Change the half the distance penalty. It is vastly unfair to the team facing the goal line. If you are the team with its back to the goal line and you sustain a penalty it is only half the distance.

Here are a couple of examples and a solution:

Team A has the ball at the 2 yard line. Team B is on defense. Team A has an illegal procedure. Ball is moved back to the 7 yard line. Next play, Team B jumps offsides. Penalty is half the distance and the ball is placed at the 3 1/2 yard line. Same penalty on each team but Team A lost 1 1/2 yards in field position.

Team A has the ball at the 2 yard line. Team B is called for defensive holding and penalty is half the distance placing the ball at the one yard line. Team A on the next play is called for offensive holding. Ball is moved back to the 11 yard line. Same penalty on each team but Team A loses 9 yards in overall field position.

Totally wrong and the solution is simple. If the half the distance penalty is in effect for the team with its back to the goal line (regardless of whether they are on offense or defense) then penalty to the team facing the goal line would also either be half the distance away from the goal line or equal to what the penalty would be for the team with its back to the goal line.

So in example #1 above the first penalty would be 1 yard back to the 3 yard line. Second penalty would move the ball half the distance toward the goal line which would be the 1 1/2 yard line.

Example 2 would have the ball move back a half yard to the 1 1/2 yard line on the second penalty.

Thus the penalty would be applied equally in the same manner in that situation.

I have always felt like the team facing the goal line gets the short shrift on these situations.