Originally Posted by
I Eat Staples
God there are many. Illegal contact is definitely toward the top of the list. That's not a penalty in college and there's even MORE offense there than in the NFL, so it's not like you're significantly nerfing the passing game.
I utterly despise spot of the foul PI as well. With the way they call PI spot of the foul is just...broken. It lets the officials literally decide the outcome of games at times. I'd be ok with a clear path rule like Wave suggested, but I wouldn't mind at all if it were just 15 yards at most. 40+ yards of penalty yardage for slight contact is insane.
I think most people recognize that hits to head needed to be removed, but I'd like to see that penalty be reviewable. It's easy for an official to see shoulder-to-shoulder as head-to-head in real time, so use replay to get the call right. It's not hard.
Which leads me into the thing I think I'd want changed most, which is abolishing the ridiculous "indisputable evidence" standard of replay. Being a ref in football is HARD, why should the call on the field made in real time be more valuable than what you can see in a slow motion replay? In like 95% of replays, even if the play is close, you can definitively confirm or overturn the call on the field. Make a reasonable call based on what you see in the video replay, and stop giving so much credit to the call on the field. The only way you should have to defer to call on the field for lack of evidence would be if it's literally impossible to see a good angle on replay, such as a fumble recovery or spot of the ball when a player is completely covered by bodies.
I agree with everything you said, except your last paragraph.
The PI call shouldn't be such a big penalty BECAUSE its so arbitrary and judgemental. But then you want to turn around and give the ref the power to change a call with arbituary judgement. That would give the ref to CHANGE a call based on judgement and maybe's. Not sure I agree with you on that one
(the previous comment was not directed at any particular individual and was not intended to slander,disrespect or offend any reader of said statement)