It’s official, I’m griping: 

Defensive pass interference

Oh, woe, the passing league and the advent of fantasy and splash reel single-minded fandom, how you consume my cathartic, instinctual knee-jerkiness.

I get that the game is fast. I also understand the ridiculousness of giving standing ovations to the regular refs’ return and then booing as soon as fans don’t like a call later on in the same game. However, I have a beef with acts of defensive pass interference that aren’t called when the ball is clearly heading toward where the interference is occurring. WTF!? People like Mike Pereira, former VP of Officiating and now a consultant on the Fox NFL program, say it's "subjective." Sure. But how subjective? I suppose it has to do with the timing of the play: when (and how) the defender contacts the receiver before the ball arrives. But, it should never be uncertain; especially with slow-mo and replay. There's no way to avoid the "truth" in either direction. Below are the rule and two subsections of it I think apply to a play involving the Brown's Sheldon Brown (no relation) and the Giants' Victor Cruz: the first for what is a penalizing action and the other for what is not.

RULE: DEFENSIVE PASS INTERFERENCE

There shall be no interference with a forward pass thrown from behind the line. The restriction on the defensive team starts when the ball leaves the passer’s hand. The restriction ends when the ball is touched by anyone.

Penalty action d)

Extending an arm across the body of a receiver thus restricting his ability to catch a pass, regardless of whether the defender is playing the ball. [See Exhibit A]

Exhibit A: Note the defender's fingers in the crook of Cruz's elbow. This is called "putting a hand in the bucket."

Non-penalty action d)

Laying a hand on a receiver that does not restrict the receiver in an attempt to make a play on the ball. [See Exhibit B]

Exhibit B:  :)

I think it was pass interference by the defender extending his arm across Cruz's body and restricting his ability to catch the ball. The defender was making no attempt to catch it. If the defender's hand was coming down on Cruz's shoulder, that would be different and a good non-call. I know I’m a homer, but this can happen anytime to any team at any point in any team’s schedule (including when your team gets away with it!). The Giants won and so I should shut up. However, nothing makes any fan’s blood boil more than when it happens in a critical game like the playoffs or an important division game.

I’m starting my broken record phase on this now cuz I've said it before: if you don’t like a rule, whatever. But if the rule is in the books, it’s gotta be upheld for it to be a rule. Otherwise, it’s irrelevant--subjective or not--because, ultimately, there is replay. And again, this is never clearer than when the interference happens in the seconds before the ball meets its target. If a referee watches anything, should it not be the ball and its targets, interceptors, and carriers?

Yep, this is real.

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