Hate this call....

I think the negative result FAR outweighs the penalty...I absolutely hate this call.

I was watching the game on TV yesterday at a sports bar, and the Falcons game was on next to ours. A similar call in each game happened about 3 minutes apart.

In ours, it's 3rd and about 16, and Vonn Bell breaks through for a beautiful delayed blitz.

4th and 25 and they have to punt.

However, there is a flag. The penalty is a 5 yard defensive holding penalty......AND AUTOMATIC FIRST DOWN!!!!!

What in the heck is that?????

They were 3rd and 14.....I'm fine with the penalized yards if we did the hold......but why the AUTO first down coupled on top.

Make it 3rd and 11 and do it again.

Fortunately, we stuffed them the next 3 plays.

Cards had the same situation, where a 3rd and long stop is BAILED out by a wussy defensive holding call for an AUTOMATIC first down.
Falcons promptly scored, and took a 4 point game (and punting to Arizona) to a 11 point lead and game over.

The players are celebrating getting them off of the field....meanwhile the refs are giving them a clean slate for doing nothing but getting "held".

Both teams literally did nothing to earn the first, but were gift wrapped it.

I'm fine with the call, and the yardage mark off, and the replay of the down at the new distance, but the automatic first is way too severe of a punishment where the WR is initiating contact and the CB grabs something just battling.

Penalties have yardage assigned, so that should be the determining factor whether it's a first or not.

Not some penalties arbitrarily assigned as yardage and automatic firsts, while others are just yardage.

This isn't a ref complaint, it's a rules complaint.