CFL Makes Pass Interference officially reviewable

[cflnut]

http://www.cfl.ca/article/board-of-governors-approve-all-rule-changes

TORONTO -- Today is an historic day in the world of football as the Canadian Football League announced that its Board of Governors has approved making pass interference subject to video review.

"We are constantly looking for ways to make our great game even better and I believe we have done that today with the approval of this rule change," said CFL Commissioner Mark Cohon. "Being progressive and using technology to compliment the excellent work our officials already do on the field is positive for our teams, players, and ultimately, our fans."

The Board of Governors also approved all other rule changes that were proposed by the Rules Committee. All rule changes will be implemented for the 2014 season and are listed below.

"We are very much looking forward to implementing the rule changes for the 2014 season now that we have received final approval from our Board," said Glen Johnson, CFL Vice President of Officiating. "We went through a very rigorous and inclusive process this off-season and we strongly believe that all of these rule changes will have a positive impact on our game."

Pass Interference Video Review

Coaches are now allowed to challenge both called and potential defensive pass interference fouls under certain conditions.

The new rule now provides a team with the ability to use any and all of its Coaches' Challenges to challenge a called or potential pass interference foul up to the final three minutes of a game. In the final three minutes of a game, and overtime, a team can only challenge such a call or non-call one time, and only if it still has an unused challenge and a timeout remaining.

A coach must challenge to trigger a video review of a pass interference call or a potential pass interference call. They will not be subject to automatic review by the Command Centre.

An unsuccessful challenge of a potential pass interference foul in the final three minutes will result in the loss of a timeout. An unsuccessful challenge of an actual pass interference call in the final minutes will not result in the loss of a timeout.

The CFL is the first football league to subject pass interference to video review.

The role of the Command Centre has also been expanded to automatically review specific turnovers of fumbles lost and interceptions, and can now detect illegal participation fouls during a play (when a player returns to the field after voluntarily leaving it).

Approved rule changes to further protect the health and safety of CFL players:

•    Eliminating low blocks below the waist, other than those delivered to the front plane of a player, in all areas of the field except in the area between the tackles and two yards on either side of the line of scrimmage.

•    Outlawing peel back blocks, which occur when a play changes direction in the backfield, forcing the defender to modify his pursuit, making him susceptible to blind low blocks executed by an offensive player moving toward his own end zone.

•    Clarifying the rules that make it illegal to "deliver a blow" to an opponent's neck or head, and when it is illegal for a player to use their helmet to hit an opponent, standards already followed by officials but not yet codified in the rule book.

•    Requiring an injured player to leave the field for three plays regardless of whether a penalty was called on the action leading to the injury (players currently have the option to stay in the game if a penalty was called on the play.)

Other approved changes to promote scoring and improve the flow of the game:

•    Allowing quarterbacks for each team to use their own team supplied Wilson footballs, provided they have met the "new ball" quality standard established by the league.

•    Allowing centres to bob their heads multiple times in an effort to signal timing of the snap of the ball (to be used by visiting teams coping with noise in stadium).

•    Allowing offences to further dictate the pace of play by no longer requiring the Head Referee to hold the 20 second clock for the defence to substitute.

Not to sure if making PI review able is a good thing or not. the rule sounds pretty thought out but I'm sure there will be coaches or players that will try to abuse it.

[rollntider]

you could technically call PI on any pass play.

[Crewe]

I hope this never makes it to the NFL because it will just continue to chew up the game.
What I want instead is for the refs to be consistent.  We all know and accept, or should accept the fact that they will err altogether or make tick tack calls which is fine as long as they call them all that way.  And I don't mean just one game, I mean all the refs in all games.  If they want to waiver and tighten or loosen the calls week to week, fine.
But don't let a hand brushing a helmet on Ponder go without a penalty then eject a guy for the same thing when it happens to be Brady or Manning.
Im being dramatic but you get the point...

[cflnut]

First pass interference challenge happened during last nights preseason game between Toronto Argonauts and Winnipeg Blue-Bombers.

Originally there was no call on the play and the pass was ruled incomplete. The challenge was issued by the Argo coach and after a somewhat lengthy review the penalty was issued. I couldn't find a you-tube video but the link below shows the play.

http://cfl.ca/video/index/id/97003


You can clearly see the Winnipeg DB grab the hand of the receiver and pull it down. Also the DB never looked behind him to see the ball coming. If the new rule is use like this unsure the right call is made, then I could see it being a good thing.

[rollntider]

yes but before the receiver had his hands on the defender.

[cflnut]

Touching like that is allowed, as long as it dose not impede the other player from making a play on the ball. The receiver did not slow the DB's momentum, and the slight push off he did is allowed as long as he does not disrupt the other players movement in anyway or knock him over. Also there was no grabbing by the receiver.

The big thing that makes this play a PI call is that the DB never looked at the ball at any time. Should he have looked at the ball before he grabbed the receiver, then this would not have been called as PI. If he would have looked after he grabbed the receiver then this becomes illegal contact.

[Crewe]

I can't tell you how much I despise that not looking for the ball excuse to throw the flag.
A db looks for the ball then gets duped on a route.  Just another way to limit effective defense and exploit offense.  Granted I'm speaking of the NFL

[cflnut]

Same thing happens to DB's in the CFL.

One of the commentators in last night game said that the review office could be a little unwilling to overturn a lot of these PI challenges cause it could show a lack of trust in the officiating crew. PI is still a judgment call. Whether it's done by the on field ref or the review office.

[Crewe]

I should've clarified; I wasn't sugesting it didn't happen in CFL, just that I don't watch the CFL so I didn't want to speak on what I hadn't seen.
I get your point though, leave it to the ones on the field, and I go with that too.  But I fiercely believe, again, just from my being a fan of the NFL, the league needs to properly train, educate and most importantly, enforce consistent calls on the field.  Its sickening when you see, say, face guarding, to coincide with your previous point (which in my view is a ridiculous "rule") in one game while seeing another game simultaneously disregard the same exact play in another game. 
Blows
my
mind!