There was a significant drop in holding penalties called in NFL games this Sunday after a conference call between senior vice president of officiating Al Riveron and referees.
The backlash from players — most notably Tom Brady — and fans likely caused this meeting to happen sooner rather than later.
According to ESPN Stats and Information, officials called for offensive holding 41 times across 14 games Sunday, averaging 2.9 per game. Throughout the first 33 games of the season, there were 188 such flags for a rate of 5.7 per game.
Brady was one of several players who found the surplus of flags to be infuriating. He took to Twitter while watching last Thursday’s game between the Titans and the Jaguars – where 10 flags for just offensive holding were called – to express his frustrations, writing “I’m turning off this game I can’t watch these ridiculous penalties anymore.”
That game was described by ESPN as the last straw for immediate change.
It’s not the first time Riveron has held a conference call with referees to discuss certain issues during the season, but this one had an immediate and noticeable impact. Riveron focused on the offensive holding call, which was highlighted prior to the season as a penalty to be more diligent about calling.
During Saturday’s call, Riveron instructed referees to continue emphasizing the need for offensive linemen to immediately move their blocks inside the frame of the defender if they initiate the block outside. But on front-side and other blocks, Riveron counseled them to allow for more time to get inside the frame.
The first two weeks of the season saw officials throw 178 flags for offensive holding, a 66 percent increase from the same time last year.