I can hear the cries of people who think that the game is getting too soft, but Offensive Pass Interference is not a new rule. This penalty has been around for as long as most of us can remember, and it is something that you can hear on the radio and see live on nearly every play. The league has become offense-friendly in every way, but offenses cannot be given so many advantages that they never fail to score. Offensive pass interference keeps receivers in check, and it prevents defensive players from getting hurt on fluke plays away from the ball.

Offensive pass interference is silly

In the modern day, you have no need to commit offensive pass interference to catch a ball. The game has been set up to give the quarterback years to throw, and the passing lanes are generally wide open because defensive players can barely touch receivers. There is no need to push off because if you cannot catch a ball in this league, you need to be cut. Therefore, anyone committing this penalty is admitting that they have a fatal flaw in their football ability.

Defenders could get hurt unnecessarily

Defenders who are the victims of pushoffs will be hurt more often than not because their feet are planted, their joints will turn the wrong way, or they will be completely unprepared to be hit.

Defenseless player rules were enacted to stop injuries, and a guy who never thought he was going to the ground in that situation could be injured. Often, the plays are incredibly benign, but we are finding that the league is so dangerous that anything unexpected could be bad for a player's body.

You can hear it

You can hear pass interference on a broadcast when the announcer says that a receiver suddenly got away from their defender.

The announcer is surprised because they did not think that that could happen. They have watched the tapes and seen these teams play before. Their surprise and breathlessness are something that tells you offensive pass interference has occurred. It is not always called as a penalty, but it is there.

Better defensive training

Offensive players have every right to be upset when they think that defenders are stopping them from catching the ball.

Both players have to give each other space to breathe, but there comes a time when a fed up receiver has to try to get away from someone who is right on their back. To level the playing field, we probably need to even out the rules for defensive and offensive contact so that both sides can hit just a little bit more.
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