# Why doesn't the NFL ease up on the holding calls? **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Created:** [January 12, 2010, 6:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-doesnt-the-nfl-ease-up-on-the-holding-calls/524690 "2010-01-12T18:41:45Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![HongKongFooey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/c4cdca/32.png) [@HongKongFooey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HongKongFooey)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2010, 3:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-doesnt-the-nfl-ease-up-on-the-holding-calls/524690/21 "2010-01-13T03:36:33Z")
> [@Hamlet](#): > > Unless it’s James Harrison. He gets held on every play, even in games he’s not actually playing. I knew you’d come around to our way of thinking eventually. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Death\_of\_Rats](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a6a055/32.png) [@Death\_of\_Rats](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Death_of_Rats)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2010, 3:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-doesnt-the-nfl-ease-up-on-the-holding-calls/524690/22 "2010-01-13T15:45:36Z")
> [@Hamlet](#): > > Unless it’s James Harrison. He gets held on every play, even in games he’s not actually playing. > [@Hamlet](#): > > Because if it weren’t for holding calls, James Harrison would singlehandedly sack every single player in the league, and likely some coaches/vendors in the stands/and broadcasters, multiple times until there was nothing left but a pile of broken bodies and James Harrison. When did James Harrison get adopted by Chuck Norris? ---
**Author:** ![HongKongFooey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/c4cdca/32.png) [@HongKongFooey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HongKongFooey)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2010, 4:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-doesnt-the-nfl-ease-up-on-the-holding-calls/524690/23 "2010-01-13T16:11:46Z")
> [@Death\_of\_Rats](#): > > When did James Harrison get adopted by Chuck Norris? Pfft, when Chuck Norris has nightmares it’s because James Harrison has invaded his dreams. 😃 Re the OP, they already let a lot of holding go (not a James Harrison reference) if they were to let more go it would be better to just redefine the rule somehow. Maybe they do need to do that anyway since even the officials have shown some confusion over the interpretation (that part is a James Harrison reference). ---
**Author:** ![Superhal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b4bc9f/32.png) [@Superhal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Superhal)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2010, 8:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-doesnt-the-nfl-ease-up-on-the-holding-calls/524690/24 "2010-01-13T20:06:27Z")
I agree it slows down the game, but it’s necessary. The reason holding calls are so painful to fans is that they often eliminate a large gaining play. But, the holding is usually what made that play possible. The way I look at it is that the defense had the offense beat, so the offense had to hold the defender. So, lots of holding calls means the defense is spanking the offense. The one that irritates me is movement before the snap. Some centers are pointing and moving around like crazy, but if a guard or tackle flinches, they stop the game. ---
**Author:** ![JSexton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/96bed5/32.png) [@JSexton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JSexton)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2010, 8:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-doesnt-the-nfl-ease-up-on-the-holding-calls/524690/25 "2010-01-13T20:12:29Z")
> [@Superhal](#): > > The one that irritates me is movement before the snap. Some centers are pointing and moving around like crazy, but if a guard or tackle flinches, they stop the game. But the alternative (if the rule was removed) is to start flinching in order to draw an offsides. Hard to tell the difference between a genuine flinch and an accidental one. ---
**Author:** ![Least\_Original\_User\_Name\_Ever](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e480ec/32.png) [@Least\_Original\_User\_Name\_Ever](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Least_Original_User_Name_Ever)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2010, 8:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-doesnt-the-nfl-ease-up-on-the-holding-calls/524690/26 "2010-01-13T20:31:23Z")
> [@SenorBeef](#): > > You don’t want to reward those commiting the penalty. If the penalty for pass interference was a fixed yardage, then on any pass play where the receiver seems likely to catch the ball and for a longer distance then the penalty then it’s in the defense’s best interest to interfere. If you turn a 40 yard bomb would-be catch into a 15 yard penalty, you’ve benefited from commiting that penalty. Putting it at the spot of the foul is the most logical way to prevent any sort of gaming the system. > > I also disagree with the oft repeated “there could be holding called on every play” or in this thread “there could be pass interference called on every play” - no, not legit calls. A lot of stuff that may look like holding to someone who doesn’t know the actual definition of holding happens on every play, but not something penalty-worthy. The officials are actually pretty good at getting it right. Bingo. ---
**Author:** ![SmackFu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/53a042/32.png) [@SmackFu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SmackFu)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2010, 5:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-doesnt-the-nfl-ease-up-on-the-holding-calls/524690/27 "2010-01-15T17:28:13Z")
> [@Bijou\_Drains](#): > > This has not been a problem in college where PI is a 15 yard penalty. Honestly it’s probably because long bombs in college are usually due to the receiver losing his coverage, rather than the QB throwing into coverage. You can’t shove someone to turn a 40-yard pass into 15 yards if you aren’t on top of him. ---
**Author:** ![Blaster\_Master](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/cab0a1/32.png) [@Blaster\_Master](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Blaster_Master)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2010, 7:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-doesnt-the-nfl-ease-up-on-the-holding-calls/524690/28 "2010-01-15T19:38:58Z")
On the pass interference thing, I also think the spot foul is kind of ridiculous for several reason. First is the obvious assumption that he catches it. Sure, it also assumes no YAC; however, if it’s a 40 yard bomb and someone is close enough to interfere, it’s unlikely that he’d get more than a couple yards, so I don’t think it evens out. Instead, I’d just make two classes of pass interference. In most cases, pass interference is someone getting there a little early or pushing off a little bit or whatnot. I think in those cases, it’s reasonable to assume the defender still would have been close enough to be able to attempt to defend and the receiver would still have a chance of flat dropping it. For these cases, just do the college rule of spot or 15 yards, whichever is less. I just don’t think getting there a little bit early, when he very well may have defended it anyway, is worth a potentially game changing 40 yard penalty. The second class of pass interference would be egregious plays. Did you get turned around and know you’d get burned so you pushed him to the ground? I think in those cases, it’s reasonable to assume the defender probably wouldn’t have be able to defend the pass, so it’s a pretty high chance for a catch. In this case, you spot the ball or 15 yards, whichever is greater. ---
**Author:** ![Clothahump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/51bf81/32.png) [@Clothahump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Clothahump)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2010, 10:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-doesnt-the-nfl-ease-up-on-the-holding-calls/524690/29 "2010-01-21T22:49:57Z")
> [@D\_Odds](#): > > … and football would be much less exciting. Is that possible? ---
**Author:** ![D\_Odds](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/d_odds/32/2882_2.png) [@D\_Odds](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/D_Odds)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2010, 11:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-doesnt-the-nfl-ease-up-on-the-holding-calls/524690/30 "2010-01-21T23:37:01Z")
> [@Clothahump](#): > > Is that possible? Coming from a Houston resident, I sympathize with your opinion. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![HongKongFooey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/c4cdca/32.png) [@HongKongFooey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HongKongFooey)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2010, 1:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-doesnt-the-nfl-ease-up-on-the-holding-calls/524690/31 "2010-01-22T01:15:29Z")
> [@Clothahump](#): > > Is that possible? You’re thinking of soccer. 😛 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-doesnt-the-nfl-ease-up-on-the-holding-calls/524690.md?page=1)