It's WAAAYYY Overdue - Holding Calls Should be 5 Yards

[Augie]

I think we should reconsider the forward pass. The game hasn’t been the same since they started allowing the forward pass. 

 

 

.

Edited December 9, 2022 by Augie

[Alphadawg7]

35 minutes ago, BuffaloBaumer said:

The fact that this penalty basically happens on EVERY SINGLE DOWN, isn't it ridiculous that it is still 10 yards? These penalties are drive killers and they ruin the offensive vibe immediately. I don't think I have ever heard this being brought up at owner's meetings and there is no reason that it should not be 5 yards. What am I missing here?

 

I totally agree that 10 yards is too much, and even hit agree to your OP...however...given how often holding does happen in the league, a more severe penalty is unfortunately necessary to avoid it being tried even more than it already is.  

 

It is an unfortunately a necessary evil that can't go away.  

[BuffaloBaumer]

37 minutes ago, Logic said:

I think 10 yard penalty is perfect.

As others have said, a sack usually results in the loss of 5-7 yards anyway. If it was only a five yard penalty, people would hold all of the time to save themselves the down.

The penalty has to be bad enough that teams don't do it on purpose.

If we want to talk about the enforcement or language of holding penalties, that's fine, but the penalty yardage for it is right on point, IMO.

Now....defensive pass interference? THAT should change. 45-yard penalties that decide game outcomes are ridiculous and should not happen.

 

Why can't the refs determine if the hold was leading to a sack then? I mean when it is a running play and a ticky tack holding call is made, away from the play, there should be a difference. It's very comparable to running into the kicker and roughing the kicker, just separate the two calls.

[mikemac2001]

12 minutes ago, BuffaloBaumer said:

 

Why can't the refs determine if the hold was leading to a sack then? I mean when it is a running play and a ticky tack holding call is made, away from the play, there should be a difference. It's very comparable to running into the kicker and roughing the kicker, just separate the two calls.

You want more judgement calls from these refs? And then you got qbs like Lamar allen mahomes that can avoid sacks.

 

adding to much confusion no point to adjust the rule 

[The Wiz]

26 minutes ago, Augie said:

I think we should reconsider the forward pass. The game hasn’t been the same since they started allowing to forward pass. 

I think two forward passes should be allowed on the same play.

 

Talk about scoring 😂

[wagon127]

It should be a loss of down. Hold on defense, automatic 1st down, hold on offense, you get to try again. Crazy.

[unbillievable]

Make it a spot foul with a loss of down.

 

That assumes that the player being held would have made the stop on the play, whether it was a run or sack.

[slipkid]

As long as we're airing our penalty grievances, the following scenario bothers me way more than it should:

• Offense has a third and four at the opponent's six yard line.
• Defense called for Offside.
• They mark the ball half the distance to the goal line, which I get, but it's now third and one at the three. It should be first and goal at the three with the penalty making up the yards toward the first down, like anywhere else on the field.

I'll put this on the agenda for the next owner's meeting. You're welcome.

[sullim4]

I've never liked offensive holding as a 10 yard penalty.  It is highly dependent on the officiating crew in terms of whether it is called, and it often has zero impact on the play unlike something like defensive pass interference where the ball is required to be catchable.

 

I have been watching football for 35 years and I still don't fully understand what rises to the level of a hold, versus what's considered legitimate.

 

The argument that it saves a sack... well, since 1993, the average loss of yardage on a sack is 6.5 yards.  That's a lot closer to 5 yards than it is 10 yards.  It also doesn't take into account holds on running plays, which might result in a 1-2 yard loss if the hold didn't take place and the runner is somehow caught behind the line of scrimmage.

[BearNorth]

What about a compromise, Offensive holding is a 5 yard penalty and loss of down, similar to intentional grounding or a sack.

 

 

[Bferra13]

1 hour ago, FrenchConnection said:

I have always wondered why defensive holding is 5 yards and offensive holding is 10 yards.

