Offensive Pass Interference

[Pete W]

I think the penalty for Offensive pass interference is TOO severe.

15 yards and loss of down has to be the most severe penatly there is, and often forces a punt. Holding, unsportsmanlike conduct, personal fouls, facemasks etc do not have as severe a penalty.

 

Compare it to Defensive pass interference, it's 15 yards and automatic first down but that at times seems like a lesser penalty when the alternative is allowing a 40 or 50 yard passing TD.

 

I'd agree with the offensive penalty if the defensive penalty was changed to the NFL rule (spot foul or 1st and goal on 1 if in endzone). However with high school and college just getting 15 yards the offensive side of the penalty is just too much.

[GRIDMANIAC]

I agree. distance of 15 yds ok, but not loss of down! the max penalty should be 15 yds. on both sides of the ball.

[All Play No Work]

It has to be loss of down or else any receiver that knows the ball will be batted down or picked off would just clock the defensive back.

 

Let's say it is 3rd and 10 at the 20 yard line. The pass in launched to the endzone where the receiver realizes the pass is underthrown. If he illegally clocks the DB and catches the ball now it will be 4th down and 25 from the 35. If you change the rule then the offensive team would have 3rd and 25 from the 35 and still have a chance at a first down or TD.

[GRIDMANIAC]

It has to be loss of down or else any receiver that knows the ball will be batted down or picked off would just clock the defensive back.

 

Let's say it is 3rd and 10 at the 20 yard line. The pass in launched to the endzone where the receiver realizes the pass is underthrown. If he illegally clocks the DB and catches the ball now it will be 4th down and 25 from the 35. If you change the rule then the offensive team would have 3rd and 25 from the 35 and still have a chance at a first down or TD.

How is this worse than a DB"clocking" a WR and getting a15yd. penalty when it could have been a 50yd. gain or a TD?Sometimes it is strategically the right thing to do!It should be an option for the offense as well!

[Miller]

I think the penalty for Offensive pass interference is TOO severe.

15 yards and loss of down has to be the most severe penatly there is, and often forces a punt. Holding, unsportsmanlike conduct, personal fouls, facemasks etc do not have as severe a penalty.

 

Compare it to Defensive pass interference, it's 15 yards and automatic first down but that at times seems like a lesser penalty when the alternative is allowing a 40 or 50 yard passing TD.

 

I'd agree with the offensive penalty if the defensive penalty was changed to the NFL rule (spot foul or 1st and goal on 1 if in endzone). However with high school and college just getting 15 yards the offensive side of the penalty is just too much.

 

Defensive pass interference is not an automatic first down. Also, holding is a spot foul, which can be greater than the 10 yard penalty it is. Personal fouls and unsportsmanlike penalties are dead ball fouls, so you still go to the next down, or kick. Personally, they all have severe yardage mark-offs. I agree, it can be a stiff penalty, but usually when they get called for it once, it doesn't happen again.

[4chs]

The offensive pass interference call on Corbin Friday night was the first time that I have seen it called this year(and I cannot remember it called in several years), but you see some teams setting illegal picks(Tony Franklin offense)throughout the game without it ever being called. Maybe the officials(Louisville area officials) from some areas call it and others do not.

[runningref]

Defensive pass interference is not an automatic first down. Also, holding is a spot foul, which can be greater than the 10 yard penalty it is. Personal fouls and unsportsmanlike penalties are dead ball fouls, so you still go to the next down, or kick. Personally, they all have severe yardage mark-offs. I agree, it can be a stiff penalty, but usually when they get called for it once, it doesn't happen again.

I would encourage you to take a high school rules test and become a high school official.

1) Defensive pass interference is always a first down by rule.

2) Personal fouls can be live or dead ball, depending on when they happen, and can be enforced either way, depending on when they happen, so there is no automatic next down or kick.

3) Will give you credit for one thing. You are right that when officials properly call the foul, it usually doesn't happen again.

[All Play No Work]

How is this worse than a DB"clocking" a WR and getting a15yd. penalty when it could have been a 50yd. gain or a TD?Sometimes it is strategically the right thing to do!It should be an option for the offense as well!

 

It is not any worse.

 

If the DB clocks the WR it is a first down and the penalty yardage.

 

If the WR clocks the DB it is loss of down and the penalty yardage.

 

To change it to not a loss of down would give an unfair advantage to the offense.

[cshs81]

Is there a difference in the HS rules and NCAA? I was watching the UGA-Auburn game and UGA's TE was called for pass interference but it was not loss of down.

[runningref]

Is there a difference in the HS rules and NCAA? I was watching the UGA-Auburn game and UGA's TE was called for pass interference but it was not loss of down.

Yes, that's one of the biggest differences. Certain folks from Kentucky and other states have tried for years to get that changed, but to no avail. OPI = 15 yards and loss is like the death penalty for a parking violation. It is an interesting rule, with three different answers. NFL - 5 yards and loss, NCAA - 15 yards, no loss, NFHS - 15 yards and loss. Guess there isn't much agreement.

[GR8BigBull]

Runningref is adding a great perspective to these questions. I can see more rules questions getting addressed and answered competently and accurately.

[andigidy]

I would encourage you to take a high school rules test and become a high school official.

1) Defensive pass interference is always a first down by rule.

2) Personal fouls can be live or dead ball, depending on when they happen, and can be enforced either way, depending on when they happen, so there is no automatic next down or kick.

3) Will give you credit for one thing. You are right that when officials properly call the foul, it usually doesn't happen again.

 

I couldn't have said it any better my self. It's funny how most fans can complain about officiating, but have no clue about the actual rules.

 

Personally, I would like OPI in HS to be a 5 yard pentalty from the previous spot + LOD.

 

:thumb:

[Pete W]

Thanks for the insight runningref

 

I try to understand the rules, but I take stats for 3 different sets:

High School rules - Manual

NFL rules - Louisville Bulls (semi-pro)

Arena - Louisville Fire

 

I find NFL rules the easiest, mainly due to the broadcaster of NFL games explaining the rules, as well as shows like NFL Live, and the NFL network as a whole. Also NFL rules are the easiest to find online and buy rulebooks for, they often read like a law manual but they are concrete with little room for misinterpretation.

 

AFL rules are at times weird but fit the indoor game and are very similar to NFL rules in most aspects, but mirror NCAA in a few ways (many Arena administrative folks come from the NCAA ranks)

 

High School rules are the hardest, while the NFHS lays down the basic guidelines, they differ some from state to state and state specific rulebooks aren't easily available to non-officials. Also there are no analysis shows to explain the high school rules in detail.

[Houndman]

If Tate was called for offensive pass interference there is no question that Blackwood should have been called for the same thing in the first half. Cashen was being rushed and had to throw the ball down the field and underthrew Tate and all Tate did was come back for the ball the same thing that Blackwood had done. Plus the only loss of down on a penalty is for intentional grounding, offensive pass interference is only a 15 yard penalty. If this call wasnt made the game would have probably turned out different, that was a horrible call and the officials were horrible. I dont know if anybody realized this but the referees originally placed the ball on the 15 yard line in the second overtime where it was supposed to be at the 10, and Corbin almost got to run the play. The Hounds played too good for the referees to make a bad call.

[MountainThunder]

I would encourage you to take a high school rules test and become a high school official.

1) Defensive pass interference is always a first down by rule.

2) Personal fouls can be live or dead ball, depending on when they happen, and can be enforced either way, depending on when they happen, so there is no automatic next down or kick.

3) Will give you credit for one thing. You are right that when officials properly call the foul, it usually doesn't happen again.

 

:thumb: