The push for an expansion of replay review to include pass interference calls and non-calls took off after Rams cornerback Nickell Robey-Coleman’s hit on Saints wide receiver Tommylee Lewis in the NFC Championship Game.
That push paid off in a one-year trial that will allow coaches to throw a challenge flag in hopes of getting a flag for pass interference or having a flag picked up. During an appearance on SiriusXM NFL Radio, Robey-Coleman said he thinks that the new addition to the NFL should be called the Nickell Robey-Coleman rule.
While the change would have hurt him and the Rams in January, Robey-Coleman said he sees positives for defensive backs in the new rule.
“We’ll be able to play a little bit more aggressive, in a sense, because now you have the review play to actually review the DBs at that time,” Robey-Coleman said. “It could be a little scuffle play and they call PI and you review it, it’s a possibility it could be turned over after they look at the replay. It could be good, but it could be bad at the same time. If you have a good play and they think it’s PI, it could bring back that play.”
Robey-Coleman isn’t the first to point out that the new rule will have ramifications on both sides of the ball and how that plays out is sure to be closely watched once teams are back on the field later this year.