When Flozell Adams pushed Justin Tuck in the back at the end of the first half of Sunday’s Cowboys-Giants game, he probably didn’t know he was exposing a loophole in NFL rules.
But he did expose a loophole -- namely, that offensive players aren’t penalized for personal fouls at the end of the last play before halftime. NFL V.P. of officiating Mike Pereira says that’s a loophole that should be closed.
“It just doesn’t seem right,” Pereira said on NFL Network’s Total Access. “It doesn’t seem right that that play should not result in a 15-yard penalty on the opening kickoff of the third quarter, and I think that’s something that we’ll certainly need to take a look at.”
Asked about the play by NFL Network host Rich Eisen, Pereira said that his officials enforced it properly -- which is to say they didn’t erally enforce it at all. But he added that he had discussed the matter with Giants coach Tom Coughlin and would recommend in the off-season that the league change that rule.
“It will be interesting to see how the Competition Committee addresses it,” Pereira said. “I already promised Tom Coughlin on Monday after the game that I would present it to the committee, and I’m sure it will be one of the things that they look at.”
It’s probably a safe bet that in 2010, the league will close this loophole. And everyone can thank Flozell Adams for pointing it out.