Dolphins wide receiver Tyreek Hill wants an old rule brought back, and a new policy in the official statistics.
Hill proposed on his podcast that the NFL should bring back replay reviews of pass interference penalties, and that when pass interference is called, the yardage should go toward the receiver’s statistical totals.
“You know there used to be a rule where you could challenge a defensive pass interference,” Hill said. “That used to be a rule, I believe two years ago, and they took that rule away. I don’t know why they took it away. They used to have that rule where if there was a pass interference, the coach could challenge it.”
Pass interference was reviewable in the 2019 season as a response to outrage over a missed call in the NFC Championship Game following the 2018 season. It was implemented as a one-year policy, didn’t seem to improve officiating at all, and wasn’t brought back in 2020.
Hill wants replay review back, and he wants the credit on his stats when he gets an interference penalty.
“I think they should definitely bring that back,” Hill said. “Bring that back, and once it’s a pass interference, just add those receiving yards to my yardage.”
Hill raises an interesting point: A quarterback and receiver who draw a 25-yard pass interference penalty have helped their team just as much as a quarterback and receiver who connect for a 25-yard pass, so why not give the quarterback and receiver the same 25 yards on their stats? The policy could also be expanded to other penalties, such as crediting a defensive player with a sack when he pressures a quarterback into an intentional grounding penalty.
It’s not a bad idea, but it’s not going to be implemented this year, when Hill could use every extra yard he can get on his quest for the NFL’s first 2,000-yard receiving season.