onegameatatime

If there is a big flaw in the great game of football, the arbitrary nature of PI calls is it. These can be freakin' 45-yard penalties, not reviewable, and often quite arbitrary.

The Pats got really jobbed twice -- the call on Hawkins and the no-call on the play against Chad Jackson. Some said there were bad calls the other way, but I'm not sure what they had in mind.

The league really should do something, whether it's allowing replay and/or changing it to a 15 yard penalty and accepting that there will be some take-downs.

BradfordPatsFan

I've posted before that I officiate several sports and one of the first things you are taught is "common sense officiating". That is, sometimes you need to trust your eyes, not the rule book.

Yes, to the letter of the law, Hobbs may have committed PI on one or two occasions today. However, if you let the play unfold and watch the result, in other words, see the whole play, then you see that there probably wasn't PI. The Hawkins play was just pathetic. No intention of "interfering", he made a good play.

As for the "holding" call, you also should look at it this way, Hobbs has a cast on his wrist. Can he hold anyone with that hand? Important question to answer since that is the hand he supposedly "held" with. I agree that "illegal contact" was probably the better call, and while that may be semantics to some, it is important because I do not believe he was yet 5 yards down field. The Bears had 1st and goal inside the 5 and the contact came at the goal line. In fact, my first reaction was, "They cannot be calling illegal contact on this play." Sure enough they didn't but if you know the players and the situation, you should have known that a "hold" was very unlikely also.

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Michael

Very reminiscent of the the call on Samuel going into the half in the Denver playoff game. Complete b.s. 10 points awarded to Chitcago for nothing. But, they won despite the incompetent *cough* corrupt *cough* officials.

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poppabear721

You know.. I will freely admit that I am a Pats " homer" . If we get the better end of a call, so be it. Been a Pats fan for 20 + years, and suffered through some horrible seasons. BUT... I will also admit when we should have gotten a flag. I dont want to see a game decided by a flag. The refs should never decide a game. That being said, the Pats have been targeted all season, starting with " excessive celebration" and " taunting". Hell, the Pats have been targeted for a few seasons going back to the playoffs at the Razor with Indy. The PI flags today were a complete load of crap. Lately, I have grown tired of MLB because of the disparity among the teams. But.. with the NFL, we are supposed to believe that any team can beat any other team on any given sunday, right? How the hell are we supposed to believe that when there is obvious collusion among the NFL to flag " Patriot " football?? There seems to be a mutual decision to make sure the Colts are in the playoffs every year. But seriously, ever take a look at their schedule? Media whore Manning has to be seen in the playoffs every year, and then choke as soon as the Colts play a real team. Good thing I dont believe in conspiracy theories.. Id think the fix is in...........

shakadave

Yes, you're right. The PI on Hawkins was the worst PI call I've ever seen. I don't claim to be a rules expert in any way, shape, or form, but on that play even I could see that Hawkins did nothing wrong. He got position. He never touched the receiver --- the receiver touched his arms. He looked back.

I checked the rule book, and Rule 118. A. III. clearly states: "If an offensive team, that team in possession of the ball, chucks up a bomb against the Patriots and said team's receiver fails to catch it or in any way gain possession of it, then it shall be deemed pass interference against the Patriots."

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