Dumbest rule in football.

[Beemnseven]

Originally Posted by jrocx69

PI is when the ball is out of the qb's hands already in the air, and Ic is when the ball is still in the qb's hands, IINM

That makes sense, but yesterday during the Falcons-Bills game, the ball was in the air, and they called illegal contact. Now, I should mention it was one of those very late flags, the kind that the official throws well after the play, when the receiver protested heavily.

It seems that pass interference is called when the receiver is absolutely mauled by a defensive back right before the ball arrives, while illegal contact is just that -- very minimal contact. To me, it looks like nothing but a judgement call, dependent on the mood of the official at the time.