Use of hands while blocking

[devilsadvocate]

I see alot of lineman in the nfl and college grasp the jersey of the defensive lineman during a block (within the frame of both players). Clearly, if you are grasping the jersey of the other player you are "holding" him. But as a casual observer it seems that "grasping the jersey" is not necessarily holding penalty.

Is there some leeway on this? What do you guys let lineman do that is within the spirit of the rule?

[James Neil]

Originally posted by devilsadvocate
I see alot of lineman in the nfl and college grasp the jersey of the defensive lineman during a block (within the frame of both players). Clearly, if you are grasping the jersey of the other player you are "holding" him. But as a casual observer it seems that "grasping the jersey" is not necessarily holding penalty.

Is there some leeway on this? What do you guys let lineman do that is within the spirit of the rule?

Sure there's some leeway. What I first look for in holding is if itÂ’s at the point of attack? If not, then thereÂ’s no advantage gained and no reason to call it. . If itÂ’s holding during a double team IÂ’ll usually let it go unless itÂ’s a blatant take- down and I judge that the offended had a legitimate chance to make the play. If I see a jursey being held within the frame of the defender but the defender isnÂ’t being restrained then I will let it go. Sometimes an offensive player will take hold of his opponentÂ’s jersey and fall backward or down taking the player down with him. If I see that, I call it!

[mikesears]

James has stated some great things in his post. If the player is clearly being restrained because his jersey is being grasped and it is at the point of attack, and the defender is making an effort to break contact with the holder, it will draw a flag from my crew. If I see a jersey "stretch" I've got a strong indication that a player is being held and is making an effort to get away from the contact.

By rule, a player blocking with arms exteneded (push blocking) must have his hands open.

[JRutledge]

Originally posted by devilsadvocate
I see alot of lineman in the nfl and college grasp the jersey of the defensive lineman during a block (within the frame of both players). Clearly, if you are grasping the jersey of the other player you are "holding" him. But as a casual observer it seems that "grasping the jersey" is not necessarily holding penalty.

Is there some leeway on this? What do you guys let lineman do that is within the spirit of the rule?

Not only is there some leeway, it is not holding just for that reason. Holding could be called on every single play if you just use the logic behind, “he grasped the jersey and that is holding every time." You have to consider point of attack. You have to consider who has stronger legs?
Was the blocker driving the player out of the way? Did the defender give up on the play? And what have you been calling all game long? Was there a takedown? Was the blocker beat? And lastly, is there a double team?

If you look at the college game, they do not call holding as a rule for the things I just mentioned. And the NFL will not call holding at all if it is not a take down. And the best officials in my area will not call holding at all on the type of plays I just described. I would not call that so much as leeway in the rule, but applying an advantage/disadvantage philosophy to this rule. If we called every grasp or slight pull, we would call holding on every play.

Peace

[mikesears]

My two cents worth (I am on my soap box)!


I really dislike the phrase, "You could call holding on every play". I, myself, have been guilty of saying this after watching teams with poor execution play. However, I disagree with the statement in general. I've seen enough really good teams that don't typically hold (not even a technical infraction) that I wonder where this phrase originated. I feel it is a sweeping generalization officials overuse.

[JRutledge]

Originally posted by mikesears
My two cents worth (I am on my soap box)!


I really dislike the phrase, "You could call holding on every play". I, myself, have been guilty of saying this after watching teams with poor execution play. However, I disagree with the statement in general. I've seen enough really good teams that don't typically hold (not even a technical infraction) that I wonder where this phrase originated. I feel it is a sweeping generalization officials overuse.

Mike,

The thing is, you probably could with the technics used and taught. If you call every tug and pull, you could have a lot of holding penalties in my opinion. That is why you have to use common sense and call point of attack holds. This is just my opinion. I am not saying it applies to all teams and all games, but if officials call "technical holds" you could reasonably call it on every play. That is why I think the comment is common.

Peace

[Jim S]

Mike's comment about "making an effort to break contact" is the key. If the player being 'held' is just trying to run through theh "holder" then it really doesn't make a difference.
I even had a head coach last year make a great comment to one of his players. The kid was being "held" right in front of both the coach and me. When he started to complain the coach said "Why should he (me) call it? You weren't doing anything about it!"

