We see it every week in the NFL. A pass interference call ruins a game, hands a team a victory when it did not deserve it, and deprives another team of a possible win.
Sometimes the offense gets away with a call, sometimes it is the defense. Most of the time, it is a very pivotal call. Yesterday was no exception.
In Minnesota, the Vikings stole a win from the Lions when cornerback Leigh Bodden got called for a pass interference penalty late in the Lions' 12-10 heartbreaking loss.
Detroit led, 10-9, against their rivals, and had the Vikings in a 2nd-and-20 situation at the Minnesota 32. Vikings QB Gus Frerotte threw a bomb down the right sideline for wide receiver Aundrae Allison.
Bodden contested the play, made the absolute slightest of touch on Allison’s shoulder, never gaining anything close to an illegal advantage, and out came the flag. Not only did it bail the Vikings out of 2nd-and-20, it put the Vikings into FG range.
Moments later, they converted, and the Lions were deprived of their first win of the year.
"I did everything right," Bodden said. "They just called it the way they called it."
Earlier in the game, Calvin Johnson was charged with a fumble that should have been called down, but even after reviewing the call on replay, the refs managed to somehow still get it wrong.
This must have been upsetting to Lions fans, but I will say at least they tried to get it right. The call was made on the field (incorrectly), they replayed it, got it wrong, but at least replay gave the fans comfort in that everything possible was done to get it right.
With pass interference, it does not matter if everyone in the stadium knows the right call, one nitwit ref throws a flag, and there is a penalty.
And not just any old penalty. A devastating penalty.
An automatic first down (in this case, getting the Vikes out of 2nd-and-20 in a game where 20 yards seemed like 200 yards) or 30, 40, or 50 yards, or putting the ball at the one for 1st-and-1, basically giving the offense a touchdown.
“Don’t bother calling us with an apology,” a visibly upset Bodden said after the game. “I don’t want to hear it. It won’t change anything. If they can’t call us and say that they’re giving us back a win that was taken away, then they shouldn’t even bother with it.”
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about 1 month ago
i don't know if the call should be reviewable (then would non-pass interference calls be reviewable as well), but i agree about how devastating a call it can be, and also how refs on pass-interference (which admittedly can be a tough call) seem to be flipping a coin. it is terrible when you see refs bail out an offense. because of that, it should not be a spot of the foul penalty, but a 10 yard penalty. even 15 yard penalty would be fine. it is spot of the foul because you don't want defensive backs when beat to just grab someone down, figuring a 10 yard penalty is better than a 30 yard completion. the problem with that is that in the college game, where it is not a spot of the foul penalty, you never see that happen. and also, that assumes most pass interference calls are blatant, when they are not. they are usually very close calls, where 5 times one ref might make the call, and 5 times a ref might not. it just doesn't make sense to impose such a harsh penalty when these calls are so close.
about 1 month ago
With all of the calls that should be made and aren't, Timeing is everything. All teams get those calls that the league office wants to enforce to allow certain teams to win. Since the league only controls the officials and it is a money driven sport, the team that will earn the league the most money usually gets those calls. Being a VIking fan for more than 3 decades we have seen our share and then some of crappy calls, so we will take this one and move on. 1975 dallas at Minnesota and the hail mary play would deserve instant replay. WE win the Super Bowl .
about 1 month ago
jay, i love a good conspiracy as much as anyone, but i do not think refs take the "money making" teams into account when reaching for a flag. and instant replay was not a viable option in 1975, but it is now.
and again, i was not rooting for the lions or the vikings or the broncos or jags. i just want to see good football decided by the great athletes on the field. i do not want to see a ref decide the game. i would think all fans could agree to that.
about 1 month ago
I am not sure they could institute reviewing penalty calls or lack thereof in this case as it doesn't make much sense to do so, however it should be taken under advisement that the officials need to be absolutely sure of calls that will ultimately dictate the outcome of the game. In other words, they should be reviewed and held accountable for each and every call they make after the fact (which the NFL claims to already do) and those results be released to the public. Particularly in the last few minutes of a game, the refs should be ever so careful about calls and not so non-chalant. I'm a Lions fan and am sick about the call yesterday but the sad part is that the Bodden PI call was the 4th or 5th blown call of the day. Everything from a phantom fumble call that was obviously down by contact (reviewed and still held up the wrong call) to phantom block in the back penalties and of course the blatant PI on Calvin Johnson on a bomb to the end zone that they didn't call (he was knocked off of his feet about 4 yards shy of where the ball landed, easily catchable in stride).
