Gerald Herbert/Associated Press NFL owners voted Tuesday to allow replay reviews on pass interference calls as well as non-calls, Dallas Cowboys CEO Stephen Jones told Ian Rapoport of NFL Network. Coaches will now have the opportunity to challenge pass interference calls or non-calls outside of two minutes of each half, while the booth will automatically review any close calls inside of two minutes. According to Adam Schefter of ESPN, both offensive and defensive pass interference calls will now be challengeable. The Cincinnati Bengals were reportedly the only team to vote against the rule change, according to Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News. "People compromised on long-held views because people wanted to get it right," commissioner Roger Goodell said after the vote, per Rapoport. Head coaches initially wanted even more drastic changes, per Albert Breer of The MMQB: Video Play Button Videos you might like Still, NFL owners at least voted this one through. "I think we got it right," New Orleans Saints head coach Sean Payton said Tuesday, per Mark Maske of the Washington Post. Payton's Saints lost the NFC Championship Game in part because of a critical missed pass interference call. Late in the fourth quarter with the score tied, Los Angeles Rams cornerback Nickell Robey-Coleman hit receiver TommyLee Lewis before a pass arrived on 3rd-and-10 from the Rams' 13-yard line. He wasn't flagged for the play, though, and the Saints had to settle for a field goal and eventually lost in overtime. The new rule could allow officials to change such a critical call. However, it also might have unintended consequences: Considering there were 249 pass interference calls last season, per NFLPenalties.com, along with additional violations that went uncalled, this could be a massive rule change for the 2019 season.<doc-sep>The decision comes months too late for the New Orleans Saints and their fans, but the NFL decided Tuesday to change its rules regarding reviews of possible pass interference – whether a flag is thrown on the play or not. The change, which will take effect this coming season on a one-year trial basis, passed in a 31-1 vote at the league’s spring meeting in Phoenix. Under the rule change, coaches will be able to request a review of any pass interference call – or non-call. SAINTS FANS CALL FOR REMATCH AFTER CONTROVERSIAL GAME SENDS RAMS TO SUPER BOWL The change comes after the NFL faced a storm of criticism following the NFC Championship Game on Jan. 20 between the Saints and the Los Angeles Rams. In the closing minutes of the fourth quarter, Rams defender Nickell Robey Coleman knocked into Saints receiver Tommylee Lewis before the ball arrived, but no interference penalty was called. The missed call was viewed as a key factor in the Rams' being able to tie the game and then win it in overtime, to advance to the Super Bowl. Team owners voted Tuesday to include such controversial plays in the officiating replay review system. Coaches still will have two challenges per game, and in the final two minutes of a half or fourth quarter or for all of overtime, the replay official can order a review of offensive or defensive pass interference. NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell explained the move: “I told the owners we need to get to a place, and I felt strongly we should have OPI [offensive pass interference] and DPI [defensive pass interference] and that we should be able to throw flags (that were not thrown on the field)," Goodell said. “Everyone in there finally got to understand through a long process and a lot of discussion, everyone wanted to get it right. Some had to remove themselves from long-shared views.” “Everyone in there finally got to understand through a long process and a lot of discussion, everyone wanted to get it right. Some had to remove themselves from long-shared views.” — NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell The competition committee, which recommends rules changes to the ownership, had been split 4-4 on adding interference penalties, particularly non-flagged ones, to replay. But they tweaked the proposal, and it remains part of the overall replay system, which was a critical component. Only Cincinnati Bengals owner Mike Brown opposed the decision, according to USA Today. The reason for Brown’s no vote was not disclosed. Falcons President Rich McKay, chairman of the competition committee, said the analytics also played a role in the rules change. Of the 50 most incorrect on-field calls as determined by officiating director Al Riveron and his staff that were impactful, half of them were for defensive pass interference. "We felt this was a place to start," McKay added. "There was a lot of discussion and definitely a block of people on the committee and in membership concerned about the ability to put a flag on. We got more comfortable as we worked it out that it would be captured in the replay system." Saints coach Sean Payton, a member of the competition committee, reportedly helped convince owners that the change was needed. “It's great when we can arrive at what we think is a good change," Payton said. "We wouldn't have any of these on the docket had it not been for one play. I don't think any of these would be on a replay discussion. “It's great when we can arrive at what we think is a good change." — New Orleans Saints coach Sean Payton After the NFC Championship Game, many Saints fans were furious – with some requesting that the Rams-Saints game be replayed and others requesting refunds on their ticket money. The NFL said that replaying the game would be impractical, because it would have involved delaying the Super Bowl – a move it estimated would cost more than $100 million. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP The Rams went on to lose to the New England Patriots in the Super Bowl, which was played in Atlanta two weeks after the Rams-Saints game. In other decisions at the NFL meeting: -- Owners rejected a proposal to replace the onside kick with one play from scrimmage, and tabled a suggestion to require each team to have one possession in overtime regardless of what happened on the first series of the extra period. -- They approved making permanent all kickoff rules implemented only for the 2018 season. Studies showed this player safety initiative worked. -- They eliminated the blindside block in an effort to expand protection of a defenseless player. It is now a 15-yard penalty if a player initiates a block in which he is moving. -- They agreed to allow teams to elect to enforce on an extra point kick or play an opponent's personal or unsportsmanlike conduct foul committed during a touchdown. The Associated Press contributed to this story.