Mailbag question: Holding
Posted at 12:00pm — 9/22/2010
Mailbag question: Holding
The UMass game was another great example of how referees can totally change the complexion of football games. UMass was holding on most plays. I can understand when an occasional call is missed, as refs are not perfect.
However, I believe they (UMass line) were not called for holding once during the entire game. I saw several occasions where it was two hands grasping the jersey so the lineman could throw our guy to the ground as he reached for the ball carrier. Maybe I just do not understand what is a holding penalty?
I will note that when I watch the NFL the refs call what I see as holding almost every time.
What gives?
Alan K
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Thanks for the question.
There is an old axiom in football, one can call holding on every single play, and so the refs only call the most obvious violations nowadays.
With the liberalized rules on holding as they now are, holding calls are even tougher to predict.
In general, if offensive linemen keep their hands inside the framework of the defender’s body, and do not use their hands to gain leverage, impede the defender from getting to the ball carrier, or pull the defender down, it is likely there will be no holding call.
This (pulling or impeding) is where offensive players, especially receivers, frequently run afoul and draw the yellow flag, because they are not inclined to know exactly when to release the defender. We have seen it already this year (and will again) with Denard Robinson as the ball carrier; the receiver believes Denard is going one way, but he goes another, and the receiver tries to hold the block a little too long. The defender shifts position and the ref and any observer can see the offensive player clearly holding or having his hands outside of the defender’s framework. The result is an easy call for the ref, especially if the ref is on the sideline of the defensive team, a place where interpretive help will shortly be forthcoming with volume.
In fact, the purposeful teaching of holding is becoming such an “art and science” that many line coaches we have listened to at clinics freely discuss the teaching of the technique of grabbing defenders by the front plates of their shoulder pads.
One coach actually was coaching his players to use the plates as a steering wheel to turn defenders.
Why do you think the jerseys for defensive linemen and offensive linemen have gotten “skin tight” over the last five years or so? It is not to show off their physique, or show they don’t have 6-pack abs. It is trying to take an advantage away from the other side of the ball, that being grabbing onto a jersey and being able to move an opponent around and gain control.
On the other side of the line, defensive line coaches spend a large part of their time teaching hand control and practicing techniques designed to get offensive linemen’s hands off of defenders.
Again, we believe the refs are trying to only call the most obvious calls, because fans, media, teams, etc. do not want to see a game controlled or dominated by the refs, they want to see the individual players and collectively the teams settle the issue.
A ref will hear about holding on just about every play from the defensive side of the ball. Coaches will be telling officials on their (the coaches) side who is holding (so will the players on occasion). But a team clams up on offense about holding.
Also, if an observer looks at game film with an open eye, he or she would probably see Michigan holding on plays where no call was made. It works both ways and is part of the game. Coaches just ask for equal treatment.
Most of the time the refs do a very good job. They make mistakes, just like anybody else, and especially nowadays in college sports, where the athletes are so much bigger, faster, and stronger it makes the game so much quicker and problematic for a small crew of referees to see everything.
This is a game that is usually won by the players through talent, coaching decisions and the bounce of the ball — not by any single call or failure to make a call.
As we all know, and can cite from history, there are exceptions to the above line of thought.
Written by GBMWolverine Staff
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