Offensive (Literally) Interference

A disturbing trend arose in the NFL in Week 1. Perhaps a memo was passed around internally that the NFL didn't notify the press or fans of. But for some reason, the referees last week were obsessed with throwing flags for offensive pass interference.

That's right, offensive pass interference. Some of you may have forgotten what that is, because it is a fairly rare penalty. But I assure you, it does exist. Larry Nemmers' and Gerry Austin's crews made sure you knew about it.

Nemmers presided over the Bengals-Chiefs game, while Austin covered the Cowboys-Jaguars game. In both games, not one, but two offensive pass interference flags were thrown. In both games, both flags were thrown against the same team (the Chiefs and the Cowboys, respectively), and both were thrown within a few plays of each other. I didn't get to catch the Cowboys' flags, but the Chiefs had two flags thrown against Samie Parker, both of which were questionable. Certainly, I've seen far worse that haven't been penalized.

The most egregious flag, however, was one almost everyone saw. With 4:14 left to go in the Manning Bowl, Tim Carter was flagged with what some have generously labeled a "questionable call." There was nothing questionable about it. Nick Harper fell, and Carter paid the price. A terrible call at a crucial part of the game.

This week, the Chiefs may have suffered from a non-call, or at least Clark Judge and I thought so. In overtime, Javon Walker's 24-yard reception, after what seemed to be a push-off on Ty Law, was probably the deflating blow to a Chiefs defense that fought so hard to that point. Granted, Denver may well have been on their way to victory anyway, given the way their offense was finally clicking, but it was a crucial blow nonetheless.

What's the point of detailing all this? For me, it's wondering why offensive and defensive pass interference flags can't be challenged. Play has already stopped, so there is no continuity problem. And far too often, pass interference plays are crucial in either extending or deflating drives. They can result in big gains, or negate first downs or even touchdowns. I simply cannot think of a reason why coaches shouldn't be able to challenge a crucial pass interference flag, or why replay officials can't buzz in a challenge late in a game. As Tom Coughlin can probably tell you, that blown call can completely derail a team's drive.

The NFL has always been overprotective about their referees. The NFL does a lot of things right, but their overprotection of the referees is sometimes mind-boggling. They should be concerned about doing things right, not about protecting the referees. After all, if people doubt the outcome of games, it doesn't matter a lick that the referees are still considered untouchable.