This is part two of my comprehensive examination of the UFL rulebook for its first season. Part one can be found here.
Defensive Pass Interference
XFL rule: Spot foul: Ball is placed at the spot of the pass interference, which is also the NFL rule.
USFL rule: A spot foul if the pass interference occurs less than 15 yards from the line of scrimmage. It is a 15-yard penalty if the foul occurs beyond 15 yards from the line of scrimmage. If a defender is judged to have intentionally tackled a player beyond 15 yards, it turns into a spot foul.
UFL rule: The USFL rule will be used in 2024. In a recent interview with Fox Sports, the UFL’s Dean Blandino noted that the replay booth will be able to determine intentionality in assessing the spot foul beyond 15 yards.
Analysis: The UFL will be combining the college defensive pass interference rule (15 yards regardless of location on field) and the NFL’s (spot foul). Judgment calls like DPI are always difficult; the league will be adding a layer of judgment to determine whether a DPI beyond 15 yards is intentional. That could get messy, though the fact that the replay booth will handle it and not just the referees on the field will give them a better opportunity to evaluate those often bang-bang plays.
My take: I really like this rule. DPI is often the most difficult call for referees, and the spot foul is often too punitive for the contact on a given play. Teams down by a touchdown late, deep in their own territory, sometimes resort to throwing it up and praying for a pass interference call, which is not how the game should be played. Adding the idea of intentional fouls being spot fouls beyond 15 yards prevents the college play of a defender tackling a receiver far downfield and only being hit with a 15-yard penalty.
USFL rule: One replay crew will make all decisions to ensure accurate and consistent rulings. The Command Center can step in if an on-field ruling of a reviewable play is “obviously incorrect.” Among the plays deemed reviewable are personal foul penalties.
UFL rule: Again, both are pretty close, but the XFL replay section of its 2023 rulebook is mirrored exactly in the UFL 2024 rulebook. Of note, the standard for overturning a call is “clear and obvious video evidence.”
Analysis: Though the XFL had separate replay crews, Dean Blandino was the face of replay, walking viewers through calls as they were being either confirmed or changed, so his influence could be seen as a single entity review just as the USFL had. There shouldn’t be much of a noticeable change from either league to the UFL’s replay format.
My take: Blandino got a lot of TV time during XFL games last year, much to the consternation of some fans. The NFL still can’t get some blatant calls correct, which often takes up a lot of airtime on Mondays rather than discussions of the games themselves. If the idea is to get the call right as often as possible, then taking the time for replay is a necessary evil. The UFL’s transparency in this regard, where viewers can see and hear the discussion of the call in real time, is as important as making sure the call is correct. Keep it short, be transparent, get it right is an enviable mantra for replay in football, and the UFL is off on the right foot in all three of those phases.
Coach’s Challenge
XFL rule: Coaches have one challenge per game that they can use on any play (including reviewing a penalty called, or a non-penalty), provided they have one timeout remaining. A lost challenge results in a loss of timeout.
USFL rule: Coaches have one replay challenge per game.
UFL rule: The league will go with the XFL rule on coach’s challenges.
Analysis: It’s a pretty small difference between the rules used by the XFL and USFL in 2023, but it can have a big impact on the game. It shouldn’t be a huge adjustment for USFL coaches. NFL teams often have an assistant or someone in the box whose sole job is to communicate with the head coach about calls they should challenge; with the size of UFL staffs, someone may have to double-up (or triple-up) on gameday responsibilities in adding this to their list. Remember also: This was a rule implemented by the XFL at the request of the NFL, with whom they worked closely in 2023 on trying out potential rules that the NFL could use. The UFL and NFL are likely to maintain that relationship.
Mytake: This rule was better in theory than in practice in the XFL last season. Coaches often tried to challenge a play that had already been looked at and cleared by the command center. There needs to be a clearer delineation (or communication from the league) between what the replay booth looks at and what coaches should focus their challenge energies on. Hopefully they get that squared away prior to the start of this season.
