The Abyssmal Super Bowl Officiating

[VarlosZ]

@SenorBeef

Haggans was beating him to the outside, and Locklear did have his arm extended to his side, but he wasn’t wrapping his arm around him, but rather still pushing on his shoulder, on the inside, with his arm extended at his side.

It could easily look like holding to someone seeing it from the position of the umpire, but it was a clean block - he pushed at the inside of the shoulder without wrapping up, albeit with his arm extended outwards. It was a clean block.

“Pushing on his shoulder” to a point. Virtually any time an offensive lineman gets beat by a pass rusher with whom he is engaged, there is some period of holding – this is the amount of time between the pass rusher’s becoming parallel or better with the blocker, and the blocker’s disengaging. This play was no different. What generally determines whether it is called or not is how quickly the defender disengages.

In my opinion, the block in question was in the “hold period” for an awkward amount of time – run that same action 100 times, and sometimes it will be called, sometimes not (but usually not). Something like 80/20 sounds about right. My guess is that the reason it was called in this instance was that the action caused the pass rusher to stumble and ultimately fall to the ground, which is one of the main signals for the refs to throw a flag.

It’s worth noting that Sean Locklear, IIRC, got flagged for holding more than any other player in the league this year. It’s unfortunate – but neither surprising nor offensive – that it cost his team huge when it mattered. The real complaint should, IMO, be inconsistency, as there were several instances of very similar “holds” on both teams that went un-called.
I just rewatched the game last night. There were two outright blown calls: Hasselbeck’s low block (never made contact with a Steeler’s blocker) and Steven’s non-fumble, which is really very clear on replay: catch, step, step, tuck, turn, step, hit, fumble. Anyone who argues otherwise is misremembering or misrepresenting what happened, as he clearly took three steps, tucked the ball, and turned completely around after catching it but before losing control. OTOH, it’s very likely the ball would have gone out of bounds even if the official hadn’t blown the whistle.

Locklear’s hold was a judgement call that usually goes the other way. Roethlisberger’s TD run was insanely close, could have gone either way, and probably made no difference since it would have been 4th and a millimeter if they hadn’t gotten the call. The block in the back on Roethlisberger on the INT return was another judgement call that could have easily gone the other way. Ditto for the holding calls on Seattle’s punt/kickoff returns, but the refs tend to be really anal on returns in general. The controverial spots looked right to me.
The refs didn’t cost Seattle the game; Seattle’s mistakes were the culprits – there were a ton of them. Many dropped passes. Hasselbeck sailing throws. Alexander apparently forgetting how to be a receiver out of the backfield. The 3rd down holding call that killed their first drive (which was completely legit). Awful play by the safeties, which was the key in all three of Pittsburgh’s big plays.

Really, Pittsburgh won because they made fewer mistakes. Neither team played well – a disappointing Super Bowl, all in all.

[Hentor_the_Barbarian]

After VarlosZ’s astute discussion, this is a bit anticlimactic, but what the hell -

@SenorBeef

Anyway, one of the keys to figuring out holding is that the hands have to be inside the defender’s shoulders and pushing, not pulling, to be a legitimate block, and that’s the case in this block.

I think that’s a fairly limited description of holding. I think the more accurate and comprehensive description would be along these lines.

2. A runner may ward off opponents with his hands and arms but no other player on offense may use hands or arms to obstruct an opponent by grasping with hands, pushing, or encircling any part of his body during a block. Hands (open or closed) can be thrust forward to initially contact an opponent on or outside the opponent’s frame, but the blocker immediately must work to bring his hands on or inside the frame.

Note: Pass blocking: Hand(s) thrust forward that slip outside the body of the defender will be legal if blocker immediately worked to bring them back inside. Hand(s) or arm(s) that encircle a defender—i.e., hook an opponent—are to be considered illegal and officials are to call a foul for holding.

Blocker cannot use his hands or arms to push from behind, hang onto, or encircle an opponent in a manner that restricts his movement as the play develops.

Thus, I think it meets the definition of holding because he used an arm to “encircle [a] part of [Haggans] body,” hooking him, and thereby using his “arms to…hang onto, or encircle an opponent in a manner that restrict[ed] his movement as the play develop[ed].”

[Hentor_the_Barbarian]

@VarlosZ

"t’s worth noting that Sean Locklear, IIRC, got flagged for holding more than any other player in the league this year. It’s unfortunate – but neither surprising nor offensive – that it cost his team huge when it mattered. The real complaint should, IMO, be inconsistency, as there were several instances of very similar “holds” on both teams that went un-called.

This is a good point, and accords with what I pointed out earlier (that it was Locklear who drew a flag for clotheslining the defender in the first quarter on a similar play). Not only does his record suggest a reputation for either holding or getting beaten or both but, taking your 80/20 split as a fair estimate, seeing an obvious hold-by-arm-wrapping early in the game might push the ref towards the “20” end of the spectrum later.

[SenorBeef]

@Hentor the Barbarian

After VarlosZ’s astute discussion, this is a bit anticlimactic, but what the hell - I think that’s a fairly limited description of holding.

Well, yes. I was only saying a quick rule of thumb as to what to look for in that particular situation.

Thus, I think it meets the definition of holding because he used an arm to “encircle [a] part of [Haggans] body,” hooking him, and thereby using his “arms to…hang onto, or encircle an opponent in a manner that restrict[ed] his movement as the play develop[ed].”

He didn’t, really, though.

Imagine holding your arm out to your right side so that it’s parallel with your shoulders. Now bend your elbow 90 degrees and rotate so that your hand/forearm is facing forward. Now open your hand as if to block someone.

Now, someone is trying to pass you on your right - imagine trying to push their chest away from you with your arm in that position. Since they can use their entire body and you can only use the force of your arm, they will get past you, you can only slow them down. In the process of doing this, they’ll push your arm backwards, making it look like from certain angles that you might have your arm around their chest, but in reality your arm just got pushed back while you were trying to push the guy.

That’s essentially what happened in that play. It’s not holding unless he tries to wrap his arm around the guy and pull to keep him from getting past him.

[Mister_Rik]

Being that I’m mostly unfamiliar with the finer points of NFL rules, please indulge me on this question: Is “holding” the same thing that used to be called “illegal use of the hands”?

[SenorBeef]

No, illegal use of hands constitutes a different penalty. It’s used for stuff like punches to the face, and other stuff I can’t think of offhand.