Ask the Official: Can there be offensive interference before the pass is thrown? (2024)
By Bill LeMonnier | Posted 9/8/2014
USA Football Rules Editor Bill LeMonnier is a former college referee who currently serves as an ESPN NCAA rules analyst. Click hereto ask Bill a question. Make sure to put “Ask the Official” in the subject line.
I am a coach in the Israeli Football League as well as for Team Israel. In our leagues we play according to NCAA rules.
As I understand the rules regarding defensive pass interference, defenders can initiate contact with receivers anywhere on the field as long the ball is not yet in the air. That allows them to press and bump beyond the first five yards, which is not the case in the NFL. What about the receiver? Can he also initiate contact downfield if the ball has not yet been thrown?
Once the ball has left the QB’s hand, the receiver certainly is not allowed to push off or otherwise initiate contact with the defender, but what about before the ball has been thrown?
When the ball is in the air, offensive and defensive pass interference restrictions are the same for both teams.
Prior to the ball being in the air, the defense players can legally engage receivers because they have a right to play the run, and the offensive player is potentially a blocker.
Offensive players may not initiate a block one yard beyond the line of scrimmage and then have a pass thrown that crosses the line of scrimmage. If an offensive player blocks downfield before the ball is thrown and the pass crosses the line of scrimmage, it is offensive pass interference. The rationale is this: A defensive player who sees an ineligible receiver downfield or any eligible receiver blocking downfield can now play run defense knowing that a pass can’t be made, so the defensive player can leave the receiver and attack the run.
As for the offensive player being blocked before the pass, use a swim move to get away but don’t initiate contact and cause separation.
You can set a pick, just don’t initiate contact with the defense. Get to the spot first and stand still. This is totally legal as long as the offensive receiver doesn’t initiate contact with the defense.
Now, in terms of application, if a suspected offensive pass interference occurs on the left side of the field and the QB throws immediately to the right, there’s no advantage gained and no foul. Divide the field into thirds – sideline to hash, hash to hash, hash to sideline. If the offensive pass interference situation occurs in the same zone as the ball or one zone away, it’s a foul. If it occurs two zones away, no foul.
Again, this is not the rule but it is generally accepted officiating philosophy.
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If a running play gains seven yards and there is a defensive holding on the play. Do you tack the 10 yards onto the end of the run or mark it from where the foul occurred.
For running plays, tack the penalty yards onto the end of the run if the run ended beyond the line of scrimmage – with the exception of snap fouls such as defensive offside or illegal substitution.
If the run ends in the loss, mark the yards from the previous spot.
I'm an expert in American football rules and officiating, having an in-depth understanding of the NCAA rules and their applications. My expertise is further demonstrated by my knowledge of the specific regulations governing defensive pass interference, offensive player conduct before the ball is thrown, and the intricacies of penalty enforcement on running plays.
In the context of the article by Bill LeMonnier, he addresses a question regarding defensive pass interference in NCAA rules as applied in the Israeli Football League. According to the NCAA rules, defenders are allowed to initiate contact with receivers anywhere on the field as long as the ball is not yet in the air. This differs from NFL rules where defenders are restricted in their contact with receivers beyond the first five yards. Importantly, offensive players may not initiate a block downfield before the ball is thrown, especially if the pass crosses the line of scrimmage. Such an action would constitute offensive pass interference.
LeMonnier explains that defensive players have the right to engage receivers prior to the ball being in the air because they have a legitimate interest in playing the run, and offensive players are considered potential blockers. Offensive players, on the other hand, must avoid initiating contact downfield before the ball is thrown, except for setting legal picks where they get to the spot first and stand still.
The article also provides insights into the application of pass interference rules based on the location of the suspected foul and the direction of the throw. If a suspected offensive pass interference occurs in the same zone or one zone away from the ball, it is considered a foul. However, if it occurs two zones away, no foul is called.
Furthermore, the article touches on penalty enforcement in the context of running plays. In the scenario where a running play gains seven yards and there is a defensive holding penalty, the penalty yards are tacked onto the end of the run if the run ends beyond the line of scrimmage. However, if the run results in a loss, the penalty yards are marked from the previous spot, with exceptions for snap fouls like defensive offside or illegal substitution. This rule provides clarity on how penalties affect the outcome of running plays in high school tackle football.
In summary, my expertise allows me to break down and explain the nuances of NCAA football rules, focusing on defensive pass interference, offensive player conduct before the pass, and penalty enforcement on running plays.
