A question about "The Interception"

I've watched Butler's interception a zillion times and I have a question. Perhaps those more knowledgeable than I can tell me why Butler didn't commit PI on the play. It seems to me that he ran to where the ball was being thrown, and just a millisecond before the ball got there, his shoulder hit the receiver's and knocked him off the catch. I'm not complaining mind you, just curious.

I don't really understand the rules for PI or illegal contact. Thanks for any insight you can give me.

5 yard rule

The DB has a right to the ball. Incidental contact when trying to catch the ball is not PI. If it could even remotely be construed as PI, the media would be flipping out.

Butler was playing the ball; not the receiver. The defensive back has as much right to the ball as the receiver.

As long as you play the ball, they won't flag you on it... unless your unfortunate to have Ed Hochuli as the ref (j/k Hochuli is ok in small doses), very close play though... Butler just got a great jump

1. He was going for the ball.
2. He got to the spot first.... the receiver was just as much at fault for the contact (a case of the receiver "going through" the defender instead of the other way around).

Galeb said:

The DB has a right to the ball. Incidental contact when trying to catch the ball is not PI. If it could even remotely be construed as PI, the media would be flipping out.

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It looked like it was more than incidental; he knocked the receiver on his butt.

The media wouldn't have been the only ones flipping out. I suspect all of Patriot nation would have gone nuts.

Others have said the 5 yard rule applies. I guess that means PI and illegal contact cannot ever happen within 5 yards?

the DB has as much right to the ball as the WR....not only was that "not close" it was non existent PI...when did you start following the NFL seriously, yesterday?

jemmer said:

It looked like it was more than incidental; he knocked the receiver on his butt.

The media wouldn't have been the only ones flipping out. I suspect all of Patriot nation would have gone nuts.

Others have said the 5 yard rule applies. I guess that means PI and illegal contact cannot ever happen within 5 yards?

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The 5 yard rule doesn't apply when the ball is in the air. By incidental, I mean not intentional.

FWIW there are some great photos out there that clearly demonstrate this was the correct call because they show Butler' eyes locked in on the ball and not the receiver. As stated above the defender has the same right to play the ball and Butler did just that.

The fact that he hung on to the ball after that collision is as remarkable as the way he jumped the route. To the Seahawks credit, I have neither heard nor read any players complain about Butler's interception.

Joker said:

the DB has as much right to the ball as the WR....not only was that "not close" it was non existent PI...when did you start following the NFL seriously, yesterday?

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Sorry you didn't approve of my question. I know both players have an equal right to the ball, but it seemed to me that Butler got to the spot to catch the ball and simultaneously knocked the receiver on his ass. I simply wanted to know why that wasn't PI. Sorry I'm not as smart as you.

jemmer said:

Sorry you didn't approve of my question. I know both players have an equal right to the ball, but it seemed to me that Butler got to the spot to catch the ball and simultaneously knocked the receiver on his ass. I simply wanted to know why that wasn't PI. Sorry I'm not as smart as you.

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Has nothing to do with smarts...it's an ignorant question to pose since it has ZERO BASIS IN FACT. Don't play this passive aggressive crap with me. You signed on in 2008 and you've got 19 posts. You're a real Pats fan's Pats fan alright.

Petersen23 said:

As long as you play the ball, they won't flag you on it... unless your unfortunate to have Ed Hochuli as the ref (j/k Hochuli is ok in small doses), very close play though... Butler just got a great jump

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I think you're overstating the consistency and accuracy with which the refs call/no-call penalties.

jemmer said:

Sorry you didn't approve of my question. I know both players have an equal right to the ball, but it seemed to me that Butler got to the spot to catch the ball and simultaneously knocked the receiver on his ass. I simply wanted to know why that wasn't PI. Sorry I'm not as smart as you.

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Butler was moving directly to the ball. For it to be properly called PI, he'd have had to something additional to that, for example reaching out and giving the receiver a shove to ensure that he indeed arrived first.

Joker said:

Has nothing to do with smarts...it's an ignorant question to pose since it has ZERO BASIS IN FACT. Don't play this passive aggressive crap with me. You signed on in 2008 and you've got 19 posts. You're a real Pats fan's Pats fan alright.

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Let me see if I have this straight. You originally accused me of becoming a fan yesterday, but I've been here for 6 yrs. Your criteria for fandom is how many posts I've had on this forum?

Geez. Lighten up. I admitted to being no expert, and I asked a simple question. Fortunately there were others who were patient enough to answer. Thanks to them. You, GFY.

It all has to do with playing the ball. Contact is not the discriminator for PI. In theory there are no separate rules for WR's and DB's. Once the ball is in the air they both have the right to try to catch it. And in attempting to catch, they can and will collide as they try to occupy the same space when they catch the ball.

PI comes in when instead of trying to catch or knock down the ball the DB decides to just tackle or push the WR. Obviously every DB would just knock the WR down if that were legal, and every WR would try to knock his defender down.

Two players playing the ball (neither playing the player) makes the contact irrelevant.

Thank you for a straightforward and cogent reply.

It sort of looked like Butler elbowed his way to the ball and knocked the receiver out of the way. I simply wanted to understand why that wasn't PI. Thanks to all who had the patience to explain why it wasn't.

Joker said:

Has nothing to do with smarts...it's an ignorant question to pose since it has ZERO BASIS IN FACT. Don't play this passive aggressive crap with me. You signed on in 2008 and you've got 19 posts. You're a real Pats fan's Pats fan alright.

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Need a snickers?

http://www.nfl.com/rulebook/passinterference

Nah...I probably need a Milky Way to understand this space alien "pass interference" theory.

First of all, I cannot imagine the nuclear meltdown if PI had been called there. The refs just do not want to decide a game of that magnitude. And secondly, if that is P.I., just from a common sense perspective, then you may as well just give an automatic seven, because I'm not sure how the hell else you defend that pass.