Re: Pereira says they should have left the flag down.
posted at 11/20/2013 11:49 AM EST
" ultimately they ruled that the restriction occurred simultaneously with the ball being touched, and when you watch it at full speed, you can see why they would make that call on the field.""
See, this is the interesting point.
There are really two explanations for this call.
One is the above: that the restriction happened simultaneously with the ball being touched. That's wrong but it's a more reasonable explanation.
The other is that there WAS pass interference but that the ball was uncatcheable.
So there are really two different explanations the NFL is floating for this call. They are different because each one, independently of the other, justifies the call in the field.
The second, the uncatheable ball, is an absurd explanation, as that call is never made on a PI call. That's too bad because that seems to be the one the refs actually used when they conferred.
The first one is perhaps being floated to avoid a focus on the uncatcheable aspect.
In that case, you can understand how human error would prevent the refs from making the right call. But: that's why if this was the reason for the call, such calls should be reviewable starting next year.
PI is subjective, but you should be able to review whether the PI happened before or after ball contact, if that is the key consideration.