Jon Gruden believes the NFL has a pass interference problem.
Gruden, who recently signed a deal with Barstool Sports, was a guest on the latest episode of the “Pardon My Take” podcast, which was published on Friday. During the interview, Gruden was asked if there is anything about the modern NFL that he would want to change. He said his “biggest concern” is pass interference. Gruden thinks pass interference should be a 15-yard penalty like it is in college rather than a spot foul.
“I would make it the college rule, honestly, because some of these pass interference calls are impacting the game, just one play there,” Gruden said. “I don’t think there’s a common thread in what is and what isn’t pass interference. I think this crew calls it a little different from that crew. That is a penalty right now that, I think, has taken over a lot of these games.”
Gruden added that he thinks pass interference is called too often when the foul is not obvious enough. You can hear his full comments:
Jon Gruden would make DPI in the NFL 15 yards because of the impact it has on the game
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— Pardon My Take (@PardonMyTake) December 20, 2024
Committing a pass interference penalty in the NFL is much more costly than it is in college. We often see offenses get bailed out on a play that had no chance of succeeding because the quarterback underthrew a deep a ball. A wide receiver can get lucky in the NFL and draw a 60-yard penalty, and Gruden and many others feel that is excessive.
We have also seen plenty of bad pass interference calls that completely change the outcome of a play. Gruden feels a flag should not be thrown unless the PI is “obvious.”
Gruden is an offensive coach, so the comments are noteworthy coming from him. The former Super Bowl champion is not the only NFL legend who surprisingly believes the league has gotten too tough on defenses.
