Why are excessive flags blamed on officials rather than on players?

TexasHillbilly

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Don't freakin drop the ball. Don't freakin fall down covering a 9. Don't freakin miss the blitz.

Your solution is basically just "be better."
I guess so....or don't get caught. Not really sure why the calls are up, if thats the case. Defensive backfield holds have skyrocketed.

So what are they supposed to do? The only thing they can do is tell the refs not to call it. I think there is holding on just about every play and it is up to the Refs interpretation. Guess the blocking techniques will need to get better.

I am sure you have played football just like I have. I played OL and DL, tackle to be exact. Rarely got called for a hold. I did however knock several people on their *****. A push was much better than a hold...of course it was not at the NFL level so I am not an expert.
 

ABQCOWBOY

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C’mon man, we all know it’s not that black and white.

Yes Proximo, yes, excellent point. Indeed, it is not that simple. For starters, I don't think players are issued penalty flags as part of the standard uniform.

;)
 

blueblood70

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Let me clarify that I dislike flags and penalties as much as any other football viewer. They are frustrating and muck up the game.

That being said, the reason officials are throwing flags is because players are.......committing violations. What do you expect the officials to do, other than throw a flag when they see a violation?

To call for "fewer flags" would be to demand that officials willfully turn a blind eye to violations when they see them, which I think would be even more problematic than throwing many flags. The onus should be on the players to avoid breaking the rules, rather than on the officials to not enforce such rules. I'm sure there isn't a single Cowboys fan who is glad that the refs avoided flagging Deion for pass interference on Irvin in the 1994 conference title game, for instance, thinking "Well, at least the game wasn't bogged down by a PI flag."
BECAUSE THE REFS ARE SO INCONSISTENT LIKE THEIR BOSS RG..

it frustrates players and coaches when they cant figure out how refs call games from qtr to qtr let alone game to game..

It frustrates me, there are phantom calls, calls that for sure would be overturned after a replay and is not, some ticky tack roughing call pone play and totally dont throw flag on a egregious one..

its out of control..
 

JD_KaPow

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Let me clarify that I dislike flags and penalties as much as any other football viewer. They are frustrating and muck up the game.

That being said, the reason officials are throwing flags is because players are.......committing violations. What do you expect the officials to do, other than throw a flag when they see a violation?

To call for "fewer flags" would be to demand that officials willfully turn a blind eye to violations when they see them, which I think would be even more problematic than throwing many flags. The onus should be on the players to avoid breaking the rules, rather than on the officials to not enforce such rules. I'm sure there isn't a single Cowboys fan who is glad that the refs avoided flagging Deion for pass interference on Irvin in the 1994 conference title game, for instance, thinking "Well, at least the game wasn't bogged down by a PI flag."
Holding is in part a subjective call. If holding calls are up 66% this year, there are two possible reasons: (1) players suddenly started holding a whole lot more, or (2) the refs changed the threshold at which they throw flags for holding. It's pretty obviously the latter (since we know it was a point of emphasis). So yes, the officials are to blame for the increase in flags being thrown. What should the threshold for holding be? That's an open question, and if the NFL wants it to be stricter, then the refs are doing what their bosses want. But from the players' and fans' perspective, they're flagging things that used to be okay. It will take a while to adjust, one way or another. The refs will probably lighten up a bit and the players will adjust to the new environment a bit.
 

ItzKelz

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Let me clarify that I dislike flags and penalties as much as any other football viewer. They are frustrating and muck up the game.

That being said, the reason officials are throwing flags is because players are.......committing violations. What do you expect the officials to do, other than throw a flag when they see a violation?

To call for "fewer flags" would be to demand that officials willfully turn a blind eye to violations when they see them, which I think would be even more problematic than throwing many flags. The onus should be on the players to avoid breaking the rules, rather than on the officials to not enforce such rules. I'm sure there isn't a single Cowboys fan who is glad that the refs avoided flagging Deion for pass interference on Irvin in the 1994 conference title game, for instance, thinking "Well, at least the game wasn't bogged down by a PI flag."
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Whirlwin

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Yup remember that Green Bay offensive line technique that we could not believe wouldn't get called for holding is now finally holding. but there are a lot a real ticky tack calls that should not be called, let the players play
They usually do come playoffs. What one lost here and one lost day you don't even make the playoffs I know you know that yeah the whole thing's broken with the referees
 

Whirlwin

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Do we have full-time referees yet that we can hold accountable. Or we still have part-time detail guys
 

ArbynTX

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Seems pretty simple to me. Don't freakin hold.
Easier said than done. I think I in some cases holding is a response to the alternative of letting your QB get sacked or losing yards. In others it’s more than likely the player realizes he’s out manned due to position and has to compensate. Either way I think it’s a reflex.
 