It's horrible and senseless. The refs aren't held accountable and the coaches and players cannot really blast them in the media because they will get fined. It's just a shame and I hope that Goodell looks into it.
about 1 month ago
I find it funny, that the broncos are screaming about a call, when at the same time, Denver's recieved a lot more favorable calls, both this year, and in years past. The ones that get me, is when they won't call it on a Denver player, but they will call the exact same play, on a Raider player....even to the degree that they'll call an offensive pass interference, when it was the defensive player that should be flagged.
Biggest problem, is no two refs call it the same way. Some will say any contact on a catch, some will call it if it's catchable, and some will, ahem, allow degrees, depending on who's at home.
from about 1 month ago
Shut up, jackass. It's obvious that Raider fan's sole purpose for living is to crack on the Broncos in any way, shape, or form. Even with this loss, we're 4-2 and will be a playoff team. The Raiders as always, suck. Screw you.
from about 1 month ago
Funny brad.
That sucking team has more super bowl wins than yours....
And the only thing you lead in, is losing super bowls...tied with the vikings and bills, remember?
At 4-2, Cutler's best action was opening his mouth, and inserting a foot. Tell me, will Shanahan keep Cutler around to lose 3 super bowls like elway did?
about 1 month ago
It would be tough to institute replay on judgment calls, but the play in Minnesota was terrible. Absolutely terrible. The Lions were beat by people in black and white, no purple and gold. Sorry Detroit, the misery continues.
about 1 month ago
that was a horrible call in the Lions game they got totally robbed
about 1 month ago
Great article, Andy!
"I don’t give a crap about them. And I don’t give a crap about NFL Head of Officials, Mike Pereira, and his weekly spin-segment on the NFL Network.
I care about the players, and I care about the fans. And frankly, I did not have a rooting interest in either one of these games mentioned above. I just like football, and like every fan, want the game decided on the field, not by some random yellow flag that comes out at an inopportune time."
Powerful stuff. I agree 110%
about 1 month ago
Agreed 100% man. The Broncos made a huge stop, stopped the clock, made it third and 7 I believe, but because of that flag it was first down up far in Broncos territory and essentially over.
about 1 month ago
The NFL should adopt NCAA football's replay rules and review every play. The NFL officials need to be full time, paid postions, not part-time hobbies for lawyers, dentists, etc. The "quick indavertant" whislte has been responsible for at least two victories by the "wrong" team so far this season.
about 1 month ago
The NFL should make it reviewable only to make sure they got the call right and if there was actually any contact made. If there's no contact made between the defender and the offensive player then it should be picked up and pass interference should not be called. In this case with the Vikings Vs Lions the call would have been overturned. Fans are tired of officials determining the outcome of games instead of the players. The flag should have been picked up there was absolutely no reason for the flag to be thrown against the Lions defender he had excellent coverage and there was no contact between the two players.
about 1 month ago
Pass interference is a judgement call if you break it down almost 75% of passing plays involve illegal contact in some way, you can't call everything, they should just hockey's motto; at the end of the game, unless it is obvious, let the boys play. It is as simple as that
about 1 month ago
I have to disagree, I think if you make those calls questionable dont you have to make the non-called interference plays reviewable as well? Hmmm...
Still love the article though!
from about 1 month ago
Thats a good point Travis, if you add looking at "called" pass interference, then you have to look at "non called" too. This idea could be applied to any penalty really, pass interference penalties aren't the only "game changers". Holding could get looked at, illegal contact, etc.-- these have all been penalties that historically have been big ones. So it's unreasonable to think that only called pass interference penalties would get looked at. There is no way that penalties will ever be reviewable, or we wouldn't need officials out there.
about 1 month ago
it would be very hard to implement this in a way that would work. pass interference is not ever a black and white call like a catch or fumble. plus it is a penalty and most penalties are not reviewable(the only one that i know of is 12 men of the field). this would be similar to if they allowed balls and strikes to be reviewed in baseball. these calls are judgement calls and are part of a game.
about 1 month ago
Raider Card,
I know when the Broncos are mentioned with the unfair pass interference calls the subject of Ed houchili would come up, and I think every bronco fan knows that. True, ED Houchili brew the wistle too early, true, the broncos doesn't deserve to win, and the Chargers should be 4-2 instead of 3-3. That is why if you go to rocky mountain news or denver posts (not that you'll ever survive there when they know you're a raider fan), all the fans are saying maybe it's payback time. True, it is not that obvious, but you gotta wonder if the referees are tending just a teeny bit towards giving the yellow flags in anyone not in a broncos uniform. Personally, i think it is a bad, horrible call. However, just like most broncos fan, we accept it. From the bottom of our hearts, we knew we didn't deserve the san diego game, so IF the referee threw the game away, we look at it as being "fair". An eye for an eye, as they say.
