National Football League

Mike Pereira's Oct. 19 mailbag

Published Oct. 19, 2010 1:00 a.m. ET

foxsports

Hi everyone, here are a few more Mailbag questions this week and I’m happy to answer them. (Read the latest chat recap here).

Ryan from Boston wrote:

"What is the ruling when an illegal forward pass (the quarterback is over the line when he throws it) is intercepted? Can the defense decline the penalty and take the interception? Or does the 5-yard penalty and loss of down have to be enforced because the forward pass was illegal? Is the rule the same if the quarterback crosses the line of scrimmage then backs up behind it and throws a pass?"

It is still a pass, Ryan, and can be intercepted. All penalties can be declined and the result of the play accepted. The rule is the same for a second forward pass from behind the line or any other illegal pass.

Ken L. from Martinez, Calif., wrote:

"Mike, great article/video. It was nice to see you back on the field. You always had so much to offer many of us, including myself. I, too, have gone back to my high school roots but to mentor, as knees do not work the same as they use to. Stay well and many, many thanks for all you did for my college officiating experience."

Good to hear from you Ken. Maybe I ought to stick to being a mentor. I pulled my hamstring the next day working a varsity game and haven't been able to officiate since. Getting a little old, I guess. All the best.

Derrick C. from San Antonio wrote:

"In the game between the Chiefs and Texans, Kansas City was called for defensive pass interference in the fourth quarter. The replay shows that the defender didn't even touch the receiver. In fact, if there was pass interference called it should have gone against the offense. What kind of review process is done by the NFL or officiating overseers to keep these bad calls from being made in the future? This call was really way off."

You are not going to like my answer, Derrick, but I don't think it was offensive or defensive pass interference. TV really didn't give us a look from the official's perspective. I think the defender put his arm across the chest of the receiver but not to the extent to warrant a foul. I think the receiver also used his left arm to ward off the defender but not to the extent to be a foul.

Best call to me would have been no call at all. The result of the play was a catch at the sideline.

Larry L. from Tampa, Fla., wrote:

"In the Dallas-Minnesota game, the Minnesota punter kicked the ball and it was downed by a Minnesota player who stepped in the end zone and came back out to down the ball at about the Dallas 4-yard line. I thought the rule stated that if a player enters the end zone they cannot be the first one to touch the football. Am I wrong?"

Hey Larry. If a member of the kicking team goes out of bounds, he can't be the first to touch the kick, period. If a kicking team goes into the end zone without going out of bounds, all he has to do is re-establish back in the field of play before touching the kick.

Re-establishing means getting both feet back in the field of play or anything other than a hand or foot. One knee equals two feet applies to reestablishing, just as it does on a sideline catch.