Point-of-the-Star

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I think there is a conscious effort to keep games close. The League's goal is parity to maintain fan interest.

Say what you want about the PI in NO last year with the LAR but ask yourself ... "Is it in the League's interest to have a SB team from the LA area'? 2nd largest metro area in the US and without League representation for a long time. We're talking $$$$$$$$$$ here which is the goal of every owner and the League overall. A winner in LA developing a strong following and everyone wins. In NO ??? ... well they're established with a strong fanbase so ... meh !

I absolutely believe momentum is destroyed and advantages given by the refs (it only takes one on the crew). Outcomes are engineered even. When 2 teams are evenly matched (parity) it doesn't take much.

This is not near as evident on the collegiate level.
 

nightrain

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IMO, a flag should not be thrown unless it's a personal foul, pre-snap penalty or the infraction has an impact on the play. How many BS illegal contacts do we need to see from the backside of a play that have no bearing on its outcome.
 

Bohuntr97

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Do we have full-time referees yet that we can hold accountable. Or we still have part-time detail guys

They started with full time refs in 2017 with I think 21 and added a few more in 2018. However they suspended it this year due to labor negotiations.
 

John813

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Yea, the refs.

Would you like me to differentiate between refs and the league? Fine. But the point is that the players aren't doing anything different.

They still were holding. And some teams like the Packers teach their players to hold the shoulder pads intentionally.

It's just like speeding by a cop every day. Most times they let you go 10 over on the highway and pull over the guy going 15-20 over.

The following year they crack down on the guys going 10 over. Sure, they let it slide before, but the person was always speeding.

But I do get what you are saying.
 

Daktozekecoop

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But the reason there are more flags is that there are more and more new rules. The infractions are more and more nit picky. So there is naturally more and more reason that players have a harder time playing freely, within all these increasingly stringent rules.
 

skinsscalper

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This league lost a lot of veteran officials this past off-season. That has a lot to do with the problem, IMHO.
 

lockster

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Let me clarify that I dislike flags and penalties as much as any other football viewer. They are frustrating and muck up the game.

That being said, the reason officials are throwing flags is because players are.......committing violations. What do you expect the officials to do, other than throw a flag when they see a violation?

To call for "fewer flags" would be to demand that officials willfully turn a blind eye to violations when they see them, which I think would be even more problematic than throwing many flags. The onus should be on the players to avoid breaking the rules, rather than on the officials to not enforce such rules. I'm sure there isn't a single Cowboys fan who is glad that the refs avoided flagging Deion for pass interference on Irvin in the 1994 conference title game, for instance, thinking "Well, at least the game wasn't bogged down by a PI flag."
I blame it mostly on the league and their 1 million rule tulebook
 

Whirlwin

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They started with full time refs in 2017 with I think 21 and added a few more in 2018. However they suspended it this year due to labor negotiations.
I thought they were part-time referees last season also and I think the season before that
 

Established1971

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Let me clarify that I dislike flags and penalties as much as any other football viewer. They are frustrating and muck up the game.

That being said, the reason officials are throwing flags is because players are.......committing violations. What do you expect the officials to do, other than throw a flag when they see a violation?

To call for "fewer flags" would be to demand that officials willfully turn a blind eye to violations when they see them, which I think would be even more problematic than throwing many flags. The onus should be on the players to avoid breaking the rules, rather than on the officials to not enforce such rules. I'm sure there isn't a single Cowboys fan who is glad that the refs avoided flagging Deion for pass interference on Irvin in the 1994 conference title game, for instance, thinking "Well, at least the game wasn't bogged down by a PI flag."
thank you. Ive been saying the same thing. Now granted some of the penalties are called wrong, and some of the newer rules are bad rules, but yes still most penalties art simply because, duh, the players are committing them. Yet the knee-jerk reactions of our day is to focus blame on the refs for ruining the flow of the game.

And another point along this line that I was making in another thread, the tv coverage talks too much about it, if they were just more matter of fact about it we as the viewers would less frustration over it.
 
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