Report: NFL competition committee plans May meeting; PI review likely punted

NFL competition committee members are planning on their May meeting going on as scheduled May 19-20 in California.

The competition committee is a nine-person panel charged with reviewing and implementing on-field rules and proposals for changing the rule book. Owners, general managers and coaches are eligible to be on the committee.

NFL Network reported the committee intends to narrow the focus of the meeting to a series of discussion points to include the likely revocation of the pass interference replay rule.

The replay rule was enacted for the 2019 season following great debate among members and sparked by the NFC Championship Game non-call involving the Los Angeles Rams and New Orleans Saints.

The Rams benefited from the non-call and represented the NFC in the Super Bowl. Last offseason, 31 of 32 owners voted in favor of PI review.

But pass interference calls — and non-calls — reviewed were rarely overturned. One of the most egregious examples drew flammable criticism from players and fans alike in Week 6, when Baltimore Ravens cornerback Marlon Humphrey was draped over then-Houston Texans wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins.

Humphrey was defending a pass into the end zone. He had both hands on Hopkins — one on each shoulder — with his full weight behind a lunge into Hopkins with the ball in the air. The incompletion did not draw a flag, and the requested review of the play resulted in what Hopkins and coach Bill O’Brien called a baffling no-call.

“As a leader in the NFL, we need someone new in New York deciding calls,” Hopkins tweeted after the game.

According to NFL Network, one solution on the table next month is the “Sky Judge” concept introduced by the XFL. The committee unanimously objected to the sky judge in 2019.

New proposals from the Ravens and Los Angeles Chargers would bring an administrator into the equation to point out officiating mistakes.

Proposals require approval from at least 24 of 32 teams.

The competition committee is chaired by Rich McKay (Atlanta Falcons president), who said last week he was focused only on the draft and information technology involved in making the event work remotely.

“I’m not going to get caught up in the speculation about what happens after the draft,” he told The Athletic.

–Field Level Media