Of course, that may not be the case at all, maybe the referee just really saw a PI at that exact split second. I don't know, you don't either. But seeing as it is, I believe the grudge against the Broncos should be over. They won a game they shouldn't win, so they should lose a chance to come back against the jaguars. I don't really care for anymore references to the Houchili's mistakes. It's true San Diego didn't benefit too much from it (aside from gaining a game), at least the Broncos are squared.
Moving on to the pass-inteference, making PI reviewable is a nice idea, but as everyone pointed out, it might not work because of the barrage of other calls requesting reviews. It would really get too technical for a football game when on every play, the coach complains becuase of a alleged bad flag. If they would only make PI reviewable (and non-calls) as well, it would be fine. Other calls (such as holding or illegal contact) would at the discretion of the refs. If that does not work, how about letting PI be 10 yards (NOT an AUTOMATIC FIRST DOWN). I am sick of teams just throwing it up there and letting the reciever mess with teh corner (and often the reciever would win, getting an illegal contact or a PI and SETTING THE BALL AT THE SPOT OF FOUL when the ball is virtually uncatchable.
If you ask me, the NFL is making it hard to stop anyone in the air these days. Just let the boys play!
about 1 month ago
This is probably the best article I've read in a while.
I think you do a great job in emphasizing how big these penalties really are. When a PI call is made the resulting field position is pretty much the same as if the pass were complete. Every completion or incompletion can potentially be reviewed, so why not PI calls?
How many times have we seen a wideout drag his cover guy down and get a flag in his favor? Yes the reviewing may cause the game to slow down and open the door for even more calls to be reviewed, but that is just part of the current generation of football.
We will probably see more offensive PI calls if they decided to review these calls. Eventually players will stop doing it so much and the game will police itself. A bit like getting a yellow card in soccer for taking a flop.
All other issues aside, the job of the officials is to maintain integrity and fairness in the game. Reviewing PI calls will likely a big step forward.
Great work Andy. POTD
about 1 month ago
great points made by all. a note to travis and zach. i hear what you are saying about making every call reviewable, but that would be, IMHO, too much. the point here is that pass interference is a devastating penalty. if a qb throws a bomb, pass interference could be a 50 yard penalty, a game-changing penalty. i want the refs to get every call right, but if a ref screws up a offsides penalty, it stinks, but should not really, unless it is at the absolute worst moment, impact the game that much. plus, i think nfl refs actually do a decent job, with the help of replay, but pass interference is the one call that seems to give them the most trouble. and calls, again IMHO, would only be reverseable if the evidence was obvious, like the bodden play, or the mccree play.
about 1 month ago
I agree 100%...one of the things i hate most about pass interference is when it occurs on a deep play...they should just give the other team 15 yards and a 1st down, which is generous enough. I hate when someone bombs it 60 yards and they get the ball at the spot of the foul...PI is just too brutal a penalty not to be challenged
about 1 month ago
There are penalties on every play which are not called or called wrong. Basically, if you start with pass interference, what's next holding? holding calls change games too. For the good of the game it must be kept simple. I don't watch football for the challenges and replays, I find them anticlimactic. Keep it simple!
from about 1 month ago
Good point Michael. A holding call can even result in a safety, which is pretty devastating for the team. There seems to be a black and white approach to the whole issue of reviewing plays in general. Either review everything or review nothing. It's a little late for that, but eventually it might go one way or the other. Pretty unlikely though.
about 1 month ago
When a team gets a phantom 35 yard penalty it's sad that it can't be reviewed. I'd like to see the ability to get PI overturned.
about 1 month ago
Remember Andy;
the Black speedy athlete who roams NFL sidelines with blazing speed ---whether DB or WR!--- is the MOST hated and despised component of NFL football.
