There are generally mixed reactions when NFL referees call 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 Super Bowl title in 2002, weighed in on the often-criticized rule.
In the NFL, when referees call a pass interference call, the ball is placed at the spot of the foul. There have been cases 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 walks off the field during halftime during a game against the Chicago Bears on Oct. 10, 2021, at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas. (Heidi Fang/Las Vegas Review-Journal/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)
After admitting that pass interference was one of his main concerns for the NFL, Gruden suggested that the league adopt a penalty similar to that imposed by college football. Instead of placing the ball where the foul occurred, Gruden would prefer the ball only move 15 yards per penalty.
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“Honestly, I would make it the college rule, 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 mentioned the subjective nature of the call.
“I don’t think there’s a common thread between what is and what isn’t pass interference,” he said. “I think this team calls it a little different than that team. That’s a penalty right now that I think has taken over a lot of these games.”
Las Vegas Raiders head coach Jon Gruden talks into his headset during the first half of a game against the Chicago Bears on Oct. 10, 2021 in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/Rick Scuteri)
After the podcast’s co-host suggested that an NFL quarterback could simply throw an underhanded ball and be rewarded with free yards, Gruden argued that pass interference should only be applied in situations where it was clear and “obvious.” “that a foul had been committed.
The NFL logo before a game between the Green Bay Packers and the Miami Dolphins at Hard Rock Stadium on December 25, 2022, in Miami Gardens, Florida. (Megan Briggs/Getty Images)
“Jerry Austin taught me that pass interference should be called that. We should all be sitting in a bar in Chicago and say, ‘That’s PI.’ It should be common, obvious pass interference. Otherwise, let these guys play.”
In 2019, the league passed a proposal making pass interference a reviewable play. The decision appeared to be a response to a controversial play in the 2018 NFC championship game.
The referees did not call what many argued was a 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 eliminated in 2020.
