did the 49 actually get called for any holds? - remember that big kapernick run and that guy #49 was it really held his man.

I always wonder about bias when it comes to the home team (and maybe the refs don't want to piss off the fans).

Originally Posted by: Dulak 

did the 49 actually get called for any holds? - remember that big kapernick run and that guy #49 was it really held his man.

I always wonder about bias when it comes to the home team (and maybe the refs don't want to piss off the fans).

Originally Posted by: Dulak 

A couple of things.. the coaches can say it all they want.. but flipping guys from one side to the other impacts their play.. especially when the competition is a pro bowl player like Justin Smith, that dude is a physical beast.

It was the first game.. and I think at least two of those calls were legit.. Sitton has to clean that up before we see these guys again.

People talk about Suh... but Justin Smith for my money is right there with the best defensive lineman in the league.

Originally Posted by: Pack93z 

There were many times he held inside the pads. Plain as day. Disappointing.

Originally Posted by: Zero2Cool 

Yeah, I don't get it. The holds were incredibly obvious, imo. Thinking otherwise is seeing things through green and gold glasses. Holds often could go either way, but Sitton definitely was blatantly holding several times.

Originally Posted by: DoddPower 

Blocking Lineman are permitted to grasp defenders inside the shoulder pads. What you saw was not illegal, it was OK.

From the NFL rule book: "Blocker cannot use his hands or arms to push from behind, hang onto, or encircle an opponent in a manner that restricts his movement as the play develops."

I think one of the calls on Sitton was obviously correct, as he got one arm outside of Smith's body and prevented lateral movement toward the ball carrier.
I thought another one of the calls was close, ticky-tack, or good acting by Smith... not sure.
One of them though (I believe it was the third one called, where Sitton through up his hands in disgust afterwards) seemed like a perfectly legal block to me. I can see why Clements and company would not agree with all of the calls.

Originally Posted by: StoicFire 

It's well known, but holding calls can almost always go either way, except for the incredibly obvious ones. I thought Sitton was holding on his penalties, but I wouldn't have been shocked to see them not called, either. Things always look a lot different when one is a few feet away at live speed. Much different, usually. As someone who has been an umpire for base ball and soft ball a lot, I can attest to that fact. It's very difficult. I can't imagine how hard it must be at NFL speed. If something is in the gray area, I'm not surprised if it's called or not called. In fact, I think there were several holding calls against the Packers that weren't called, but that didn't surprise me. It can go either way.

Originally Posted by: DoddPower