[mikesears]

Originally posted by JRutledge

Mike,

The thing is, you probably could with the technics used and taught.... ...but if officials call "technical holds" you could reasonably call it on every play. That is why I think the comment is common.

Peace

I fully agree with common sense officiating and not flagging every holding we see. Point of attack, etc.

But this is where I disagree with the statement. I've called games where I didn't see a player holding all night long (literally not even a technical infraction). There are teams that DON'T teach holding and block very well. We all get those, "He's holding me!" complaints but in some of the games I've worked, nobody has approached me and I haven't seen it.

The phrase maybe common, but I assert it is incorrect. Too many officials rely upon that statement as a crutch to defuse an agry coach. Too many coaches rely upon this phrase as an excuse for teaching players to hold.

My two cents worth and I get two cents back





[Edited by mikesears on Aug 17th, 2004 at 02:01 PM]

[JRutledge]

Originally posted by mikesears

I fully agree with common sense officiating and not flagging every holding we see. Point of attack, etc.

But this is where I disagree with the statement. I've called games where I didn't see a player holding all night long (literally not even a technical infraction). There are teams that DON'T teach holding and block very well. We all get those, "He's holding me!" complaints but in some of the games I've worked, nobody has approached me and I haven't seen it.

The phrase maybe common, but I assert it is incorrect. Too many officials rely upon that statement as a crutch to defuse an agry coach. Too many coaches rely upon this phrase as an excuse for teaching players to hold.

My two cents worth and I get two cents back

Mike,

It is a generalization that is all. Of course there are exceptions to that statement. I have had games where I had to seriously consider whether or not to throw a flag on every play. That does not mean every game is like that, it just to say that if a coach or officials looked hard enough, you could call holding all the time. It is a way at least from an officiating standpoint to not have a penalty on every play, unless we can see it on tape or it jumps out at you. That is all, that is it. It does not apply to every situation. No different if I was to say, “all women are crazy." Of course that is not true, but if I say that in a group of men, they might just agree with me.

Peace

[FredFan7]

If the blockee drives the blocker back, I'll let the grasp of the jersey go. If the blockee tries to shake the blocker off, and the blocker continues to grasp the jersey, and if I feel an unfair advantage has been gained I'll flag holding.

Referee Magazine last year had an article about waiting to see the entire play before you toss your flag. Even if you see a hold, did it effect the play? Was the play going away from the hold? Was the hold 10 yards away from the QB one second before the QB threw the pass, and the defender held would not have had a chance to get to the QB? Article said those plays are examples where an official should keep his flag in his pocket.

[Bob M.]

REPLY: I know I posted some of these principles before, so for those who have already read them...humor me.

Officials have heard many times that we should only call holding when it occurs at the point of attack, i.e. when it occurs at a place and time that may have an impact on the play. But that’s usually where the discussion ends. In my opinion, that’s exactly where the discussion should begin. More needs to be said about what actually constitutes holding, what types of actions should be flagged. What are the "keys" you look for when you have a player suspect for holding? A friend of mine told me what the NFL looks for when a player is suspect for holding at the point of attack: Look for the blockee to make an “unathletic move.” That is, look for him to make a move that in no way resembles what an athlete might do if he were pursuing a runner in a natural, unrestricted way. Examples: look for his shoulders to spin away from his direction of movement; look for his arm to be pulled away from the side of his body so that his balance is compromised. And the big one…look for the blockee to “lose his legs.” This last one deserves a better description. When an athlete moves, he typically has his body over his legs, which provide balance and a foundation for movement. If a player is restricted by an opponent in a manner such that either his legs are pulled out from under his upper body, or his upper body is held so that his unrestricted legs move out from under him, he has “lost his legs.” In such cases, the action by the blocker has clearly prevented his opponent from moving naturally toward the ball carrier. When such a restriction takes place at or close to the point of attack, you have a hold.

Suppose two opponents are facing off at the line of scrimmage. The offensive player grabs a handful of jersey inside. The two continue to face off as the runner passes by them. The NFL calls this a “dance” and will most likely not flag it if the defender is happy to just stand there in an embrace with his opponent. But, if the defender in this scenario makes a move toward the runner and a real restriction to his movement is obvious, you’ll undoubtedly see a flag.

Many college officials use these principles as well. I personally see no reason why they canÂ’t also be used as your decision criteria in lower levels of football.