Here are some ideas I have for changing penalties so that they more accurately reflect and support the idea that the better team wins:

PASS INTERFERENCE

I doubt I have to convince anybody involved in football at any level and in any capacity that the pass interference call is one of the most problematic and inequitably enforced rules in all of team sports. Here are some ideas I have for changing the rules and the enforcement of them:

• The use of hands involves pass interference against the defense only if it is initiated by the defender. Once the offensive player pushes or otherwise uses his body to create separation or to get leverage in relation to the defender, the defender has permission to respond in the same manner throughout the remainder of the play.
• Offensive pass interference is when the defender has position (is closer to the ball in the air) and the offensive player contacts the defensive player before contacting the ball. It doesn't matter if the offensive player is going for the ball or not.
• Defensive pass interference is the same as the above when it is the defensive player that is out of position and initiates contact.
• Either player cannot be called for pass interference on an under-thrown ball just because the player farther down hill suddenly stops, causing the trailing player to run into them due to momentum. It is not the responsibility of the trailing player to get out of the way on an underthrown ball. In other words, an underthrown ball cannot be rewarded by drawing a pass interference call. It is on the QB to make a good throw, otherwise it is incomplete.
• In the above situation, if the leading playing turns around and attempts to make the catch on an underthrown ball, they may make contact with the trailing player to do that only if the trailing player is still running downfield to catch up. If the trailing player has turned around to play the ball and the leading player makes contact with the trailing player in order to prevent the trailing player from making the catch, that can be called for pass interference.
• Similar rules apply with any type of pass, overthrown etc.)The position of the ball (where it is thrown) is a factor in determining who has position to make a play on it and who might be interfering. In other words, a player closer to the ball cannot be called with pass interference just because another player has to go through them in order to make the catch, regardless of whether both players are playing the ball or not.
• If players get tangled up on each other running downfield, this is not pass interference. If there is a player intentionally makes contact with a player causing them to lose balance, this is tripping and is a 15 yard penalty. Otherwise it is where the foul occurred for defensive pass interference and a 15 yard penalty for offensive pass interference.
• I am open to a tiered type of penalty like they do with roughing the kicker where different levels of enforcement are made depending on how blatant the interference. In such a case I would be open to some defensive pass interference calls that are only 15 yards. In any case all such penalties are an automatic first down. Offensive pass interference involves a loss of down and the 15 yards. The reason for this is to discourage players from intentionally interfering in order to avoid an INT.

ROUGHING & FACE MASKING

This is more an issue of enforcement than anything else. There is supposed to be a distinction between intentional or severe contact and incidental contact. Officials need to be trained to focus on the tackler not the player being hit to determine this because there are plenty of academy award winning performances going on, particularly by punters. Unfortunately, do to concerns about injuries, officials generally and reflexively throw the flag for the more severe penalty. While I understand the need to protect from injuries, the point of having rules is to support the equitable playing field so that the better playing team wins. Throwing flags for things that aren't really penalties ruins the game and supports the possibility that the lesser team will win. This ruins sports.

• It is a personal foul and 15 yards, including a possible warning and/or ejection for roughing another player (esp. QB or kicker or other vulnerable player). It is also an automatic first down. To get a personal foul, the fouling player has to fulfill one of the following criteria

1. Hitting a player significantly latethis means that the penalized player had the physical ability to stop and/or to otherwise avoid contacting the roughed player.2. Hitting a player in a way that was not in keeping with the goals, duties and responsibilities of the violating player. For instance, if a player hits a kicker but it is in the process of doing what would normally be done to block a kick, it is not roughing. This is the case whether or not the kick is actually blocked. 3. Failure to disengage contact, if made, in a timely fashion. A player who grabs a face mask or hits a QB must disengage without approximately 3 seconds. This can be subject to review. A player who hits another player and his feet are off the ground is exempt, unless leaving his feet falls under category #2 above.4. Unnecessary use of force. For example, taking a player completely to the ground instead of just shoving them out of bounds along the sidelines would be unnecessary use of force.

• All of the above situations that involve contact but do not rise to the level of roughing are still a five yard penalty, except when it is a normal tackle.

DELAY OF GAME

This is one of the stupidest and unnecessary rules in all of sports. Almost all football teams on all levels get flagged regularly for this penalty, suggesting that it is not a reflection of the team but a reflection of the rule.

