NFL: Hobbs call was correct

NFL vice president of communications Greg Aiello clarified remarks regarding the pass interference call against Patriots cornerback Ellis Hobbs in the third quarter of the AFC Championship game.

The penalty -- which came on a second and 7 from the Patriots' 19-yard line -- gave the Colts a first down at the 1, and they subsequently scored, and made a 2-point conversion, to tie the score at 21-21.

Aiello said the penalty was the correct call because there was contact made by Hobbs. Had Hobbs not made contact, there should have been no penalty called for "face-guarding," which was the explanation given by CBS announcer Phil Simms.

"There is no such thing as face-guarding," Aiello said. "There must be contact to have a foul."

After the game, Hobbs said he had not made contact.

"I never touched him and the ball hit me in the back of the arm," Hobbs said.

According to a source close to Richard Seymour, the Patriots' defensive lineman will have an arthroscopic procedure on his knee to clean up some old damage as well as some new damage. Seymour was the lone Patriot selected for the Pro Bowl but said Friday he would not participate in the game, which is Feb. 10 in Hawaii.