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- Jun 3, 2014
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- junkman
Robert Quinn is a stud, who possesses a magical and optimal combination of strength, speed, leverage and technique which he utilizes to hunt for opposing QBs. There is no questioning this. But does the fact that he's a stud make it OK for opposing left tackles to hold him with impunity?
There's a technique I've been watching all year employed by the LTs who play the Rams. Seattle's Okung does it constantly. So does Staley from San Fran. But even though the Rams have benefited from 9 offensive holding penalties this year against the opposing OLs, I was shocked at how few were LTs facing Quinn. Here's the full list:
Anthony Collins, Tampa
Joe Staley, SF
Ryan Clady, Denver.
Yes, 3 times. That's it. Quinn has been held only 3 times all year.
So that's why it was shocking to me this week that they called 3 offensive holding penalties against the Denver OL, boosting the total for the year from 6 to 9. But this actually begs the question, where have these flags been all year?
http://www.nflpenalties.com/team/st-louis-rams?year=2014
In fairness, I don't expect the refs to call EVERY OL holding penalty against the opposition, maybe just the really egregious penalties. But when those egregious infractions occur and no flag is thrown, I become livid!
For the purposes of illustration, here't the particular technique that Clady was using all day against Quinn and the outside speed rush. It's the "stop moving your feet, but instead put your left hand across Quinn's chest or grab his arm as he's passing you" technique. I'm come up with the handy and pithy acronym for this, the SMUF-BIPYL-HAQ-COG-HAAH-PU technique. You can think of it either as martial arts employed by offensive lineman, or a sound you make when you have the flu.
But I digress... here's the technique in still shots, used twice in Denver's final drive in the game when there still was a theoretical chance that Denver could make a comeback.
1st and 10 at the 25 (after the bogus off-sides penalty against the Rams on the kickoff):
At the snap, it's clear Quinn is speed rushing. Clady looks like he's going to move his feet
~~
A blink later, Quinn is already even with Clady, and you can see SMUF-BIPYL-HAQ-COG-HAAH-PU at work. Quinn tries to rip, but Clady's arm is too high for this to be effective.
~~
Blink again, and Quinn has Manning in his sights, except that Clady has gone from SMUF-BIPYL-HAQ-COG-HAAH-PU to Jiu Jitsu.
~~
Blink one more time, and we have the final still. Jiu Jitsu is no longer the technique at work. Royce Gracie would be ashamed of this. Quinn's arms are flailed upwards and his head is being pulled back at his neck in what could only be described as a back alley mugging. You can see that Quinn has fought through the "blocking" and is right on top of Manning as he's ready to throw. Clearly, if not for the choke-hold, would clearly be a sack. You have to wonder, what was the ref looking at if not this?? This play wound up being a 15 yard pass and a first down for Denver at the 40. No flag.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Same drive (on the "pick a rib" play), Clady uses SMUF-BIPYL-HAQ-COG-HAAH-PU again. No comments this time, just pictures. But you can see same technique from another angle.
If this is not offensive holding, I clearly don't know what offensive holding is, which is why I had to come up with a new term for this technique. Since I clearly don't understand anything about proper blocking technique, I'll just say that even if SMUF-BIPYL-HAQ-COG-HAAH-PU is not illegal, it is most certainly dangerous.
It is a bit of karmic justice that this last sequence wound up as the "pick a rib" play. No flags at all. But nobody was really focused on Robert Quinn after this play who had been chocked and had his head dragged backwards for the 2nd time on the same drive.
Poor Quinn. Is it his fault that he's such a stud?
There's a technique I've been watching all year employed by the LTs who play the Rams. Seattle's Okung does it constantly. So does Staley from San Fran. But even though the Rams have benefited from 9 offensive holding penalties this year against the opposing OLs, I was shocked at how few were LTs facing Quinn. Here's the full list:
Anthony Collins, Tampa
Joe Staley, SF
Ryan Clady, Denver.
Yes, 3 times. That's it. Quinn has been held only 3 times all year.
So that's why it was shocking to me this week that they called 3 offensive holding penalties against the Denver OL, boosting the total for the year from 6 to 9. But this actually begs the question, where have these flags been all year?
http://www.nflpenalties.com/team/st-louis-rams?year=2014
In fairness, I don't expect the refs to call EVERY OL holding penalty against the opposition, maybe just the really egregious penalties. But when those egregious infractions occur and no flag is thrown, I become livid!
For the purposes of illustration, here't the particular technique that Clady was using all day against Quinn and the outside speed rush. It's the "stop moving your feet, but instead put your left hand across Quinn's chest or grab his arm as he's passing you" technique. I'm come up with the handy and pithy acronym for this, the SMUF-BIPYL-HAQ-COG-HAAH-PU technique. You can think of it either as martial arts employed by offensive lineman, or a sound you make when you have the flu.
But I digress... here's the technique in still shots, used twice in Denver's final drive in the game when there still was a theoretical chance that Denver could make a comeback.
1st and 10 at the 25 (after the bogus off-sides penalty against the Rams on the kickoff):
At the snap, it's clear Quinn is speed rushing. Clady looks like he's going to move his feet
~~
A blink later, Quinn is already even with Clady, and you can see SMUF-BIPYL-HAQ-COG-HAAH-PU at work. Quinn tries to rip, but Clady's arm is too high for this to be effective.
~~
Blink again, and Quinn has Manning in his sights, except that Clady has gone from SMUF-BIPYL-HAQ-COG-HAAH-PU to Jiu Jitsu.
~~
Blink one more time, and we have the final still. Jiu Jitsu is no longer the technique at work. Royce Gracie would be ashamed of this. Quinn's arms are flailed upwards and his head is being pulled back at his neck in what could only be described as a back alley mugging. You can see that Quinn has fought through the "blocking" and is right on top of Manning as he's ready to throw. Clearly, if not for the choke-hold, would clearly be a sack. You have to wonder, what was the ref looking at if not this?? This play wound up being a 15 yard pass and a first down for Denver at the 40. No flag.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Same drive (on the "pick a rib" play), Clady uses SMUF-BIPYL-HAQ-COG-HAAH-PU again. No comments this time, just pictures. But you can see same technique from another angle.
If this is not offensive holding, I clearly don't know what offensive holding is, which is why I had to come up with a new term for this technique. Since I clearly don't understand anything about proper blocking technique, I'll just say that even if SMUF-BIPYL-HAQ-COG-HAAH-PU is not illegal, it is most certainly dangerous.
It is a bit of karmic justice that this last sequence wound up as the "pick a rib" play. No flags at all. But nobody was really focused on Robert Quinn after this play who had been chocked and had his head dragged backwards for the 2nd time on the same drive.
Poor Quinn. Is it his fault that he's such a stud?