[tomsmuidh]

ESPN.com reports San Francisco 49ers head coach Mike Nolan would like to see the National Football League adopt a new pass interference rule that allows officials some leeway in handing out punishment. Nolan's plan would enable officials to determine whether a penalty should result in a 15-yard infraction or a spot of the foul penalty. Nolan believes offensive coaches around the league currently call plays with the purpose of drawing a penalty. "You'll see them drop back and throw it vertical," Nolan said. "They'll overthrow the play; they just want the penalty." The current rules state that a defensive pass interference penalty rewards the offense with the ball at the spot of the foul or at the one yard line if the infraction occurs in the end zone.

http://www.kffl.com/hotw/nfl

I would go so far as to make it like a facemask where you could assign the penalty based on incidental contact of flagrat foul. You have to balance it so you protect the players. i.e. if you are protecting QB's why shouldn't you protect receivers too?

[MannoFr]

you'd essentially be turning pass interference into a personal foul. mike nolan is an idiot.