By JOHN JAMES MARSHALL/Designated Writers

It may be a law, it could be a rule, or maybe just an axiom, but whatever it is, football now has a problem best known as Unintended Consequences.

My boy Robert K. Merton, my favorite 20th century American sociologist, came up with the term to describe outcomes that are not the ones foreseen and intended by a purposeful action. (Side note: his real name was Meyer Robert Schkolnic, so maybe he got a primer on unintended consequences from his birth certificate.)

Booby K. didn’t live long enough to see the New Orleans Saints got hosed in the NFL Championship game last year, but somewhere out there, he’s got a big “that’s what I’m talkin’ ’bout” grin working these days.

At first, I only thought the NFL was setting itself up for problems with this new rule regarding instant replay on offensive and defensive pass interference. Now I know they have.

And do you know whose fault it is? Take one step forward, Saints fans.

The bitching and moaning and bellyaching that the Saints did after the Rams debacle drove the NFL to do something. Yes, it cost them the Super Bowl. A few hours later, the Kansas City Chiefs got jacked out of the Super Bowl as well and they barely even said boo.

Last weekend, there were at least three calls that were overturned that shouldn’t have been. All because of this stupid new rule that nobody knows how to implement.

Somebody with a 400K television set in New York is breaking down every molecule of the contact on an out-route to try to decide whether or not it’s pass interference or not. Believe me, if you look for it, you can find it.

You know, I’m not so much bothered by the need to do something after the Saints-Rams play last year as I am how they have gone about doing it. There’s a simple rule that can be applied by anyone with a modicum of common sense.

But first, the parameters: I’d prefer that this only apply in the playoffs, but if you insist on having it in the regular season, then it should only be allowed in the last two minutes. Maybe you could talk me into the last five minutes, but that’s where I’m drawing the line. (I can see an instance of a bad call with 2:06 to go would allow a team to basically run out the clock and ending all the suspense instead of having to punt .)

Here’s the easiest, absolutest, no-doubt-about-it way for the decision maker to judge on whether a PI should be reviewed: Was it the worst call I’ve ever seen?

There. That’s it. The Saints call was the worst call anybody had ever seen. There was no case to be made that it wasn’t pass interference. Buzz down, mark the ball and play on.

Somebody gets pushed in the back on a Hail Mary? Nope. A jersey gets pulled as the receiver and defender battle? Neg. Feet get tangled on a slant pattern? Don’t waste anybody’s time.

You might say that this is still subjective and of course it is. But we all learn rules to live by that can be a little subjective (what if others don’t do unto me first?) and this is another one.

Forget trying to find a true definition. Just go by Supreme Court Justice Potter Stewart’s famous quote of “I know it when I see it.” Of course, he was talking about pornography, but he also knew pass interference when he saw it.

(Authors note: I hope y’all can appreciate me throwing a Robert K. Merton AND a Potter Stewart reference at you in the same column.)