The Redskins didn't get exactly what they proposed at the 2019 NFL Annual Meetings, but they're still happy with the results.
As has been documented, the league passed a new rule for the 2019 season enabling head coaches and replay officials to review pass interference calls or non-calls. While the Redskins vouched to have all plays – and therefore all penalties – be eligible for review, team President Bruce Allen believes the new rule is "an improvement."
"You know, we have the technology to help the game," Allen said on "Redskins Nation." "The most important thing of all of these meetings is how can we protect the game of football, the integrity of the game, the results from the field are authenticated, and we also proposed that we would include personal foul penalties, so I think this is a good first step for the NFL."
Allen mentioned that, typically, rules like this take a couple of years to be tweaked and accepted by a majority of the owners, but based on the way the NFC Championship game was decided, it was necessary to make amendments.
Head coach Jay Gruden mentioned the Texans game, in which Josh Doctson appeared to be interfered with on a deep throw downfield, as one whose result could have been changed had this new rule been in effect.
"There is no doubt that this is going to help to make sure that the right teams are winning at the end of the game with pass interference," Allen said. "We had a game, everyone had a game that they can look back and wish that they had an opportunity to challenge the play and I think this would be great for the game and great for the fans this year."
While free agency has since died down, Allen explained that the pro department remains active in scouting players available on the market, but those additions will likely come after the draft now.
"I think that our focus right now is on the draft," Allen said. "We want to see what players we get, and then free agency can complement your 90-man roster heading into training camp."
Reflecting on some of the moves the Redskins have made, Allen said that running back Adrian Peterson "earned the right to come back by his performance," while adding safety Landon Collins was a boon to the locker room based on his leadership qualities, which "just scream at you."
As for the influx of Alabama talent that continues to pour into Redskins Park, Allen explained that it makes sense to bring in those kinds of players considering the strength of their football program.
"Well you know it's one of the dominant programs in college football and in college football history when you look at it," Allen said. "We're fortunate that we've gotten a lot of very good players from Alabama, and they're a great resource for us to tell us about their prospects that are coming out in the future years and we get a nice welcome when we go to Alabama."
