Ex-Falcons HC Mike Smith rules on Eagles' holding call that decided Super Bowl LVII (EXCLUSIVE)

An abiding image of Super Bowl LVII will be the holding call against Philadelphia defender James Bradberry during the two-minute warning. The call changed the complexion of the last few minutes. It brought the Kansas City Chiefs closer to the endzone and gave them a new set of downs, which allowed them to milk the clock. By the time the winning field goal was scored to give them a 38-35 victory over the Philadelphia Eagles, there were just a few seconds left.

It seemed like a soft penalty considering the ball was overthrown and the contact did not seem too severe. Given how significantly it changed the game, one could have argued that it was the wrong call to make.

However, if anyone has a perspective to offer, there is none better than Mike Smith, the winningest head coach of Atlanta Falcons' history. The former NFL coach said that it was a penalty that was correctly decided. Speaking exclusively to Sportskeeda's "The BallFather Podcast," he said,

"There was supposedly some drama at the end of the game there. I think we're in good hands and people are talking about the officiating of the ball game. Most of the people that are talking about it are the people that were rooting for the team that was wearing the green jerseys. There's no doubt about it. You know, I have a different take. I thought that it was officiated correctly on the defensive holding. And for people to come out and say at that point in the game, they can't make that call. That's not what officiating is all about. It's the officiating department, it's their job to call it if there's a foul. They need to call it. And that was obviously, in my opinion, a foul. In fact, the player came out and said, yes, I grabbed and tugged."

Mike Smith reaffirms that the Super Bowl LVII does not mean new rules

The point coach Mike Smith correctly emphasized is that the rules of football remain the same whether it is a preseason game or it is Super Bowl LVII. He pointed out,

"If it's a penalty, and we shouldn't be mentioning the score of the game, if it was a preseason game, or the Super Bowl, we want the games officiated the same way. Officials can't have it in their mindset about, oh, no, how big is this play going to be. That to me that ruins the integrity of the game."

It was a game-changing call in Super Bowl LVII, but the officiating crew did their job as they were supposed to.