. It takes a preponderance of teams to vote to make a significant rule change.

Still, the discourse following the no-call against Nickell Robey-Coleman will bring the discussion to the forefront.

Perhaps it will lead to a rule change. It should.

The precedent has been established over a long period of time, dating back over 50 years.

When Don Chandler kicked a 22-yard field goal to send the Green Bay Packers into overtime in their playoff game with the Baltimore Colts on Dec. 26, 1965, at Lambeau Field, it appeared that Chandler had missed the kick, which would have given the Colts the win.

Instead, the officials ruled it good and Green Bay won 13-10 in overtime. It became known as “The Kick.”

Much like Robey-Coleman admitting his obvious infraction against Tommylee Lewis, Chandler admitted later that he saw the ball “definitely outside of the post.”

Jim Tunney, the official on the spot, ruled the kick good. The upright was only 10 feet high. The NFL took immediate action after the controversial play, placing two officials under the goalposts, rather than one, and raising the uprights another 10 feet to the 20-foot level that we see today in the league.

On Jan. 24, 2010, the Saints won 31-28 over the Vikings in the NFC championship game. After playing to a 28-28 tie, the Saints won the toss, got an outstanding kickoff return from Pierre Thomas and then a big fourth-down conversion by Thomas and a key catch by Devery Henderson to set up Garrett Hartley’s 40-yard field goal to send the Saints to the Super Bowl.

The Vikings never saw the ball. The NFL then changed the overtime rule to state that a game can only end on the first possession of the extra period if a touchdown or defensive touchdown is scored.

In the 2014 NFC playoffs, the Packers again benefited from a favorable call against the Dallas Cowboys.

Dez Bryant appeared to make a great catch on a throw from Tony Romo that would have set up a touchdown. It was ruled incomplete.

The Packers won the game 26-21 on Jan. 11, 2015, at Lambeau Field. Three years later, the NFL stated that Bryant did, in fact, catch the ball. It was too little, too late for Dallas.

The “catch or no catch” rule came to a head late in the 2017 regular season when Jesse James of the Steelers appeared to catch what would have been a game-winning touchdown against New England. It cost Pittsburgh the game.

The “catch” rule then changed, as a result. Of course, who truly understands what a catch is or can genuinely interpret the rule as it is written and applied? It is maddening to watch.

Then came the Saints-Rams debacle.

It was as bad of a call – make that non-call – that has ever been made.

The missed call on both pass interference and helmet-to-helmet contact was so bad that there is serious talk about a rule change involving the ability to either challenge or review a so-called “judgment” call, such as pass interference.

History tells us that when injustices occur, rules change.

Sean Payton is on the NFL’s competition committee. Don’t think for one second that he will not advocate for change. Bill Belichick has advocated allowing challenges for pass interference and virtually all plays in the past. He is the league’s best coach, perhaps the best of all-time.

The concern is opening Pandora’s box.

If you allow reviews for pass interference, how do you implement this and does that open the door for challenges on all judgment calls?

Clearly, there is concern about game stoppages and the time of games.

Major League Baseball has a real problem with the time of games.

A “pitch” clock has been implemented but has served little or no purpose. The same is true of limiting visits to the mound, which was put into place recently. Hitters still step out of the box, pitchers step off the mound, pitching changes are frequent, there are still visits to the mound, etc.

The NBA allows officials to review plays at their discretion.

The NFL is determined to get its games played in a three-hour window.

That is why halftime is only 12 minutes long.

By allowing more challenges, the game will certainly slow down. By allowing officials to stop play and review more plays, it will certainly lengthen the game.

Here is a thought to simply allow challenges to so-called “judgment” calls, including pass interference, in playoff games only. If you want to venture there in the regular season, perhaps you do so only in the final two minutes of each half.

Another thought is to allow one such challenge per game for all games.

Whatever the methodology is, anything that eliminates human mistake, particularly outlandishly egregious mistakes, would be good for the game.