When a team gets called for a bad penalty in the National Football League, instant replay on television gives the viewer at home a good idea if the penalty was a good or bad call. Now, the NFL could be about to give coaches on the sideline the power to challenge a penalty called in the game using the existing challenge system.
According to Pro Football Talk, a proposal by the Buffalo Bills and Seatle Seahawks during next week’s league meetings would allow all penalties in a game to be eligible to be challenged. Under the current rules of the game, penalties called on the field are not allowed to be challenged, giving the game a true human element to the game.
“That is a significant change to our current replay rule and it is something that will be on the floor and will be debated and voted on next week,” NFL Competition Committee Chair Rich McKay said, per Pro Football Talk.
On the surface, it is good that there would be a provision in place to allow a team called for a horrible penalty to have a chance to escape the damage. No team should be harmed by a bad call on the field, whether it be spotting the football, ruling a first down or touchdown, turnover or a penalty. And so long as there are not extra challenges allowed to provide for a penalty challenge, this may have a minimal impact on the length of a game. The penalties for a bad penalty challenge would remain the same as they are, with a loss of a timeout. Only this time, your team would still be penalized whatever yardage was just assessed.
The fact the rule proposal is being brought to the table by the Bills and Seahawks may not be a coincidence. Last season saw some controversy over the officiating and penalties called (or not called) in a game between the two teams. Things got a bit heated, to put it kindly.
If I could make one recommendation for challenging a penalty on the field, I’d recommend a double or nothing outcome. Don’t feel you should have been called for the 10-yard penalty? Challenge it, and if you win you won’t be penalized. Lose the challenge, and now you’ll be pushed back 20 yards.
If this proposal does pass, I can’t wait to see the first coach to use a challenge over a five-yard penalty.
