Offensive Pass Interference

[Robert Goodman]

Originally Posted by JugglingReferee

It seems quite excessive to have OPI before the ball is thrown.

Why is there no offensive illegal contact?

On 4D, OPI is 15y + a turnover! While the ball is in the air, each team has equal right to the ball. With the ball still in the passer's hands, B has less right to the ball, since A still has it!

I think OPI prior to the ball being thrown being a turnover needs to be changed!

Big deal. OPI for years until ~1970 was always a turnover in NCAA. There was no distinction until then between offensive and defensive pass interference; the penalty was 1st down to the team interfered with at the spot of the interference. I think the Canadian rule was changed at about the same time. (Fed has had a penalty from the previous spot for a long time, going back to when NCAA did that too -- as they now do again.)

However, at that time, there was also no such thing as pass interference by either team before the pass was thrown. That's why crossing patterns were so much more popular at that time -- to pick off the defender.

Robert