NFL Refs Set Record For Most Penalties Called In A Season

[RamsOfCastamere]

But but don't we want the holding calls against Aaron Donald...and and that hold on Josh Reynolds at the end of the Eagles game?

 

[1maGoh]

The NFL needs to take a stand on STOPPAGES for the good of the game. It's not fun to watch FLAG FLAG COMMERCIAL FLAG REVIEW FLAG COMMERCIAL FLAG FLAG etc etc.

Since commercials need to be there for income, it's crucial they control what they can control which is the referee-dominated outcomes of just about every game. Trying to get everything perfect is in opposition to a smooth and easy viewing of the product. They need to be looking for a balance there IMO.

Blame the players not playing right. Don't blame the refs. The refs aren't calling enough rule violations, so the players are emboldened to violate more rules, of which the refs only call a fraction but it's still an increase. If players stopped committing fouls, refs would have nothing to call. If refs called more fouls, players would try harder not to commit them. And then we'd see less flags.

The phantom penalties called by the refs are a problem, but it's ignoring or being unable to see blatant penalties that's the real problem. It encourages players to try and get away with more. That's the real increase in flags.

 

[MTRamsFan]

 

[Merlin]

Blame the players not playing right. Don't blame the refs.

I don't blame the refs for the overall numbers, and I didn't blame them above. Some of them suck, some crews are a bit flag happy, granted.

But the problem as I see it is every year the rules committee keeps putting more and more on them, and the incidence of those things on top of the typical calls has resulted in a level of ref control of the game that negatively affects the product on the field. No to mention all the reviews of just about every effing thing that happens on the field that matters, in the quest to get everything perfect.

My point is that the NFL needs to look at the product on the field and realize the stoppages are a problem. But they don't, or they haven't, because those stoppages mean commercial breaks. Queue up an older NFL game and you'll see a product that is far better than what we have today, in spite of all the advances in technology, simply because while they had the potential to F up major calls the pace of the game was smoother for the viewer. IMO.

 

[Mojo Ram]

I've got no excuses. It's bad and everyone knows it's bad. It's the evolution of the game and if you believe it's a better product to watch as a fan than it was just 10-15 years ago you're either making excuses or weren't around when the NFL game was probably at it's best in terms of game flow and integrity.

Its hard to watch unless you're that fan who's checking Red Zone for FF updates on your cell phone.

 

[1maGoh]

I've got no excuses. It's bad and everyone knows it's bad. It's the evolution of the game and if you believe it's a better product to watch as a fan than it was just 10-15 years ago you're either making excuses or weren't around when the NFL game was probably at it's best in terms of game flow and integrity.

Its hard to watch unless you're that fan who's checking Red Zone for FF updates on your cell phone.

I've honestly never once thought about the flow of the game with the exception of maybe a fluke turnover, one play TD drive, kickoff, challenge (or some other such nonsense) sequence. Maybe team a timeout, team b timeout, TD, kickoff too. But really it doesn't bother me generally.

Is this possibly some "everything was better when I was younger someone" kicking in? And I'm not trying to be disrespectful either (I am quite the master at being disrespectful, so sometimes it happens on accident). The stoppages for penalties don't bother me at all as long as the penalty is right.

 

[Mojo Ram]

I've honestly never once thought about the flow of the game with the exception of maybe a fluke turnover, one play TD drive, kickoff, challenge (or some other such nonsense) sequence. Maybe team a timeout, team b timeout, TD, kickoff too. But really it doesn't bother me generally.

Is this possibly some "everything was better when I was younger someone" kicking in? And I'm not trying to be disrespectful either (I am quite the master at being disrespectful, so sometimes it happens on accident). The stoppages for penalties don't bother me at all as long as the penalty is right.

No offense taken. See though, i think the game was better 10-15 yrs ago than it was 20-25 yrs ago...so that "older is always better" thing doesn't apply here.

As a fan when i watch Rams games it's it's own thing(pure emotion and adrenaline) , but as a fan who also watches other games too(for the last 40 yrs), i can pay more attention to the product the NFL is giving me and things like game flow is much more transparent.

This product is a flag infested, stop and go, analysis paralysis, rule debating, momentumless slog. The NFL was NEVER like this before. Then there are the commercials, but i get that and we kinda have to live with that. I do like how they're split screening the 30 second commercial in there now, although i don't know if that really means we're getting less overall breakaways.

I stopped watching the flag(whistle) infested NBA years ago for very much this same reason that the NFL is suffering from. Other reasons too, like integrity.

Baseball has the advantage of full innings only stopped by pitching changes for the most part. Umpires get ripped for strike zone stuff but those crews are invisible. Unfortunately i'm not a big fan of televised MLB unless it's playoff time.

Hockey still flows. Referees still try to stay out of it if they can and it is a fast and physical sport.

The NBA and NFL are hard to watch anymore. Referee face time is out of control .

 

[Merlin]

Is this possibly some "everything was better when I was younger someone" kicking in? And I'm not trying to be disrespectful either (I am quite the master at being disrespectful, so sometimes it happens on accident). The stoppages for penalties don't bother me at all as long as the penalty is right.

