New Orleans Saints head coach Sean Payton knows more than anyone how a non-call on pass interference could affect the outcome of a game, but now, Payton and every other NFL coach will have the opportunity to challenge those plays.
The thing is, you only get two challenges a game, and three if you are successful on your first two. But that's it.
Now, with pass interference being a reviewable call, coaches may want to save their challenge flags:
“Let's start with the very first premise for the fans: It's still just like all the other challenges that we have in place,” Payton said, per Kevin Patra of NFL.com. “Remember we only have two to start with. So, I don't think you're going to see more challenge flags.
“Probably you're going to be a little bit more judicious knowing that you want to have at least one left and if you feel like there's something you see clearly and it's outside of two minutes as a coach you can challenge it. And of course, inside of two minutes, it goes upstairs to replay. And we're all, in this day and age with our technology and with the fans getting a chance to see real-time, we're wanting those calls, especially in games like that, to be officiated correctly.”
Payton was addressing concern from the fans that adding more types of reviewable calls may slow the game down, noting that if anything, it might cause coaches to think twice about challenging certain plays because there may be a more important call they wish to challenge later.
Of course, the Saints lost to the Los Angeles Rams in the NFC Championship Game partly because of a blown call on what should have been pass interference on Rams cornerback Nickell Robey-Coleman late in the fourth quarter.
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