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REPLY: I'll add my own two cents. I thought the OPI was a good (maybe "great") call. What made it so good was the timing. As JRutledge pointed out, the extended arm froze the defender in his tracks. Then the ball arrived about a half-second later. It wasn't so much a push-off as it was a hold-off. So it didn't have the blatant look of a push to create separation, but it created that separation nonetheless. Did the receiver gain an advantage by his actions? Not that much. But did the hold-off put the defender at a disadvantage? Most certainly. That's why there was a flag. If the ball had arrived a few seconds later after the arm was down and the defender was back in a position to be able to make a play on the ball, you most likely wouldn't have seen a flag. And if the arm hadn't kept the defender from moving toward the receiver, you probably also wouldn't have seen the flag.
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Bob M.
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