I think where it's appropriate to the owners is when they look at their product vs other sports. NFL still reigns supreme in viewership, but if they keep going like they have that is going to change. NHL is my favorite product in terms of smoothness and viewability of the product without a bunch of BS stoppages. Their reviews are terrible in terms of time it takes but the product overall is fast when penalties are levied, with a guy pulled off ice and play continuing. The game itself is fast and exciting, back and forth with a smooth viewing experience.

If I were on the NFL side of things I'd be doing everything I can to put a clock on reviews that speeds it as much as possible. Like a hand-held device that gives the head ref all the views so he can quickly and intuitively rewind and verify their call was good when in question among the group. Or add another ref to the crew that performs that function and serves under the crew lead there on the field not in a booth.

With penalties I'd be trying to simplify what they have to look at in real time, not increase it every offseason. The easier you make their job the better they'll do it.

 

[OldSchool]

Maybe teams should stop committing them then?

The problem with this is you’re assuming penalties called are in fact actually penalties. Don’t assign this all to players and coaches, in this instance it takes three parties to tango.

 

[LesBaker]

I've got no excuses. It's bad and everyone knows it's bad. It's the evolution of the game and if you believe it's a better product to watch as a fan than it was just 10-15 years ago you're either making excuses or weren't around when the NFL game was probably at it's best in terms of game flow and integrity.

I don't think it's the flow or integrity.

I think the refs missed as many calls 10, 15, 20, 25 and so on years ago. We as viewers didn't get multiple angles of each play that was considered just ordinary.

And commercials. They are a big deal.

Is this possibly some "everything was better when I was younger someone" kicking in?

Well, it's a fact that is true about so many things.

You'll understand that eventually.

The NBA and NFL are hard to watch anymore. Referee face time is out of control .

IMO the NBA is more watchable than ever! Outside shooting is better than ever, or at least it feels/seems that way. Hard and dirty physical play has been reduced, which it should be in a sport like this which is based on movement and athleticism versus knocking people around, and rules have changed to allow the sport to spread itself over the entire playing surface.

There is a reason the TV contracts went through the roof.

NHL is my favorite product in terms of smoothness and viewability of the product without a bunch of BS stoppages.

One thing I will tell you before I respond is that I don't watch hockey.

Also I dunno if "viewability" is a real word LOL.

I think that goes into the Don King Bucket of Made up Words.

One of the things that is fantastic about basketball is the urgency. You have 24 seconds to inbound the ball, move it up the court and attempt a shot. I think that makes it as easy to watch as any sport. IMO the best athletes are playing ion the NBA.

So there is the one thing. But I worked in a few others hahaha.

 

[Angry Ram]

So my team can make 2 outstanding defensive plays and force a team into 3rd and long, than my CB or LB tug a guy for half a second less than 5 yds downfield and that’s an automatic first down?

Sorry but that’s just a lack of understanding and rewarding/bailing out a team that doesn’t deserve it. To me it’s one of the wotst penalties I see called in the game today. Like I said, if it’s 3rd and less than 10 yds I might not be as lenient but on 3rd and 18 you can’t reward a team if it’s a ticky tack holding call. To me it should be an obvious infraction to throw a flag in that situation and give a team an automatic first down.

Man up and stop them on the next set of downs. Hold them to a field goal. Score on your next offensive drive.

The problem with this is you’re assuming penalties called are in fact actually penalties. Don’t assign this all to players and coaches, in this instance it takes three parties to tango.

Well, I'd also say many penalties calls were actually legit. Refs will get calls wrong, and as Les mentioned the at home audience didn't have 100s of angles and super slo mo. Does anyone believe they were perfect in the "good ole days?"

I've got no excuses. It's bad and everyone knows it's bad. It's the evolution of the game and if you believe it's a better product to watch as a fan than it was just 10-15 years ago you're either making excuses or weren't around when the NFL game was probably at it's best in terms of game flow and integrity.

I watched 10-15 years ago. Feels exactly the same to me.

Its hard to watch unless you're that fan who's checking Red Zone for FF updates on your cell phone.

Now that's an unfair generalization. As someone who has RedZone and a FF player, I enjoy the full games just as much. I can switch to RedZone and see other games rather than the 1000th iteration of the Cowboys/Redskins game of the week.

 

[Mojo Ram]

Now that's an unfair generalization.

There's no such thing as an unfair generalization. It's a generalization. It may not apply to you personally.

The fan who follows the NFL primarily via Red Zone and highlights doesn't care about or is unaware of the flow of a 3 hour sit down game.

 

[1maGoh]

Well, it's a fact that is true about so many things.

You'll understand that eventually.

It's a product of perception as you age. There was a thing about it (I can't find it right now), with general age ranges and the common perception of the world during those ages. Basically as you get older you progress through these stages of what the world was like, is like, or should be like. And it's common across all generations.