• With all of the substitution rules now delaying the offense and the need to audible, the rules should be changed to add an additional 5 seconds to the play clock. I realize that this makes it easier to run out the clock at the end of the game but the rule could be modified to allow the old play clock to take affect after the 2 minute warning or inside of 4 minutes in each half.

HOLDING

Holding is one of the most inconsistently and inequitably enforced rules in football. We all know that players, even whole teams, get away with holding more than others. I think it is simply a problem of visibility. Those that hold on the inside of the jersey are more likely to get away with it than those hanging onto the outside edge or the backside. This brings up the problem of positioning of the officials.

• I think that there should be some officials positioned in the stands or the press box that gives them a bird's eye view. Having all of the officials on field level is really asking for poor officiating because some things can't be seen from that level. I think this will help the PI calls as well. Have at least one on each side of the 50 that is focusing just on the LOS and the linemen.
• The holding penalty is pretty common and is often enforced despite a ticky tack call or a phantom call. I would apply the 3 second rule on this too. One could argue it should be 2 seconds, but a player should be holding for something more than an instant for it to be called. Also, the refs upstairs will help review to minimize phantom calls. Phantom calls or calls from officials that think they saw an infraction but were wrong.
• Because holding is so common, it should be reduced to a 5 yard penalty like the false start.
• Defensive holding by a pass defender is a 10 yard penalty and an automatic first down. If a receiver does the same thing downfield it is also a ten yard penalty. In other words, downfield holding, because it affects more potential yardage on the play, is a bigger yardage penalty than backfield holding.

UNSPORTSMANSHIP CONDUCT

A distinction should be made between celebrating and taunting. Taunting is a penalty. Also, conflicts between players is a penalty. All unsportsmanship penalties, (esp. on field conflicts) are subject to review so that the appropriate perpetrators and instigators are flagged. Celebrating can be a penalty if it is also taunting or it delays the game.

• Celebrating that delays the game is 5 yards. Celebrating that is taunting is 15 yards as are all unsportsmanship penalties.
• Instigators of on-field incidents are flagged for 15 yards and given a warning. If there is a retaliation, it is reduced to 10 yards but there is still a warning and a second infraction is ejection. If on the defense, unsportsmanship penalties of any yardage result in an automatic first down for the offense.

Some of you more observant folks are going to conclude that this will lengthen the game considerably. But think about how much time it takes for each penalty to be called and enforced. My hope is that these proposed changes will lessen the number of penaties called. Also, the extra officials can be a quick reference before a full review. The "birds eye" officials can simply be the deciding votes on a call without going to full video review. So, I don't think the game will slow down. It is true that the cost of running a game will increase in order to pay for 2 additional officials, but I think these costs will be payed for by the increased revenue created by improving the game.

One additional modification that only involves the pro game:

If a receiver is shoved out of bounds while catching a ball, he is allowed to only get one foot in for it to be a catch. Otherwise pro receptions still require 2 feet in. This goes for the back of the end zone as well.

I'm sure that these ideas will have no effect on the actual rules of football, but it was a fun exercise anyway. But my intention in doing this is to decrease the impact of the officials on the game and to preserve more great plays that are currently nullified by penalties.

You're missing one of the biggest complaints I have re penalty enforcement:-half the distance to the goal. that's almost a meaningless penalty in a lot of situations. Instead, the penalty yardage should be added to the distance required to convert that series of downs to 1st down. Enforce it this way whenever it means the ball won't be set back the full distance the penalty would ordinarily require. e.g., the ball is on the five yard line and you get a holding call on the O. Instead of moving the ball back to the 2.5 yard line, move the first down marker from the fifteen to the 25 yd line.

jy1988 said:

---

You're missing one of the biggest complaints I have re penalty enforcement:-half the distance to the goal. that's almost a meaningless penalty in a lot of situations. Instead, the penalty yardage should be added to the distance required to convert that series of downs to 1st down. Enforce it this way whenever it means the ball won't be set back the full distance the penalty would ordinarily require. e.g., the ball is on the five yard line and you get a holding call on the O. Instead of moving the ball back to the 2.5 yard line, move the first down marker from the fifteen to the 25 yd line.

---

That's a good one.
I also think sometimes there should be a loss of down as well as yardage, not one or the other. But this would only be for 5 yard penalties.