All this BS over the fact that the Bears kicker failed to use a high enough trajectory, and the Bears blocked three Packers into the middle, creating a wedge rush that was legal. All three Packer players were trying to gain access to the kicker, not directly pushing each other.'
If their rush was illegal, I'd venture a guess that at least 2/3 of the middle rushes are illegal, and you wouldn't even be allowed to try to make a block except on the outside.
It seems like way too many fans like to point out one play in a game and say that's why their team lost. Obviously, they don't realize that during the course of the game, there are a lot of penalties that happen and aren't called. Just those that are obvious, and usually those that directly impact a play are flagged.
It's like Howie Long has said, repeatedly. "If you follow the exact words of what offensive holding is, you'd have to call it on every down."
I agree with him. You shouldn't have to play poorly enough that you end up blaming an official, or crew of officials, for not making a call you feel should have been made.
Exactly.
If you follow holding to the exact letter of the law, you're calling it every play. In fact, you can conclusively see the Bears holding our DL in an attempt to prevent them from blocking that very kick.
If you follow "illegal pushing" to the exact letter, there's no more gang tackles. If you help your teammate bring a guy to the ground, it's a penalty.
Trying to block a kick? Every player better stick exactly to their own individual gap. If your gap gets closed down, you might as well sit the rest of the play out as there's no way for you to engage the play without "pushing" or "lifting" (lol) your teammate.
If you're on offense and want to help the ballcarrier "fall forward" in a pile, you're "aiding the runner" and it's a penalty.
And so on. It's just a ridiculous way to try and view the game and it would ruin the sport if we all looked at it like this.
Far be it from me to suggest that NFL referees are perfect (or even particularly good much of the time), but there always has been - and IMO always should be - a human element that allows for some discretion. Broadly speaking, most of these rules are in place so as to prevent giving yourself an unfair advantage, putting your opponent at an unfair disadvantage, or putting yourself and/or your opponent at risk. In that sense, for example...yes, there's holding on every play. But does it occur on every play to such a degree that it puts Team A at a distinct advantage and/or Team B at a distinct disadvantage? I'd say no. That's why we all understand there's a particular "threshold" before you'll get whistled for it.
And so the same is true here. Did Van Ness create an unfair advantage for the Packers, or put Chicago at an unfair disadvantage? I'd say no. I don't think he's doing anything on that play that's allowing Brooks to do something he couldn't have/wasn't already doing by himself. Did he put himself, his teammates, or the opponent at risk? Not any more than is inherent to the game.
All that to say: it's a common-sense no-call.