Pretty much everybody, regardless of age, looks at how the world was in their late teens and twenties as the perfect time in the world. That's how it should be. Earlier than that and the world hadn't reached perfection yet because older people wouldn't let go of what they wanted, later and it had changed too much.

It has nothing to do with the quality of things at that time and everything to do with how humans perceive the world around them at that age. Things may or may not have been better when you were younger, but you have a preference for it anyway because that's what humans do.

It's why people get frustrated at kids and say "back when I was your age...!"

 

[OldSchool]

Well, I'd also say many penalties calls were actually legit. Refs will get calls wrong, and as Les mentioned the at home audience didn't have 100s of angles and super slo mo. Does anyone believe they were perfect in the "good ole days?"

I never said there weren't legit calls. What I said was you implied it was on the players to not commit penalties which at it's base is true. But that's assuming the officials call the game correct and call it the same for both teams. Which we've all seen isn't the case. What makes that even worse is when they get a call wrong on the field, go to review it and get it wrong again actually having the "100's of angles and super slo mo". If they got those calls right I'd maybe have sympathy for them. If they called the game evenly i'd have sympathy for them. Until then they're just as much to blame for this stat as the players. Beside isn't the head in the sand take on this that officials don't influence games with their calls? Guess it doesn't matter how many calls or what calls they make in the end then.

 

[majrleaged]

so you guys are complaining there are too many penalties and the game suffers from it and now you want to be able to review a penalty? So now the game takes 4 hours rather than 3? lol

So my team can make 2 outstanding defensive plays and force a team into 3rd and long, than my CB or LB tug a guy for half a second less than 5 yds downfield and that’s an automatic first down?

Sorry but that’s just a lack of understanding and rewarding/bailing out a team that doesn’t deserve it. To me it’s one of the wotst penalties I see called in the game today. Like I said, if it’s 3rd and less than 10 yds I might not be as lenient but on 3rd and 18 you can’t reward a team if it’s a ticky tack holding call. To me it should be an obvious infraction to throw a flag in that situation and give a team an automatic first down.

May be the CB should keep his hands from holding. The stupidity is holding and saying yes, but it was only a little hold. Call them all. What ever is in the rules. Mabe then the coaches will stop coaching them to hold cause they won't call them all. Or right it in rules. I dont care. Just call what's in the rules everytime.

 

[yrba1]

Not high enough considering the amount of non-calls all season. Refs should be consistent; in the short-run, it'll piss off fans here-and-there but will encourage players to refrain from shitty habits.

 

[Mikey Ram]

No offense taken. See though, i think the game was better 10-15 yrs ago than it was 20-25 yrs ago...so that "older is always better" thing doesn't apply here.

As a fan when i watch Rams games it's it's own thing(pure emotion and adrenaline) , but as a fan who also watches other games too(for the last 40 yrs), i can pay more attention to the product the NFL is giving me and things like game flow is much more transparent.

This product is a flag infested, stop and go, analysis paralysis, rule debating, momentumless slog. The NFL was NEVER like this before. Then there are the commercials, but i get that and we kinda have to live with that. I do like how they're split screening the 30 second commercial in there now, although i don't know if that really means we're getting less overall breakaways.

I stopped watching the flag(whistle) infested NBA years ago for very much this same reason that the NFL is suffering from. Other reasons too, like integrity.

Baseball has the advantage of full innings only stopped by pitching changes for the most part. Umpires get ripped for strike zone stuff but those crews are invisible. Unfortunately i'm not a big fan of televised MLB unless it's playoff time.

Hockey still flows. Referees still try to stay out of it if they can and it is a fast and physical sport.

The NBA and NFL are hard to watch anymore. Referee face time is out of control .

Two things that I really get iritated about are: In a passing play that is broken up, the flag only comes in after the receiver has jumped up throwing his arms around begging for a call and even more irriating os 4 or 5 officials huddling up amd pointing for 45 seconds to a minute only to end up calling a false start or encroachment...Come on, how hard is it ???

 

[1maGoh]

Two things that I really get iritated about are: In a passing play that is broken up, the flag only comes in after the receiver has jumped up throwing his arms around begging for a call and even more irriating os 4 or 5 officials huddling up amd pointing for 45 seconds to a minute only to end up calling a false start or encroachment...Come on, how hard is it ???

Right? If your calling the game straight, what's the discussion about?

 

[Mojo Ram]

Two things that I really get iritated about are: In a passing play that is broken up, the flag only comes in after the receiver has jumped up throwing his arms around begging for a call

Similar to the NBA thing where when a superstar takes a contested shot/layup and the ref waits to see whether the shot goes in or not. If missed he'll blow the late whistle for sure. If made, the ref will not blow the whistle. Fuck is that? It's either a foul or it isn't. It's agenda based refereeing that's what it is.

Same shit creeping into the NFL but the agenda is always team momentum.

 

[Karate61]

Years ago, '80s & '90s, complaints about officiating were about 2-3 games per season. These days it is like a miracle just to have one game officiated well.

And that's the fact, Jack!