Coin Toss
XFL rule:No coin toss; instead, the home team gets the option to begin the game.
USFL rule: The traditional pre-game coin toss is featured.
UFL rule: No coin toss.
Analysis: Doing away with the coin toss ensures more fairness, as each team will have five opportunities (their five home games) to decide whether to defer or receive. When you’re starting a new league and trying to establish your bona fides, you want to make things as equal as possible, even when it comes to something like who has the option to begin the game.
My take: This is pretty far down the list of rule changes I care about; I get the intent, but I’m not sure it’s going to matter a whole lot. Bring back the scramble for the ball, I say.
Game Timing
XFL rule: A 35-second play clock is used, started at the conclusion of the previous play. The game clock starts following out-of-bounds plays and incomplete passes with the exception of inside 2:00 in the second and fourth quarters, where first downs also stop the clock. Inside 2:00, the game clock on those plays will stop until the next snap.
USFL rule: A 35-second play clock is used. The clock starts after incomplete passes for the first and third quarters, as well as outside 5:00 of the second and fourth quarters. Clock begins on the ready for play after a runner goes out of bounds, unless it’s inside 2:00 of the second and fourth quarters. Clock also stops inside 2:00 for first downs.
UFL rule:By and large the XFL rules apply: 35-second play clock. Outside of 2:00 on out of bounds or incomplete pass: Clock stops, then starts when the play clock reaches 30. Inside 2:00: Clock stops for those plays until the next snap. Also stops on first downs.
Analysis: NFL and college football games are long. Really long. And spring football has endeavored to cut that down not only to speed up the pace of play to make the game more interesting, but also to fit into the three-hour television window. The NFL and college can get away with four-hour games; untested spring football leagues, not so much. The NCAA and NFL utilize 40-second play clocks; the XFL in 2020 whittled it down to 25 seconds. That may have been too fast, so the XFL in 2023 upped it to 35 seconds, though the clock began at the end of the previous play whereas the 25 seconds in 2020 began when the ball was spotted, so there wasn’t much of a difference. Notably, it remains to be seen if there will be a ball spotter in the UFL as there was in the XFL. A ball spotter was not listed among the officiating crews for the 2024 season.
My take: There are plenty of ways to tinker with game timing without disrupting the sanctity of the game. It feels like the UFL is still grappling with trying to find that sweet spot. XFL games sometimes ended too soon, leaving announcers to have to vamp for up to 15 minutes until the top of the third hour. Either the broadcast has to find a more effective way to fill that time, or the league needs to find a way to extend the game a little longer and pull back on some of those timing rules.
Overtime
XFL rule: Teams get alternating tries from their opponents’ five-yard line, each worth two points. It’s best-of-three and if it’s tied after that, they will continue with sudden death rules in effect. Defense cannot score on a try. A defensive penalty results in a retry from the one-yard line. A second defensive penalty on a try results in a successful try.
USFL rule: Teams get alternating tries from their opponents’ two-yard line, each worth two points. It’s best-of-three and if it’s tied after that, they will continue with sudden death rules in effect.
UFL rule: The only difference between the overtime rules was where the ball would be placed for a try. The UFL will use the XFL’s spot, at the five-yard line, as well as its other overtime rules.
Analysis: Both overtime formats were informed by XFL 2020, which itself borrowed from the college game. Unlike college, however, the two-point tries won’t unnaturally increase the score as sometimes happens when college OTs get crazy. This will also move the game along, as the overtime period will end more quickly than most NFL and even college extra stanzas. Finally, this will prevent regular season ties that we occasionally see in the NFL.
My take: A try from the five is certainly more challenging than the alternative – the league is making teams earn these overtime scores. I think that’s a pretty reasonable ask, and gives the defense a little bit more hope for a stop than placing the ball at the two-yard line does.
