PATSNUTme

I've seen the play rerun many times. And here is the rule from the NFL Digest of Rules.

In my opinion (biased) he was clearly in the grasp. The play should have been whistled dead as a sack before he escaped and threw the ball which Tyree made the helmet catch. I won't get into the holding that took place during that play which was obvious.

Protection of Passer

1. By interpretation, a pass begins when the passer -- with possession of ball -- starts to bring his hand forward. If ball strikes ground after this action has begun, play is ruled an incomplete pass. If passer loses control of ball prior to his bringing his hand forward, play is ruled a fumble.
2. When a passer is holding the ball to pass it forward, any intentional movement forward of his arm starts a forward pass. If a defensive player contacts the passer or the ball after forward movement begins, and the ball leaves the passer’s hand, a forward pass is ruled, regardless of where the ball strikes the ground or a player.
3. No defensive player may run into a passer of a legal forward pass after the ball has left his hand (15 yards). The Referee must determine whether opponent had a reasonable chance to stop his momentum during an attempt to block the pass or tackle the passer while he still had the ball.
4. No defensive player who has an unrestricted path to the quarterback may hit him flagrantly in the area of the knee(s) or below when approaching in any direction.
5. Officials are to blow the play dead as soon as the quarterback is clearly in the grasp and control of any tackler, and his safety is in jeopardy.

SVN

honestly our D has let many QB's in their grasp and let them get away. boller in the ravens game comes to mind immediately.

Theplayer

he was never clearly in the grasp and control

pheenix11

Yeah they had his jersey but they never had him. Of course the fact that AD was held not once but twice on that play and the fact that Seymour was practically clotheslined made it pretty difficult to wrap him up. I'm all in favor of "letting them play" but there were 3 holds on that one play.

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cblesz

Seymour was held the ENTIRE game...why would they start calling it then?

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"Best coach in NFL history" - Tom Brady

roman_maroney

No, unfortunately he wasn't. Our team got punched in the mouth. That game couldn't have been called any better than it was. As a Pats fan for nearly 30 years, I don't know what I am more embarrassed by, the lack of intensity and focus by the organization and team this week, or the fans making excuses for it. I know I'm new to this forum, but it is astounding. The reason there are so many trolls is that we ourselves perpetuate the stereotype of the "Boston sports fan" with stuff like this.

Watson's IQ

The fact that there is no clear amount of time in the rule that a QB must be "grasped" in order for a whistle to blow suggests to me it's meant to be a judgment call of the officials. In my eyes, Eli wasn't in the grasp long enough (or securely enough) for me to believe they should have blown the whistle. Let the players play that late, those rules are intended to protect the QB, and something tells me Eli was fine with the refs not blowing it.

Let me put it this way: If the outcome was reversed, the the play was blown dead as a sack, the Giants failed to convert on 4th, and they lost the game, the Giants would have a much more legitimate cause for complaint than the one we have now. If the shoe was on the other foot, we would be in an uproar if they play HAD been whistled dead, which to me is all the evidence I need that the refs got it right.

Whether there was holding on the play is another matter.

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BradyManny

There were a couple BRUTAL holding calls on that play, but as I said in another thread, I'm not complaining about the refs on a nite when they were otherwise very strong. The Pats had their chance to get him, and they didn't. That's that. That's the difference between football immortality and a heartbreaker.

Watson's IQ

No one is making excuses for the Patriots' play. He asked a legitimate question with regards to the play. Calm down.

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xmarkd400x

In the Playoffs, the refs tend to (and should, IMO) let the players play. Eli was very close to 'in the grasp' but I think it was debatable. For a ref to throw a flag he has to know there was a penatly, not just assume one happened.

I would love for it to have been called, but I feel the correct call was made =(