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did anybody notice
On the holding call, the defensive player was offside?
If I knew how to post pictures, I would, but if you pause the video right at the beginning, you'll see the ball still on the ground in the center's hand, and both the nose tackle AND the player that supposedly got held already in motion, stepping across the line.
This is my first post, but I have to say I'm a little disappointed with the reactions of the officials on this forum (although I understand). We tend to give our own the benefit of the doubt with calls, as we've all made mistakes, but that game was embarassing, for the following reasons:
The OPI may have been a legit call BY THE BOOK... but it's a call that never gets made. We can all say we'd call it, but in the Super Bowl, who really would? That play happens on every passing play in football, and gets called twice a year. If you're going to make it a point of emphasis, do it all season, not at the most crucial point of the most important game, after a full season of non-calls. To say it was called according to the rules is a cop-out... you can call holding on every play, illegal formation on every play, and illegal contact on every play, but you don't, because you let the players play.
The holding call referenced above -- If that's holding, then there is nothing an offensive lineman can do legally. The man was offsides, then got on his outside. The lineman put one hand squarely on his chest and pushed him, never grabbed him. The stills are misleading, as they show him sliding off, but there was no grab. The telling pic would be after the supposed hold, the defensive player never protested. When was the last time you had a defensive player say he WASN'T held?
Illegal block was without a doubt the worst call in the history of football. No excuse for not huddling up to discuss that and pick up the flag.
I've been officiating high school and college football for 20 years, and I wouldn't have been able to sleep at night if I was on that crew. Defend your brethren all you want, but look at it objectively and you'll see it was a terribly called game.
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