<doc-sep>PHOENIX — New Orleans Saints coach Sean Payton got what he wanted. NFL owners voted Tuesday night at the league meeting in Phoenix to allow offensive and defensive pass interference penalties, including non-calls, to be subject to challenge and replay review. For the 2019 season, coaches can challenge any flags or missed penalties until the final two minutes, when such instances are subject to booth review only. "I personally believe it was the fact that every club wanted to get, and the league wanted to get these plays right," NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said at a news conference after the vote. "Replay is to get it right. And ultimately people compromised, I think, on long-held views because they want to get the system right. They want to get the play right." Owners voted 31-1 in favor of expanded replay, with Mike Brown of the Cincinnati Bengals being the lone negative vote, a person with knowledge of the situation told USA TODAY Sports' Jarrett Bell. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the result of the vote had not been made public. The substantial shift comes on the heels of the Saints' NFC Championship Game loss to the Los Angeles Rams, in which Rams cornerback Nickell Robey-Coleman was not called for a pass interference penalty against New Orleans receiver Tommylee Lewis in the final two minutes of the game. “There was a lot to it," Broncos general manager John Elway told USA TODAY Sports. "To finally get it to where you got everybody – you got what the coaches wanted – and try to get the one play that was so painful last year, to try to get that fixed. This will be able to cover that. “I feel good about it. I think everybody else feels good about it. We’re never going to be able to fix everybody’s problems, but again, this is our first attempt at putting a flag on the field for the first time. That’s new.” Neither of the competition committee's original two proposals for the meeting in Phoenix would have allowed for missed penalties to be subject to challenge, but the outlook changed after debate among coaches. “I felt like we went around the block twice and found the address we were circling," Payton said after the vote. "It wasn’t like we went to another neighborhood. "I was never pessimistic. I was just uncertain. The challenge was there were five different proposals and directions. ... This is a very positive statement that we were interested in fixing but wanted to make sure it wasn’t a knee-jerk.” Said competition committee chairman and Atlanta Falcons president Rich McKay: “We were able to make sausage in one day." Saints owner Gayle Benson, who vowed to "aggressively pursue changes" to NFL rules in the aftermath of the NFC Championship Game, was satisfied by the changes. "That’s why I made the statements," Benson said. "That’s the path we were going for, because it could have happened to anyone. It could’ve happened to any of the 32 teams. It happened to us, but I wanted the rule to change. Going forward, it’ll be better for everybody.” Owners also voted Tuesday to ban blindside blocks and make permanent kickoff changes that were instituted last year. During Tuesday's news conference, Goodell was asked about New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft facing two misdemeanor charges of soliciting prostitution, but he said no decision will be made on discipline “until after we have all the facts” If you love talking football, we have the perfect spot for you. Join our new Facebook Group, The Ruling Off the Field, to engage in friendly debate and conversation with fellow football fans and our NFL insiders.<doc-sep>
The NFL approved a rule change Tuesday that will make pass interference calls and non-calls subject to replay review and coaches challenges. NFL owners voted Tuesday to implement the new rule on a one-year trial basis. Prior to Tuesday’s rule change, pass interference was not replay-review eligible. Coaches will now be able to use one of their allotted challenges to call for replay review of a pass interference situation prior to the final two minutes of a half. Like other reviews, pass interference replays in the final two minutes of a half will be initiated by the league’s officiating office. Nickell Robey-Coleman was not flagged for a clear pass interference penalty in the NFC championship game. (AP) NFC championship controversy prompted change The change was prompted by the controversy in the NFC championship game that saw the Los Angeles Rams advance to the Super Bowl past the New Orleans Saints after a non-call on what appeared to be blatant pass interference on Rams defensive back Nickell Robey-Coleman at a critical juncture of the game. The league reportedly started considering a change to the rule shortly after the game in the wake of outcry from fans, coaches and players. Saints pleased with rule change The Saints posted their reaction to the rule on Twitter shortly after the announcement. Team owner Gayle Benson, who slammed the NFL after the loss to the Rams, vowed in January to “aggressively pursue changes in NFL policies to ensure no team and fan base is ever put in a similar position again.” She said Tuesday that the rule change was the result she was seeking. “This is what I wanted to happen,” Benson said, per NFL Network. “That’s why I made my statement. (The non-call in the title game) will never happen again.” League voted in favor of rule change, 31-1 According to NFL Network’s Mike Garofalo, the Cincinnati Bengals were the only team that voted against the new rule that was approved by league owners by a vote of 31-1. Story continues “People compromised on long-held views because people wanted to get it right,” NFL commissioner Roger Goodell told reporters after the announcement. Sean Payton: NFL ‘got it right’ Saints head coach Sean Payton, who pushed for the change, told reporters after the decision that the league got the rule change right. “I think it’s more about the football element [than a personal victory],” Payton said. ... This isn’t going to be perfect always, and we know that. The mere shape of the ball tells you it’s not going to bounce the same way. But these are fouls that the analysts are able to point and say, ‘Hey, they’re the most impactful fouls.’ I think we got it right.” More on Yahoo Sports: