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Worth Monitoring - the Decline in Offensive Holding Calls

FatMan in Charlotte : 9/15/2020 7:29 am
One thing that stood out in the first week of the NFL - there were a total of 6 offensive holding penalties called in week 1. None in the Giants game.

To put this in perspective, in the past three years, each TEAM has averaged 1.2 holding penalties per game. Here are some interesting points:

- Defensive holding was called 22 times in week 1
- There were 14 personal fouls called in week 1 and two players were ejected
- The 6 holding penalties are the fewest for an entire week since the leagues merged!!
- There were 13 offensive PI calls made

I actually like that this is the case. I hope they go to only calling the penalty when it materially impacts a play. The question I have is if the fan influence impacts flags? Otherwise, this must be a league directive that wasn't really talked about so far.

Interesting trend to watch.
Ereck Flowers  
LawrenceTaylor56 : 9/15/2020 7:33 am : link
is somewhere smiling.
It looked to me like there was Increase in Offensive PI Calls  
ZogZerg : 9/15/2020 7:35 am : link
I don't know if you have the normal average.
I feel like the refs were told to watch for and call offensive PI during the off-season.

Each year they usually pick one thing to focus on and you seem to get a large number of penalties on that thing early in the year.
Pittsburgh were mugging our guys with no calls  
George from PA : 9/15/2020 7:36 am : link
There was one play....that Fackell was in a headlock....and no call.

Good observation....must be intentional by the league
Or,  
Big Blue '56 : 9/15/2020 7:42 am : link
they don’t want to touch their opponent that way due to Covid..😂
RE: Pittsburgh were mugging our guys with no calls  
section125 : 9/15/2020 7:44 am : link
In comment 14972584 George from PA said:
Quote:
There was one play....that Fackell was in a headlock....and no call.

Good observation....must be intentional by the league


Villanueva spent the entire night mugging Carter and LW. Even on LWs sack he had two hands gripping shoulder pads. He probably saved 4 sacks....

I doubt it was fan influence and more likely since there was no preseason they were told to go a bit light for a couple weeks.
Holding  
stretch234 : 9/15/2020 7:45 am : link
As long as it is allowed both ways that is fine. Through week 1 that seemed to be the case
RE: Holding  
FatMan in Charlotte : 9/15/2020 7:57 am : link
In comment 14972596 stretch234 said:
Quote:
As long as it is allowed both ways that is fine. Through week 1 that seemed to be the case


I agree with this. As long as it is consistent and all of a sudden a ticky-tack call is made on a TD play - I'd rather have it like it was this week
RE: RE: Pittsburgh were mugging our guys with no calls  
AcidTest : 9/15/2020 8:10 am : link
In comment 14972595 section125 said:
Quote:
In comment 14972584 George from PA said:


Quote:


There was one play....that Fackell was in a headlock....and no call.

Good observation....must be intentional by the league



Villanueva spent the entire night mugging Carter and LW. Even on LWs sack he had two hands gripping shoulder pads. He probably saved 4 sacks....

I doubt it was fan influence and more likely since there was no preseason they were told to go a bit light for a couple weeks.


Agreed. I do wonder if it will pick up as the season progresses.
RE: It looked to me like there was Increase in Offensive PI Calls  
jeffusedtobeonwebtv : 9/15/2020 8:20 am : link
In comment 14972582 ZogZerg said:
Quote:
I don't know if you have the normal average.
I feel like the refs were told to watch for and call offensive PI during the off-season.

Each year they usually pick one thing to focus on and you seem to get a large number of penalties on that thing early in the year.


I noticed that also. And almost every time the talking heads on tv called them "controversial".
The Lack of Holding Calls  
Bernie : 9/15/2020 8:34 am : link
was very noticeable throughout the league. I believe this is absolutely intentional and it will be interesting to see what happens in week 2.
I noticed it all weekend  
Chris684 : 9/15/2020 8:51 am : link
Something about the games seemed much more crisp all around.

That said, they need to blow the whistle as Engram's glove is being torn off of his hand as the defender is holding him.

I thought the Offensive PI's against Engram, Gallup and AJ Green were all good calls.
I  
jtfuoco : 9/15/2020 8:52 am : link
Liked it for the first time in a while I felt that Refs didn't impacted the game or messed with the flow. Offensive PI was way over due to be strictly enforced. These DBs need some form of help since they can't touch or hit today's WR
the games are so much more enjoyable without  
LG in NYC : 9/15/2020 8:53 am : link
all of the penalties.

and yes, it was noticeable in the games I watched, incl last night.
Only issue I have is...  
BillKo : 9/15/2020 9:12 am : link
..if you aren't calling obvious holding calls the fans see on replay, when will you call them?

Are only "takedowns" and "tackles" going to be called?

I hope that to be the case.

I hope this isn't like the "leading with the helmet" sorta thing. Remember that? They were calling it all preseason a few years ago, then it dissapeared once the season started. Maybe holding is the exact opposite....no calls, then after a few weeks the holding calls start flowing in again.
I hope that trend continues  
Mike from Ohio : 9/15/2020 9:17 am : link
And just to be fair, there were plenty of holds by the Giants that went uncalled too. It was not a one way thing. But calling only the most egregious ones would be a step in the right direction.

They seem to be looking for OPI now. It was interesting that whichever retired numbnuts was working the broadcast said Engram's OPI was clear because he extended his arm fully, and then on the video of Cooper's from Sunday night he said it was not OPI while the screen was frozen on his arm fully extended into the chest of the defender. I wish the hand fighting allowed on both sides. As it is now every downfield pass play is less exciting because you just expect a flag on somebody.
RE: I hope that trend continues  
FatMan in Charlotte : 9/15/2020 9:37 am : link
In comment 14972718 Mike from Ohio said:
Quote:
And just to be fair, there were plenty of holds by the Giants that went uncalled too. It was not a one way thing. But calling only the most egregious ones would be a step in the right direction.



Mike - that's true. On Slayton's TD, we had two guys on the interior holding Pitt DL guys. Pretty blatant too. Where I want to see holding called is at the point of attack or tearing down a rusher going to the QB. Let the other stuff go.

Several years ago at the combine, I asked a question during a referee session about why they didn't just call egregious fouls and let the borderline stuff go and the response was "a penalty is a penalty no matter where it happens or when". Two years ago I was talking with Carl Cheffers and he said the league was trying to move in that direction. If that's where we can get to - that would be great!
Almost everything I've heard..  
FatMan in Charlotte : 9/15/2020 10:47 am : link
discussed today mentions how the flow of the games has been better. why is that? Not so many flags being thrown.
Agree completely FMIC  
Mike from Ohio : 9/15/2020 12:35 pm : link
You call something when there is some bearing on the play, or it is egregious like they just drag a guy to the ground. It is the ones you have to slow down on replay to see on the opposite side of the field that frustrate me.

General rule - if you have to go frame by frame to tell if it was a penalty, or use a camera not following the play to see it, shouldn't be called.
In fact I think the Giants had the only  
Simms11 : 9/15/2020 1:51 pm : link
penalty on the Oline last night. False start on Fleming IIRC. That in itself is a positive for the new Oline IMO.
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