The proposal to get rid of the rule that permits game officials to conclude that a player who has caught a pass would have come down in bounds if he had not been pushed out of bounds by a defensive player is aimed, we assume, at addressing the periodic controversy that arises when the officials apply apparently bad judgment to this so-called judgment call.

The Cleveland Browns, for example, might have qualified for the postseason if the officials had ruled correctly on a force-out call involving tight end Kellen Winslow in a late-season loss to the Cardinals.

So, in lieu of coming up with a better way to ensure that the officials get it right when trying to determine whether a player would have gotten both feet in bounds, the owners might decide to implement a rule requiring the player to get two feet in bounds, even if he is being pushed, shoved, or blasted while trying to do so.

As a practical matter, such a rule would make the field more narrow.  And that would result in less points being scored.

Though it wouldn’t have a huge impact on scoring, a definite impact it would have.  Drives would be stalled and touchdowns would be turned into incompletions if this proposal is adopted.

Instead of getting rid of a rule that spawns more than its fair share of criticism, why not simply make the force-out calls subject to replay review?  Though this specific matter has been exempt from replay review because of its reliance upon judgment (i.e., speculation), we think that keeping the rule but allowing the officials to double-check the decision by video will ensure that the right decision is made.

For the past four decades, the NFL has been looking for ways to increase scoring.  It would be unfortunate, and out of character, for the league to implement a rule aimed at making it easier for defenses to keep teams from gaining yards and scoring points.