Official Alex Smith taking the ball off the field thread

Just re-watched it. I feel the same way about it. BS call.

You can bump a running back going into a route the same way you can a wide receiver. You get 5 yards to do so provided the ball has not been throw yet. This "hold" happens in the backfield, and before McKissic even gets into his route. Watt extends his arm on the way to the quarterback. The grab wasn't even a split second.

I'm the odd man out here obviously. IMO, this wan't just a bad call. It was egregious bad call.

 

Well we can disagree. but watt turned the guy around and never said a word or complained about it. He is a great player and made two serious gaffes in this game. Doesn't mean I hate him. He just messed up is all.

 

Doesnt matter if he turned the back around. Mckissic is barely out of his stance when Watt makes contact with him. Watt can knock him flat on his ass there and its legal. Mckissic is not into his route yet. For all Watt knows in that situation McKissic is a blocker.

 

Smith said there was no intention to delay the game..of course what else would he say. When I mentioned Edmunds laying on the field to finish out the half in the Ravens game I was lambasted, Steelers can cheat but others cannot? I actually do not care what the players do (of course with in safe environment)...it is the Ref's job to make that right call, and many (if not most) of the Ref's have become totally inconsistent. The answer is do not put yourself in that place, do what you are supposed to do, you know things like not running a RB with a 2 yard average, or dropping perfectly thrown pass that would have gotten you a first down, or throwing a pass yards before the stick and ending up an inch short. Some have said that play was a 'game changer', I call BS. The game changer was scoring 3 points in 3 quarters of football, it is a 60 min game and we have played very few of those this season.

 

ok. I'm done

 

Yes, Watt can hit him. What he can't do is reach out and grab him, which he did. You're wrong on this one. It isn't even close.

 

So we had 3 points (crucial) not at the time put up against us, because the refs nor Tomlin don't know the rules. Notice how every Patriots player knows the rule book

 

That's your ball game right there. If that flag isn't thrown, Washington goes 4 and out. The Steelers win the game. I would hate that call even on first down. In that situation, no way you throw that flag. You are correct, it's not even close.

 

The situation is irrelevant. The officials have to throw the flag regardless of the situation. Watt extended his arm and grabbed the guy. It couldn't be a more perfect example of defensive holding. There were things the officials screwed up. As usual, they allowed Watt to be held. At least once, they let the tackle opposite him get away with taking a step back early, and it happened on the tying touchdown drive. The roughing the punter call was a joke. Stopping the clock for Washington before the half was a travesty.

Yes, I do believe the Steelers would have won the game if not for the defensive holding call against Watt. I also know it was the correct call.

 

I guess you can excuse blowing a 14-3 halftime lead to a 4-7 team because it should have been a 14-0 lead.

Bad call? Of course. But it wasn't the reason they lost. Take the 3 away, and Ben might still get picked at 17-17 with 2 mins left. It's not like they were gonna run the ball down the field and set up a FG.

 

I disagree. Andy Reid is a pretty good coach and I watched Hill lay down in the endzone with the ball on top of him that should have been a touchdown for KC but Reid nor anyone in the booth alerted him to the fact the ball never touched the ground. Just saying it happens to all coaches. A lapse in judgement.. But nice try

 

Wrong, he was talking to the ref after that play happened, he also talked to the media about saying he was telling the ref they didn't get it right.

 

I honestly don't believe Smith had any ill intentions and probably thought he was speeding up the process so the refs could get the K ball settled. It was a frantic rush and a split second decision. I doubt in his wildest dreams he thought the refs would be stupid enough to actually stop the clock. When has that ever happened at any level of football? Just an incredible gaffe by those bozo refs, who are somehow considered the best of the best.

 

That was an obvious hold. I wasn’t that mad about it though because if he doesn’t hold the running back there and the running back gets out of the backfield clean he’s more than likely going to score a touchdown.

 

If the situation were reversed, and JD McKissic reached out and got a one handed grab of TJ Watts jersey, do you think the refs call the holding the other way? I doubt it.

I wouldnt have been so bothered by the call, had the running back gotten into his route, or if Watt had gotten more of a hold on him. Watt got in the backfield so fast the back was hardly out of his stance. If they are going to call the split second, one handed, jersey grab, of a running back in the backfield a hold, then no game would be able to go 4 plays without a flag being thrown.

I'll bow out of this one. I am in the minority here. I still hated the call.

 

The holding call against Watt is all about the arm being out and getting a handful of jersey.
Watt was within the 5 yd chuck zone but reaching out and grabbing a guys jersey is defensive holding even if it is for a split second.
The same way an offensive lineman can lock onto the chest plate part of the shoulder pads and drive the D lineman all over the field, but as soon as his arm is outside the D lineman's shoulder he will get called every time.
It's also looked at if your pushing its blocking if your pulling its holding. That's maybe the simplest way of understanding the fine line between blocking and holding.

 

We all hated the call. The rest of us just know the official got it right.