DPI or Illegal use of the hands?

[grantsrc]

Originally posted by WaRef
In general, I would not throw a flag unless a] the contact prevented a fair opportunity for the receiver to catch the pass, b] the contact prevented the QB access to a potential receiver (before the pass is thrown - not DPI), or c] the contact constitutes a personal foul. So, on minor contact over the middle, you need to make a quick judgment as to advantage/disadvantage and decide on a call or no-call.

I see your point. As I said earlier, it boils down to common sense. But in this case, the rule book offers us no support in saying the receiver had no chance or a fair opportunity to the ball. We are not given that responsibility to make a judgement like this. If the pass is intended for this receiver and there is contact that constitutes DPI, it is DPI. If there is contact that is illegal use of hands, it is illegal use of hands. If the contact is very minor or incidental and did not effect the play, then no call is correct. In this example, the receiver is pushed from behind while the ball is in the air and he was the intended receiver. It is the hit on the QB that changed the flight of the ball. DPI.

7-5-10 A:
It is forward-pass interference if:
Any player of A or B who is beyond the neutral zone interferes with an eligible opponent’s opportunity to move toward, catch or bat the pass.

In this play, I feel that you could say that B interferes with A's opportunity to move towards the ball. Unfortunately, our role is officials is to enforece the rules as written. I think if we take liberties with the rules and form our own interpretations, we set ourselves up for failure. We create an opportunity for coaches to use the dreaded, "It wasn't called like that last week!" Just MHO.