By Bill Bradley, contributing editor
The offensive pass interference called against Baltimore Ravens wide receiver Steve Smith -- a penalty that wiped out an 80-yard touchdown pass -- was the correct call, NFL vice president of officiating Dean Blandino said Tuesday.
The play occurred during the waning seconds of the Ravens' loss at the Cincinnati Bengals and all but decided the game after Bengals safety George Iloka was pushed aside near his 10.
"Pass interference is any player that hinders an eligible player to catch a pass," Blandino said during his "Official Review" segment on "NFL Total Access." "(On this play) you can see Smith put his left hand in the chest of the defender and push him down.
"We do feel that this is the correct call. When you look at it, reverse the roles. If that was a defender pushing the receiver down, I don't think anybody would be questioning the call. The rules are the same to both sides of the ball."
Despite the fact that the push didn't appear to have much force, Blandino said it didn't matter that Iloka fell.
"You could make a case that he may have been off-balance, but the receiver does push to gain that separation," he said. "It does create an advantage for the receiver and that's why it's a foul."