Therefore;
since any *pass interference-call* would only make those player's outcomes more accurate and more glorifyied, then...IT'LL NEVER HAPPEN!!
from about 1 month ago
I think the opposite is more likely to happen. It will expose how dirty many of these offensive players are on the field.
about 1 month ago
I am a Lions fan, but before I could say this, I must say I am a football fan. After watching what happened to the Lions this past Sunday, I am a little disheartened, but it comes with the losing terrain. If the Lions wanted to win that game (if their play was any indicator, it reveals that they did), they would have put up more points. Now Roy is gone. What do they do next? They can not score, they can not get balanced actions from the ref's, and they can not build a successful team. It is a good thing I am a Detroiter, because my heart will always be with them no matter what. Gullible........I just might be.
from about 1 month ago
I actually like the trade for Detroit. If they can draft well, they can use their picks for personel they actually need, like people on D, or on the O-line, or whatever. People that are important, and not easy to replace, such as the 600 WR they love picking
about 1 month ago
The pass interference penalty is in itself a joke. What other sport has the equivalent to a potential 60 yard penalty? How could shoving a receiver be 'worth' more yards than a personal foul?
This spot of the foul crap has been pissing me off for years. Make the penalty different, such as half of the yards from the committed foul, or 20 yards, or whatever. If the penalty is flagrant, THEN spot the ball at the point of the foul, and have that player executed, slowly, with water guns.
I can't believe football can't figure out that a penalty that garners 60 yards is ridiculous.
Nice article!!
from about 1 month ago
So the solution may not be to review PI calls, but to make them less significant? That just might work. Giving the team five or ten yards instead of placing it at the spot of the foul. Brilliant.
from about 1 month ago
that's exactly what I didnt write. I said half the distance from the foul, or 20 yards...something more significant. Reread the comment. Brilliant.
about 1 month ago
While your point is valid and many of these penalties have been horrible calls, I don't think it's feasible to review a judgment call like pass interference. I think if you do that, you have to open it up to anything including false starts, holding, etc. There is always going to be a certain amount of human error, and that's part of the game, for better or worse.
I think a more viable solution is to make these officials become full-time officials. These guys are allowed to have regular careers and only officiate "part-time" during the NFL season. Despite the NFL being far and away the most successful professional sport, they do not have full-time officials like baseball or basketball. There needs to be more of an effort to provide more training and accountability for these guys. The NFL is far too successful to have such an amateurish way of running their officiating. These guys should be training and honing their craft all year.
about 1 month ago
In this case, why don't we just review when quarterbacks run out the back of the endzone. This is correct but absurd. Just like most calls in sports, it's a judgement call.
about 1 month ago
The king is to you PJ!!!!!!!!!! That was a well articulated point. Not to mention, I also agree.
about 1 month ago
I agree with the imposing of a 10 or 15 yard penalty, instead of the spot of the foul. No fan ever likes to see defensive PI called on their team. But when that flag is immediately followed by a 3 and out...who cares about it? It's not the call itself that's bad, it's the timing and situation in which the call is made.
In a given situation, a 15 yd face mask or even a holding call, can blow a game for you. But defensive pass interference on a long bomb? That spot of the foul BS and automatic first down is a killer.
And I agree also, that all the non-calls that cause most of us to throw soft things at the TV would be just as viable for review. The game would never get played!
about 1 month ago
I do agree with this idea, yet my only question is, shouldn't there then be a max # of times it can be challenged by both teams in a game? Like maybe twice. I also believe it should be counted as one of the 2 challenges then with only one pass interference call allowed per half. That would keep the game from being 5 hours long if you limited that. Another quick question, where does the funding for this come from? Everything in the NFL takes more money to do.
about 1 month ago
It shouldn't be a reviewable call because it's all subjective. One ref sees interference ten others don'
about 1 month ago
Michael,
Of course making them less significant, helps solve a problem, but it won't ever happen. Why? Because that would take away a huge arm of an egregiousness, aimed to negatively effect Black players.
If the DB position were like, the offensive line position, per say...there's no way that such a devastating penalty would be attainable. Simply no way. That penalty, is literally, left to spoils of benefiting from how far your qb can throw the ball.
about 1 month ago
While we're on the subject, I think 15 yard penalties inside the 15 should be spotted on the 1, same with 10 yarders inside the 10, and 5 yarders inside the 5. With the half the distance rule, the maximum yardage for a 15 yard penalty is 7 1/2 yards. It's insanity that a 5 yarder would net more yards in some situations than a 15.
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