Hobbs made contact with Reggie before the ball got there. When you look at the video its as plain as the nose on my face. I don't know what you people are looking at.
NFL: Hobbs call was correct
By Mike Reiss and Ron Borges, Globe Staff | January 28, 2007
NFL vice president of communications Greg Aiello clarified remarks regarding the pass interference call against Patriots cornerback Ellis Hobbs in the third quarter of the AFC Championship game.
The penalty -- which came on a second and 7 from the Patriots' 19-yard line -- gave the Colts a first down at the 1, and they subsequently scored, and made a 2-point conversion, to tie the score at 21-21.
Aiello said the penalty was the correct call because there was contact made by Hobbs. Had Hobbs not made contact, there should have been no penalty called for "face-guarding," which was the explanation given by CBS announcer Phil Simms.
"There is no such thing as face-guarding," Aiello said. "There must be contact to have a foul."
After the game, Hobbs said he had not made contact.
"I never touched him and the ball hit me in the back of the arm," Hobbs said.
Well, it can't be both. Methinks the NFL should clarify. Until then, I'll go with Greg Aiello's OFFICIAL announcement over Ellis Hobbs.
One story is dated Jan 28th, and immediately after the game (perfect CYA time). The other is dated in late July. You side with the one dated earlier because it suits you, not because it is reasonable to do so. Why would Hobbs lie? It wouldn't be difficult at all for a media member to confirm the letter story, so he would still just deny making contact rather than adding that piece.
As I said in the link above, I wasn't all that upset about that call on its own. It is how that call was made in relation to the others where Indy defenders made about 500X more contact without getting flagged - one time it was actually the NE
receiver who was called - when Polian specifically preached to the refs about paying attention to defensive contact.
Colt's line holds no more or less than any other line. Pure fantasy on your part. I have yet to see this supposed "holding" mentioned anywhere but here. Watch Dwight Freeney on every play. The way he gets held is downright CRIMINAL.
I have no doubt that Dwight is held regularly. But with regard to your claim that Indy doesn't hold more than any other team, my eyes don't agree. Since 2003, I have only seen one game where *any* team held as much as Indy does
every time they face NE (caveat: of course I am talking mostly of NE games here). That was the Giants in 2003, who literally held at least one defender on every single play from scrimage in the first half with nary a call made. It was a tremendously frustrating game to watch.
That said, I brought up Indy's propensity to have OLs be dragging behind defenders for this reason: If instead of getting away with IC in the 2003 AFCCG NE got away with an incredible amount of OL holding while Indy was muscling WRs around
you can be damn sure that the focus of the competition committee would have been OL holding. Polian's "concern for the purety of the game" is a complete and total farce.
First of all, why is it ok for NE to bend the rules as they see fit but not ok for the Colt's to complain about it? Are the Patriots immune to the rule book? I don't think so. Also, the Colt's weren't the only team complaining about the pats blatant rulebreaking. IIRC, St. Louis and Philly also complained about it. So don't lay it all at Polians feet.
Philly was not involved in that, but StL was. However, this does not help your cause at all because they were in the same position as Indy - offensive team that lost to NE.
And just so you know, there are plays from every single game that are sent to the league for review, quitely behind the scenes. I am sure that NE submits plenty of these every year, so it is not
complaining, per se, that bothers me. It is the open politicing to every single person that was willing to listen when Indy got away with just as much crap. Just
different crap, so let's not talk about that. Indy fans love to play the moral card, but Polian would still be complaining today (without stopping since) had Indy been on the bad end of the calls in the 2006 AFFCG.
You are a fan of Indy. Your team just won the SB so I am sure that you are on that confident plateau that leads you to believe and disparaging word about the Colts is jealousy on behalf of the speaker. However, I have been saying all of this for quite some time. Indy gets away with just as much as any other team, but Polian absolutely abuses his influence on the competition committee to ensure that the rules that are most strictly followed are the ones that aid his team. There is no way anyone could deny that.
