No Holding Calls on the Pats?

[leh-nerd skin-erd]

I agree I just thought it was a good non call as it could have gone either way, (orl both) esp with the Falcon ripping the Pats players helmet off he probably been the one flagged as it was the most obvious. (Then people scream why wasn't it called on both)

I disagree he grabbed Long around the neck and forced him to the ground. Even Troy Aikman saw that and he is usually blind. Also I saw on the Falcons site it is within 1 yard they can block. (Guy quoted the rule.)

 

 

 

 

It should have been easier, at full speed, to call the facemask on the player who's helmet was NOT pulled off, no?

 

 

fair points. my opinion is not objective, I think most good teams get the 'good non-call' treatment while most average/below-average teams do not. that said, I'm hard-pressed to think of a game where I've seen a situation where a receiver goes to the ground in that fashion, head being turned in the opposite way he's running, and a flag not be thrown. you could argue that the receiver grabbed the defensive players facemask, and maybe at full speed that's what would be called. I don't think so, just based on receiver running north and face going south. or west.

 

my point still is that any reasonable football fan looks at that play down the sidelines and knows it's a play with penalty by someone, and the penalty is enforced because face mask = potential for serious injury. throw the flag. blame someone. it's a bad idea for the league to selectively penalties, especially on the biggest stage possible where there is little dispute that somebody did something to somebody.

 

btw, in the video I noticed hands to the face on levitre. this was not the cleanest play in sb history.