Hello MCM! Sorry for the long absence. Real life has kept me pretty busy lately.

I noticed that T--Rac's Posse asked a question in my other fanpost that I thought I would elaborate on and give it it's own little post here. First, the question!

What is technically pass interference? It strikes me as weird how a defender can put his body into a receiver or use his body to shield the receiver if he is looking at the ball, but if the defensive back has his head away from the ball and looking at the receiver, it seems the same amount of contact is a pass interference call 97% of the time.

So, what qualifies? I know it’s interpretive but why does where the Defensive back is looking matter on the call?

Second, the rule!

Rule 8

Section 2 Pass Interference
Article 1 Pass interference can only occur when there is a forward pass thrown from
behind the line of scrimmage. This applies regardless of whether the pass crosses the
line.
(a) The restriction for the offensive team begins with the snap.
(b) The restriction for the defensive team begins when the ball leaves the passer's
hands 

Let's discuss DPI (Defensive Pass Interference) restrictions first, since that was T--Rac's Posse's specific question. We'll hit OPI (figure that one out!) in another fanpost.

More from the rulebook!

Article 5 It is pass interference by either team when any player movement beyond the
line of scrimmage significantly hinders the progress of an eligible player of such player's
opportunity to catch the ball. Offensive pass interference rules apply from the time the
ball is snapped until the ball is touched. Defensive pass interference rules apply from
the time the ball is thrown until the ball is touched.

See! That clears it up very nicely. Now if you have any other questio.....what? That doesn't make it any more clear? Well, OK, the NFL thought so too, so they actually developed a sort-of checklist of 6 actions by a defender that all DPI action should be able to be classified into. I will list them here, and after each description I will list the name given each action:

Contact by a defender who is not playing the ball and such contact restricts the
receiver's opportunity to make the catch. (Not Playing the Ball)

Playing through the back of a receiver in an attempt to make a play on the ball. (Playing Through the Back)

Grabbing a receiver's arm(s) in such a manner that restricts his opportunity to
catch a pass. (Grab and Restrict)

Extending an arm across the body of a receiver thus restricting his ability to
catch a pass, regardless of whether the defender is playing the ball. (Arm Bar)

Cutting off the path of a receiver by making contact with him without playing the
ball. (Cut Off)

Hooking a receiver in an attempt to get to the ball in such a manner that it causes
the receiver's body to turn prior to the ball arriving. (Hook and Turn)

So there we go, we now know the 6 "categories" of DPI. You will notice in the future that whenever DPI is called, some Referees (remember, the Referee is the position of only one official on the field. We are not all referees.) will actually give the category that the action falls into when they give their penalty announcements. And now you will be able to school your friends on what they are actually talking about.

But we also have some information given to us in the rulebook on what actions should not be construed as DPI. Let's check those out:

(1) Incidental contact by a defender's hands, arms, or body when both players are
competing for the ball, or neither player is looking for the ball. If there is any
question whether contact is incidental, the ruling shall be no interference.

(2) Inadvertent tangling of feet when both players are playing the ball or neither
player is playing the ball.

(3) Contact that would normally be considered pass interference, but the pass is
clearly uncatchable by the involved players.

(4) Laying a hand on a receiver that does not restrict the receiver in an attempt to
make a play on the ball.

(5) Contact by a defender who has gained position on a receiver in an attempt to
catch the ball.

And some notes that apply to both DPI and OPI that will help illustrate further:

Note 1: If there is any question whether player contact is incidental, the ruling should be no
interference.

Note 2: Defensive players have as much right to the path of the ball as eligible offensive
players.

Note 3: Pass interference for both teams ends when the pass is touched.

Note 4: There can be no pass interference at or behind the line of scrimmage, but defensive
actions such as tackling a receiver can still result in a five-yard penalty for defensive
holding, if accepted.

 

So, when it comes to DPI, a few things to sum it up:

• You cannot have DPI until the passer throws the ball
• The action must occur beyond the line of scrimmage to be considered DPI
• The DPI restrictions end when the ball is touched
• The ball must be catchable
• Both offensive and defensive players have equal rights to catch the football
• The action that constituted DPI should fit into one of the 6 categories outlined above.
• There has to be contact by the defender. Only in high school football can face-guarding be a foul, NCAA and NFL have to have contact.

Now, a little bit about official's mechanics and how we work together on the field to help you understand what we are looking at and how some of our communication works. And a play I remember from the Texan game to show you how it works.

The Back Judge (B) is the official behind the defensive secondary who lines up in the middle of the field.

The Side Judge (S) (my position in college) is the official deep down the sideline on the first down marker sideline.

The Field Judge (F) is the official deep down the sideline on the sideline opposite the first down marker.

But, mcmref, how in the world can I tell what position they are?

That's easy, every official has a letter on their back for that specific reason!

The F and the S are always keying on the widest eligible receiver on their side of the field. They are responsible for the action by him and on him at the snap, and will hold their keys based on what his initial action is.

The B will determine his key by the strong side of the offensive formation, and whether or not an offensive player goes in motion.

So, the play I referenced earlier happened late in the Texan game (I know it was after the Fair Catch Interference play, because the crowd was really riding the officials at this point). The Texans were on offense, and there was a play deep down the middle of the field, where the player covering the receiver definitely committed an action that could be considered DPI. However the ball was overthrown by a ton, so the chants of "ref you suck" began in earnest when the Back Judge pulled out his flag for the apparent DPI.

What people need to understand about crew mechanics and communication is that the Back Judge in this situation may not be able to see where the ball goes. "Then what the hell is he looking at??????????////" Well, if an official has a receiver bearing down on him, and is aware that there is a defender close that may attempt to make a play, the official is better suited watching the action by the players, as opposed to what is happening with the ball, because he knows that he has 6 other officials on the field to help him out. This is one of the hardest things about learning how to officiate. You can't always watch where the football is. Most of the time, there are only 2 officials at most watching what the ball is actually doing.

I believe that particular play went something like this:

The Back Judge knows that the pass is in the air, but has refocused his attention on the eligible pass receiver right in front of him. He sees the action by the defender that constitutes pass interference, and, not knowing where the football is, but knowing it's in the air, he throws the flag.

The S and/or the F sees the flag, and has a good idea of what the B saw and is thinking, and knowing that he just saw the ball sail 15 yards over the receiver's head, knows that they had an uncatchable pass, and goes running to meet the B before he can get to the Referee to report the foul.

The B tells the S and/or the F that he has pass interference on the defense, and the S tells him 'No we don't, I am sure that ball was uncatchable." The B then goes to the Referee and tells him that they have no foul, and to wave off the flag.

So, while everyone in the stadium just assumed that the officials had just screwed up, they had actually just witnessed a great example of crew communication and officiating.

This may also happen when the calling official can see the ball, but may not have a good angle to tell how close it was to being catchable. You will also sometimes see an official give an uncatchable signal when you see an obvious pass interference on the defense, but he judges the ball to be uncatchable. As opposed to throwing the flag when he is sure it will just get waved off.

I hope that my longwindedness (is that a word smashville?) helps give everyone a little better understanding of what is going on out there and add to your enjoyment of the game. Don't be afraid to ask a question! Either here at MCM, or shoot me an email at mcmref@gmail.com.

Go Titans!