Troy Vincent: NFL 'failed miserably' implementing PI reviews in 2019
The NFL's temporary rule allowing pass interference calls to be reviewed will expire after a one-year trial, and the league wasn't thrilled with the results.
"We failed. I'm first in line," NFL executive vice president of football operations Troy Vincent told NBC Sports' Peter King. "I shared that (with league officials). I failed, as the leader of that department. I failed. We cannot allow that to happen again. What did we learn from that? We've got to do our due diligence. You can't rush and just shove something in there without knowing all the consequences. And we found that out last year, live and in action, publicly.
"We didn't do (our due diligence) last year, and we failed, and we failed miserably."
The ability to review pass interference was implemented for the 2019 season following the controversial NFC title game between the Los Angeles Rams and New Orleans Saints in which officials missed a clear penalty on then-Rams cornerback Nickell Robey-Coleman.
The replay rule was met with displeasure due to multiple controversies last year, and clubs are against keeping it in place for the upcoming campaign.
Owners will vote on a number of proposed rule changes on Thursday, including the addition of a full-time "sky judge" to every officiating crew. Vincent noted the challenges of implementing the alteration while insisting the league should be cautious due to its recent issues.
"We cannot fail this year," he said. "We saw, a year ago, when (the pass interference rule) played out, starting with myself, what we put in place last year ... Those outcomes were not good for professional football ... The last thing people should be talking about is the way the game is officiated. They (officials) should be faceless objects, managing and facilitating game flow.
"The concept of the eighth man in the booth has some merit," Vincent added. "But we just don't have the pipeline (of officials) today. Can we get there? Yes. But today, it could be a challenge."