What is Offensive Pass Interference?

Let's assume that Gronkowski is doing something that's worth a penalty. What exactly is the rule? Can a 180 lb DB line up across from him and put his hands on him and the play is over?

What exactly is the offensive player allowed to do in that situation?

Humor me, I don't know the rule. You can't push off a guy who's jammimg you at the line? There's no pass at that point, so you aren't pushing off to get open for a pass, hence pass interference.


The defensive player wouldn't be called for pass interference within five yards, right? It would be holding, if that.

I'm trying not to be sarcastic, but has this ever been called before?

What you see Gronk doing is done by TEs (and other receivers) all over the league. It either isn't OPI or the refs are missing other OPIs on a massive scale.

So either Gronk is suffering from one of the worst runs of refereeing luck I might have ever seen or the refs have targeted Gronk for an emphasis of OPI. Since I doubt refs get together as a huge group to talk about Gronk, the league has specifically noted him for this point of emphasis on OPI. Otherwise statistically this is extreme if it is due to simple happenstance. Consider:
- 11 NFL teams have 1 or less OPI.
- Another 9 teams have 2.
- If you put Gronk's 5 OPIs as a standalone, Gronk the person is tied with Washington for the lead league in OPI.

People can choose to believe the league would never risk X or stoop to Y, and Gronk's calls are just a freak statistical occurrence. I am not one of those people. I absolutely believe the league (this specific regime) is not upstanding and they will kneed the outcomes they want in subtle and a bit not so subtle ways.

I agree, but for the sake of argument, we need to correct whatever it is they are calling because I don't believe the league will just call a penalty on us every play for the rest of the season.

Under the strictest interpretation of whatever the rule is, what is
Gronk allowed to do when some little CB tries to tie him up at the line?

RayClay said:

I agree, but for the sake of argument, we need to correct whatever it is they are calling because I don't believe the league will just call a penalty on us every play for the rest of the season.

Under the strictest interpretation of whatever the rule is, what is
Gronk allowed to do when some little CB tries to tie him up at the line?

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Protect himself and evade him, unless he's a blocker.

The issue here as I see it is that at some point the Patriots and Gronk have to change their stance on "I will not change anything because I am not doing anything wrong" and try to adjust because this flag has been consistently killing drives all season and this time it actually affected the outcome.

As much as we can disagree on the call itself - and believe me I do - it looks like the emphasis is to stay and we will need to adjust instead of keep running into the same trap.

** EDIT ** RayClay said it first and maybe expressed it even better.

TomPatriot said:

Protect himself and evade him, unless he's a blocker.

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This is something I am sure BB & Co. will contact the league office with videos of other players and will ask for clarification on what exactly Gronk needs to do compared to other TEs in the league.

The NFL has pushed the officials hard on OPI calls. There are already many more this year than in all of 2014.

IIRC, on the last call, Gronk was beyond five yards, ran straight to the defender and then leveraged his right shoulder a bit with his right hand as he made his out cut right. I think what he did "wrong" was using his right hand as a lever. But who the heck knows?

When I hear the rhetoric from Collinsworth " oh lookee Al he dipped his shoulder", have to realize that all of this is pure unmitigated bullshyt.. of course he dipped his shoulder he is a tall man, is he supposed to take a hit in the gut??

These are bullshyt calls by bullshyt referees.. just like the PI on Patrick Chung that negated the Branch sack.. a complete non call 99% of the time..

TomPatriot said:

Protect himself and evade him, unless he's a blocker.

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A little CB can tie him up anywhere within 5 yards and Gronk has to evade him? Really? That's the rule for every receiver?

luuked said:

This is something I am sure BB & Co. will contact the league office with videos of other players and will ask for clarification on what exactly Gronk needs to do compared to other TEs in the league.

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Or compared to other receivers. I have never been aware that a receiver couldn't fight of a CB trying to jam him at the line.

Is the rule similar to a charge vs. a block in basketball? Should Gronk (please come back soon) take a step to the side, and if the defender moves then he's OK?

As @RayClay asks, if someone could post the exact rule would be helpful.

After last nights game it doesn't matter what we do they will find something to penalize us for. It was obvious the agenda the refs had that you really must be stupid to see no bias. When you have pat hating commentators stun in silence at some calls or try to rationalize some of them you know how horrible the officials were. Bring back the replacement refs, at least they were incompetent for both teams, fairly.

RayClay said:

Or compared to other receivers. I have never been aware that a receiver couldn't fight of a CB trying to jam him at the line.

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As far as I remember within one yard of the LOS everything is fair game, which is how legal pick plays work. Outside that it becomes the subjective cluster**** of a referee's mind. Quite honestly I don't even like how they are naming the entire infraction. If anything it should be called illegal contact not OPI, and should similarly to its defensive counterpart cause only a 5 yard penalty.

What's so frustrating is the inconsistency. Thomas used both hands to push off on Chung in the end zone on his late game TD. Both arms extended. Far worse than what Gronk did. But who got the penalty? Chung, for holding when, even as Collinsworth pointed out, there was hardly anything on Chung's part.

So if Gronk truly committed OPI, Thomas very much did. Both calls went against NE in huge, crucial spots. Terribly inconsistent.

It's a "judgment call" don't worry about it they know what they're doing, the league will ensure integrity.

luuked said:

As far as I remember within one yard of the LOS everything is fair game, which is how legal pick plays work. Outside that it becomes the subjective cluster**** of a referee's mind. Quite honestly I don't even like how they are naming the entire infraction. If anything it should be called illegal contact not OPI, and should similarly to its defensive counterpart cause only a 5 yard penalty.

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Well, the defender can hit him within five yards. He's not setting a pick. I thought that was within five yards.

I think we need Gronk in motion, in the backfield. The league might rue the day.

I'm guessing the play where he runs right at the defender and then hits/gets hit as he makes a cut is the one they're watching more closely this year. If the refs are going to keep calling that against him, he needs to adjust somehow.

I like the suggestion to get him in motion more often, but he's also a pretty good run blocker, so you want him on the line more often than not to keep the defense guessing on run/pass.

Roger Goodell is working on a solution here as we speak.