Because points = more viewers which in turn = more $$$$. That's my view at least why the rules are so slanted against the D. 

[ColoradoBills]

I'm in the "keep it at 10 yards" group.  I'm old enough to remember this:

 

https://www.footballzebras.com/2019/10/nfl100-90-year-old-rules-made-for-a-different-game/#:~:text=Big fouls %3D big yardage penalties&text=Up through 1977%2C a holding,was a 20-yard penalty!

Big fouls = big yardage penalties

Today, a holding penalty puts the offense in a difficult position to keep the drive alive. Up through 1977, a holding penalty almost assuredly killed a drive. A holding penalty used to be 15-yards, from the spot of the foul. So, if the offense held five yards behind the line of scrimmage, the hold actually was a 20-yard penalty! Starting in 1978, all illegal blocking fouls (except personal fouls) were reduced from 15 to 10 yard penalties.

[WhoTom]

36 minutes ago, sullim4 said:

The argument that it saves a sack... well, since 1993, the average loss of yardage on a sack is 6.5 yards.  That's a lot closer to 5 yards than it is 10 yards. 

 

Yeah, but the penalty also negates the play, so the O gets an extra down, which provides added incentive to commit the hold.

 

 

[SoCal Deek]

Five yard penalty on a running play.

Ten yard penalty when pass blocking. 

[TheWeatherMan]

2 hours ago, BuffaloBaumer said:

The fact that this penalty basically happens on EVERY SINGLE DOWN, isn't it ridiculous that it is still 10 yards? These penalties are drive killers and they ruin the offensive vibe immediately. I don't think I have ever heard this being brought up at owner's meetings and there is no reason that it should not be 5 yards. What am I missing here?

Just make every penalty except personal fouls, DPI and OPI a spot penalty plus or minus 5 yards.  So for holding it’s the place of the hold -5 yards.  

[El_diablo]

What about changing the pass interference rule like they have in college.  10 yards.

[K-9]

2 hours ago, Success said:

People would hold a lot more.  10 yards is just.

Especially when you consider that they seldom call it anymore when the hold wasn’t instrumental in the success of the play on which it was called. That wasn’t always the case and it was infuriating when it was called against a player that was never really involved in the play to begin with. 

[HardyBoy]

1 hour ago, The Wiz said:

I think two forward passes should be allowed on the same play.

 

Talk about scoring 😂

 

Only if you're still in the air after catching the ball (pretty sure I stole that from maybe nfl blitz?).

[PonyBoy]

2 hours ago, Logic said:

I think 10 yard penalty is perfect.

As others have said, a sack usually results in the loss of 5-7 yards anyway. If it was only a five yard penalty, people would hold all of the time to save themselves the down.

The penalty has to be bad enough that teams don't do it on purpose.

If we want to talk about the enforcement or language of holding penalties, that's fine, but the penalty yardage for it is right on point, IMO.

Now....defensive pass interference? THAT should change. 45-yard penalties that decide game outcomes are ridiculous and should not happen.

We all have seen wide open receivers drop passes. Agree, why 45 yard DPI, assuming the WR would catch it, they do drop them some times, especially as it would be contested. That's why the flag is thrown because of close coverage, not uncontested. 

[Uncle Monkeyhead]

3 hours ago, Success said:

People would hold a lot more.  10 yards is just.

That’s what I initially thought. But it doesn’t deter holding with it being 10 yards already. I see it on 90% of pass plays. I think the point here would be if 5 yards, then a ref will likely call it more being that it’s not  as game changing, but still negates the play and affects the offense’s drive. The main reason it’s not called now is that the nfl wants this dynamic passing league with highlights galore. So with 5 yard penalty, the offense still has a chance to make the next play a pass play. If on third down, 10 yards might cause some teams to punt. Whereas 5 yards might net another pass attempt, keeping the pass happiness league MO going.