I have no doubt refs have been instructed to make it hard for Gronk

Yet he's been called for OPI a number of times.

Buffalo has a "plan" to stop Gronk-Probably will try what the Giants did which works if they never call holding or PI on anyone covering Gronk.

The OPI's on him have been good calls. But, you're right. He gets held quite a bit with no call.

Yes, opi were good calls, he extended his arms. You are also right in that they hold and interfere with him a lot, and they are quite blatant on replays too.

patsfaninpa said:

The OPI's on him have been good calls. But, you're right. He gets held quite a bit with no call.

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This doesn't make any sense to me. If you get held constantly with no calls, the only way to counteract that is to bust through the holding. So in this context, the OPIs are all bad calls.

On OPI, I think the problem is that he's so big and strong that the little things most receivers do are simply more obvious with him. When Gronk pushes off against a DB, the DB stays pushed.

JMC00 said:

Yet he's been called for OPI a number of times.

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The Giants were so busy holding Gronk on that play that Tommy LomBrady coasted to a 1st down run.

JMC00 said:

Yet he's been called for OPI a number of times.

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No, that's not illegal contact or holding or anything. Nope, not at all.

I'm more upset that Gronk couldn't beat the coverage

I don't know how something that blatant isn't called but Butler was called for that OPI.

rexxar said:

I'm more upset that Gronk couldn't beat the coverage

I don't know how something that blatant isn't called but Butler was called for that OPI.

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I don't think Butler has ever been called for OPI. ;-)

According to BB yesterday, the straight interference (non pick play) call is determined by the advantage it gives to the defender or receiver. Apparently, to the NYJFL, having Gronk get both arms held down to his side as it was on a big 3rd down play last year in the playoffs vs the Ratbirds, or in the case above, getting held by two players down the field for 10-15 yards, isn't much of an advantage.

Hey, playing the Patriots is already unfair. The Patriots existence in and of itself is the highest form of cheating. All the league is doing is attempting to restore some semblance of competitive balance. You know integrity of the game and all that parroted jargon.

I think the refs were probably too busy staring at the football in Brady's hands trying to determine if it was missing 0.2 PSI or not, so they could eject him.

OPI is a point of emphasis this year. It's being called more often everywhere.

There is also a tendency to not call DPI when a smaller defender is covering a much larger pass catcher. Call it the Goliath bias, or whatever, but it is real and it is not new. Part of the Goliath bias is that a defender gets away with smacking a TE like Gronk or Chandler in the head, whereas on a smurf WR flags would fly in from all directions.

The bias would have been fixed by rule by now if, for example, Gronk played for a team coached or general-managed by a rules committee insider, like Jeff Fisher or Bill Polian.

Palm Beach Pats Fan said:

OPI is a point of emphasis this year. It's being called more often everywhere.

There is also a tendency to not call DPI when a smaller defender is covering a much larger pass catcher. Call it the Goliath bias, or whatever, but it is real and it is not new. Part of the Goliath bias is that a defender gets away with smacking a TE like Gronk or Chandler in the head, whereas on a smurf WR flags would fly in from all directions.

The bias would have been fixed by rule by now if, for example, Gronk played for a team coached or general-managed by a rules committee insider, like Jeff Fisher or Bill Polian.

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I think it was posted that the Patriots are getting called at nearly 2x the rate of the next closest team.

The funny part is if JE bumps one of the two guys mauling Gronk he would get called for OPI. Somehow that would be all the officials saw despite the blatant holding and IC going on, and the fact that he got redirected by a defender.

rexxar said:

Butler was called for ... OPI.

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Probably not EXACTLY what you meant to type.

Palm Beach Pats Fan said:

OPI is a point of emphasis this year. It's being called more often everywhere.

There is also a tendency to not call DPI when a smaller defender is covering a much larger pass catcher. Call it the Goliath bias, or whatever, but it is real and it is not new. Part of the Goliath bias is that a defender gets away with smacking a TE like Gronk or Chandler in the head, whereas on a smurf WR flags would fly in from all directions.

The bias would have been fixed by rule by now if, for example, Gronk played for a team coached or general-managed by a rules committee insider, like Jeff Fisher or Bill Polian.

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Thankfully you're owner has no clout with the referee's because he had no important role in ending their grievances and their lockout, it was instead a cheese company named Kraft and not the business venture man in lumber that ACTUALLY restored order in the league. Watch out for those glass houses. Robert Kraft Played Important Role In Ending NFL Referee Lockout

The holding committed by the New England offensive line... in general vs bills game 1 was as offensive as Rex stating he wants to build a bully in a league with anti-bullying commercials.

edit... you guys missed the sarcasm/joke. I live in New England, I know Robert Kraft has nothing to do with Cheese, he's in lumber and other ventures geeze... look at the joke there, it's a joke.... I'm inferring that it wasn't Pats owner Robert Kraft involved with resolving the stand-off instead IT WAS THE CHEESE COMPANY......... comprehend now?

It does seem like the Pats get called for far more OPI than any team in the league. 2013 Broncos would have been only like a top 10 offense if they had been called like the Patriots do. Ignoring any sort of league "integrity" issues Gronk faces the Shaq/LeBron problem of being so big and strong that he can absorb a lot of contact and it doesn't look that much. Although that particular play was an easy call.

Palm Beach Pats Fan said:

OPI is a point of emphasis this year. It's being called more often everywhere.

There is also a tendency to not call DPI when a smaller defender is covering a much larger pass catcher. Call it the Goliath bias, or whatever, but it is real and it is not new. Part of the Goliath bias is that a defender gets away with smacking a TE like Gronk or Chandler in the head, whereas on a smurf WR flags would fly in from all directions.

The bias would have been fixed by rule by now if, for example, Gronk played for a team coached or general-managed by a rules committee insider, like Jeff Fisher or Bill Polian.

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Last sentence says it all and more.
In marked contrast we have an owner who bends over backwards to cooperate with the NYJFL as they punish our team for an offense that did not happen. Nobody from the Pats ever on the competition committee as the Gang of 31 run free, unbridled, devising rule changes to hobble BB, Tom Brady and the Pats players and coaches. Our owner is more focused on acceptance by the 31 than on helping his team.

Now the Kraft apologists can again tell us just how much of a fan Bob is.

krist, does everyone suffer from the heartbreak of moronisiais in Buffalo? Kraft has NO CONNECTION with Kraft foods, you total imbecile.