More and more I wish that pass interference call had been made in the Saints game...
I seem to be one of the few who doesn't have an issue with that one play and lack of a call. I've seen enough replays of it to see it clearly was pass interference. But the lack of a helmet to helmet contact call was correct. The pass defender clearly hit the receiver first with his shoulders, and after that their helmets hit as a rebound from the initial hit.
But that particular call got all the attention. In that game, as well as the Kansas City-New England game later that day, the officials were not calling penalties that would have been called during regular season games. There were a number of pass defender holds or interference infractions that I could easily see on TV. Most of them never got flagged. I believe the NFL had clearly told the officials to ignore those type of infractions. Yet all the fuss & bother has been over that one play and lack of penalty call.
I think the NFL does an injustice to its game officials. I've never played organized football and I don't know or understand all the rules. Apparently, I'm not the only one. However, in the past I've been a certified basketball official for intramural basketball while I was in college. The U of North Carolina had a large and talented intramural basketball program, they trained students to officiate, and paid them for each game. It provided pocket money for me. At a later time in my life I became a swimming stroke & turn judge and head referee. It was for a large summer swim league for kids with over 90 teams. Each team provided officials for the meets. Again, the league trained its officials. Both sports have clearly written rules and make it easy for officials to make correct and consistent calls. Experience, of course helps quite a bit, as there can be situations not covered by the rules. But the rules provided guidance for that too. Note that I never competed at an organized level in either basketball or swimming. But I was a capable official in both – many others were the same as I was.
In comparison, I find the pro football rules particularly complex. They require officials to make difficult judgement calls while running at full speed, and watching things occur quickly at real time, not slow motion. For a pass completion near the sidelines, an official must watch the hands & ball while also watching the feet & sideline. A pass is completed if both feet are make contact with the ground in bounds while the ball is caught. Apparently, if the feet contact the playing field while the catch is made successfully, the ball can be out of bounds at the same time. The rules for crossing another line, the goal line, are quite different than the sidelines – the only thing that matters is whether the ball crosses the goal line – the feet don't matter. I see no reason why they should be so different. It would be much easier for officials if they were the same.
The rules about what makes for a complete pass and incomplete pass are baffling. We hear complaints about that far too often. The NFL must do a better job at clarifying that rule.
And finally, there are those judgement calls about infractions such as pass interference. And there are clearly times, such as the playoffs, when officials avoid calling penalties that would have been called in other games. Why allow different rules? It makes no sense.
I found basketball and swimming rules were very simple compared to pro football. Why the NFL avoids simplifying its rules leaves me scratching my head. It makes no sense to leave themselves wide open to such widespread criticism as happened after the New Orleans-Los Angeles game.
[\RANT OVER] If anyone has experience playing or officiating organized football at any level, I'd like to hear what you think.