Offensive players may not initiate a block one yard beyond the line of scrimmage
line of scrimmage
In gridiron football, a line of scrimmage is an imaginary transverse line (across the width of the field) beyond which a team cannot cross until the next play has begun. Its location is based on the spot where the ball is placed after the end of the most recent play and following the assessment of any penalty yards.
https://en.wikipedia.org › wiki › Line_of_scrimmage
and then have a pass thrown that crosses the line of scrimmage. If an offensive player blocks downfield before the ball is thrown and the pass crosses the line of scrimmage, it is offensive pass interference.
Offensive Pass Interference: Offensive pass interference occurs when an offensive player interferes with a defensive player's ability to make a play on the ball. This can include pushing off the defender, blocking the defender's path, or impeding their ability to jump or make a play on the ball.
Any change that allows penalty calls to be reviewable brings to mind when the NFL let pass interference be subject to replay reviews. The rule was scrapped after just one year because the overwhelming majority of rulings upheld the call on the field, occasionally despite clear evidence to the contrary.
In the NFL, ineligible receivers must have at least part of their body no more than 1 yard beyond the line of scrimmage when a pass is thrown, unless they are engaged in a continuous block that began prior to leaving the 1-yard zone. In college football, the NCAA allows ineligible receivers a maximum of 3 yards.
Pass interference can only occur when a forward pass is thrown from behind the line of scrimmage, regardless of whether the pass is legal or illegal, or whether it crosses the line. Defensive pass interference rules apply from the time the ball is thrown until the ball is touched.
Per the NFL rulebook, defensive pass interference is any act by a defensive player more than one yard beyond the line of scrimmage that significantly hinders an eligible player's opportunity to catch the ball. The rules apply from the time the ball is thrown until the time the ball is touched.
Pass interference entered the game in 1908 as part of the illegal use of hands foul, which resulted in a 15-yard penalty when committed by the offense and a 5-yard penalty when called on the defense.
Starting in 1995, if an ineligible receiver touched, caught, muffed or batted a forward pass in or behind the neutral zone, the foul was to be considered illegal touching instead of an illegal forward pass. But until 2006, the same act beyond the neutral zone was to be ruled Page 21 offensive interference.
OTHER PROHIBITED ACTS BY THE OFFENSE. Blocking more than one yard beyond the line of scrimmage by an offensive player prior to a pass being thrown is offensive pass interference. See 8-3-1-Item 1 for exception for an ineligible offensive player.
One year of reviewing pass interference was enough for the league, which struggled to find consistency in ruling on reviews of penalties in what is often a judgment call. The league eliminated the ability to review pass interference in 2020 and hasn't considered restoring it since.
In fact you can make contact all the way downfield until the ball is in the process of being thrown. There is no 5 yards or 10 yards or a point at which you have to initiate contact. For instance lets say you line up at 7 yards and give the WR a large cushion.
There are two very important points to keep in mind when talking about legal versus illegal picks: within one yard of the line of scrimmage, anything goes—you can block the defender as much as you want and it doesn't matter if the ball is in the air or not; but beyond that one-yard buffer it is illegal for an offensive ...
In college football, offensive players are allowed to block downfield while the ball is in the air if the ball is caught behind the line of scrimmage. This is a major advantage to the offense because offensive players can actually pick defenders while the ball is in the air.
Pass interference is called if the defensive player contacts the offensive player while he is trying to catch the pass, unless the defender has turned his head to face the oncoming pass and is attempting to intercept it. Accidental, glancing contact is not penalized.
Offensive Interference is when the batter or a runner interfere with the defense's ability to make a play. Interference on a Batted ball. Batter is out for interfering with the catcher on a pop-up in foul territory. The fielder always has the right of way over a runner when attempting to field a batted ball.
If the defender maintains contact beyond five yards, it is illegal contact. Beyond the five-yard zone, incidental contact may exist between receiver and defender. Penalty: For illegal contact by the defense: Loss of five yards and automatic first down.
Offensive pass interference should not be called on a screen pass when the ball is overthrown behind the line of scrimmage but subsequently lands beyond the expanded line of scrimmage (up to three yards) and linemen are blocking downfield, unless such blocking prevents a defensive player from catching the ball.
On the offensive end, a team would decline a defensive holding call if the result of the play gets them further down the field than the penalty would. A pass interference call would be declined if the receiver catches the pass regardless of the penalty and advances the ball farther from where the foul was committed.
Note: If a defender contacts a receiver within the five-yard zone and maintains contact with him, he must release the receiver as they exit the five-yard zone. If the defender maintains contact beyond five yards, it is illegal contact.
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