We’ve all heard this complaint from coaches, fans and announcers on a pass play on which interference was (or wasn’t) flagged: “How could you miss the call when you were standing two feet away from the action?”
The criticism may be valid, not because the covering official didn’t know the rules, but because he really was out of position to see everything that happened between the receiver and defender. Let’s review some tips for improving our perspective on pass plays and our ability to correctly judge interference.
Don’t be too close. Imagine trying to watch television with your face three inches away from the screen. If you did that, you couldn’t see the picture. The same holds true for observing a football play. If you get too close to the players, you will not be in position to give your eyes a full view as the action develops.
Some inexperienced or over-exuberant wing officials try to keep pace with receivers running pass patterns. They gallop down the sideline in a misguided effort to stay right on top of the play. That approach causes at least two problems on potential pass interference calls. First, the sprinting official, with his body in motion and his head bouncing up and down with each stride, will not get a steady, balanced look at the action. Second, since the best opportunity to observe any contact will come from a wide-angle vantage point, the official’s tight proximity to the players will not yield a good view. By being too close, he will have taken himself out of position to box in the play with the back judge or other covering officials. The wings and back judge must work in tandem on pass coverage so that, when appropriate, they can pause to share a nod or glance (the mechanics should be discussed and decided upon during the pregame conference) to confirm their ruling on possible interference calls.
Remember this old maxim: An official can see much more with his eyes than with his legs. The most advantageous view often results from a simple turn of the head, not from a hasty move alongside the players. If you slow down and stay wide, you will be in a much better position to judge whether pass interference or other fouls have occurred.
Don’t focus on the ball. Another key to proper positioning on the field is to focus on the players moving into the target zone for the pass. While it may be tempting to watch a nice spiral, train yourself not to look at the ball in flight. Once you know where the pass is headed, take your eyes off the ball and let gravity bring the pass back to earth. Instead of watching the ball, watch the downfield action of the players in the area where action will occur. By shifting your visual concentration from the ball to the players, you will be able to rule on any interference that occurs while the ball is in the air.
Know the basics. Once the offense throws the ball, all eligible players on both teams have equal territorial rights to move toward, catch or deflect the pass. Do not flag either side when there is a collision (unavoidable or incidental contact) between opponents who are both trying to catch, bat or otherwise make a play on the ball. Know a good, fair football play when you see it and don’t ruin it with an unwarranted penalty.
Call interference, however, if a player faceguards or makes contact when he is disregarding the ball or obviously intends to impede his opponent and the following conditions apply:
• The play ultimately involves a legal forward pass that crosses the neutral zone (interference is not possible on screens and other passes behind the line of scrimmage).
• The illegal contact occurs downfield (note that regular pass protection blocking on the line does not constitute pass interference).
• The contact is against any defender or any eligible offensive player.
• The contact takes place before the pass is touched inbounds.
Develop a feel for the legality of contact. When determining whether contact qualifies for an interference call, some officials employ a test similar to the block-charge distinction used by basketball officials. Did the offensive player charge into the contact? Did the defender really draw the collision by stepping in to force the block, or is it a case of unavoidable contact that warrants a no-call? Still other officials think in terms of advantage-disadvantage when deciding whether contact should draw a flag. While those notions can give you a feel for the play and help build consistency in the way you call interference, do not rely on them to the exclusion of knowing and applying the rules.
Avoid cheap calls. You will often see a play in which a defender has one arm across the receiver’s back while his other arm reaches across to knock the pass away. Some officials (and most offensive coaches) incorrectly think that should automatically draw a flag for defensive pass interference. However, unless the defender uses the arm across the receiver’s back to grasp, control, spin or slow the receiver, let a good football play stand and keep the flag in your pocket. The same philosophy should apply any time a receiver and defender trip accidentally when their feet entangle. Don’t make a cheap pass interference call when the contact is inadvertent or incidental to fair play (Fed 7-5-11a; NCAA A.R. 7-3-8 XII). Enforce a penalty only in those cases in which the contact involves an obvious intent to impede the opponent.
Distinguish those examples of unavoidable or incidental contact, where a no-call is appropriate, from the type of play in which the defender knocks the pass away from a position directly behind the intended receiver. If the defender hits the opponent flush between the numbers when making a move to deflect the ball, defensive pass interference should be called. The penalty is legitimate because the defender could not have broken up the pass without going through the receiver’s body.
Good calls on pass interference can be tough, close calls. When a safety hits the receiver even a split second before the ball arrives, the contact is illegal. Make sure, though, that you actually see the interference; don’t let crowd reaction help you to call it.
Know the rules. Interference rules apply to offensive players from the time the ball is snapped on any play on which a legal forward pass crosses the neutral zone. Since the offense is restricted from the start of the play until the pass is touched or falls incomplete, illegal downfield contact by the offense can (and often does) occur even before the passer releases the ball. Keep in mind that offensive players are responsible for avoiding the defenders.
Two classic situations in which you might see offensive pass interference involve a split receiver on an out pattern who shoves the opponent covering him just as the receiver makes his break to the sideline, and when the offense loads three eligible receivers (trips) to one side of the formation. Sometimes one of those receivers contacts a defender to free up an offensive teammate to receive a pass. That is commonly referred to as a pick play.
On any play involving trips, an official should automatically think about the possibility of offensive pass interference and be alert for illegal picks by any one of the three eligible receivers. However, the flag for interference should not be thrown at the instant an offensive player initiates contact downfield. Remember that the play must ultimately involve a pass that flies beyond the neutral zone. If the offense runs the ball or tosses a screen pass behind the line, the early contact will not be illegal interference. So, when an end hustles out to throw a block on a defensive back or linebacker, you must store that action (and the jersey number of the blocker) in your memory to let the play unfold. Delay the flag to determine if the quarterback eventually releases a downfield pass. If he does, only then will that preliminary block by the end qualify for a pass interference call.
Interference rules for the defense are only triggered from the time the pass is thrown. Until the passer releases the ball, downfield contact by a defender cannot result in an interference foul. Also, team B cannot be called for interference if contact occurs away from the direction the pass is thrown.
If you apply good mechanics and mental keys, use your eyes and know the rules, you will make Super Bowl calls, even on those bang-bang plays.
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