Does Sports Illustrated's cover photo show another missed call against Patriots?

[Mosby]

http://twitter.com/SInow/status/671725404483362816/photo/1


This week's Sports Illustrated cover is ... interesting?

Considering the hullabaloo over officiating in the Denver Broncos' 30-24 upset of the New England Patriots on Sunday — a storyline we've covered to death here on Shutdown Corner — the fine folks at SI picked a picture that could be interpreted as holding against Patriots defensive tackle Dominique Easley.

You wonder if the magazine's editors selected this photo from a pile of possible pics that could have landed on the front page, simply because it juxtaposed the game's main storyline — that Broncos backup quarterback Brock Osweiler improved to 1-0 against Tom Brady — against the sidebar story of officiating.

http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nfl-shutdown-corner/does-sports-illustrated-s-cover-photo-show-another-missed-call-against-patriots-134646470.html

[Scuba]

1. There's holding going on on every play. Get over it.

[yallerdawg]

2. Officiating is part of the game.

They could call a penalty on every down if they wanted. Game-changing calls get by all the time.

The Patriots shouldn't have allowed a 48 yard TD run in OT. Better yet, they shouldn't have allowed it to get close!

And I want an undefeated season, I want the Patriots to win the Super Bowl, I want Tom Brady to go down in history as the greatest quarterback of all time.

What game will be left if the outcome of each play is determined by slo-mo cameras and officials in a booth somewhere?

[fishwax]

3. If Easley has done a rip technique, then that isn't actually an illegal hold

You can't really tell from a single frame of a photograph. If I remember the play right, Easley used the rip technique, which means the offensive lineman having him around the neck like that wouldn't necessarily be illegal. The rip move basically forces the offensive lineman into a hold position, so there is an exception in the rules for holding in that case.

[joeybee12]

4. usual group of haters responding and saying nothing

Officiating has been dreadful this season. .wish SI had chosen a different game to highlight the issue. The jealous haters would be singing a different tune.