Why penalties have become so mind numbing

[Blackrain]

First of all, I’m not the kind of guy who blames the refs for ANY loss. EVER. Good teams overcome all obstacles including bad calls, so this post isn’t about us “getting screwed by the refs”. This post is actually about why the refs are screwing every team in the NFL with bad calls.

The reason IMO is actually pretty simple: The NFL can’t clearly define their rules which makes them hard to enforce.

I mean seriously, who knows what a catch is anymore? What really constitutes pass interference? Offensive holding? They could call it every play but for some strange reason it is only called once in a strange while. And roughing the passer? I challenge anyone to explain how that rule is being enforced this year. The list of unclear rules and enforcement could go on and on....

If this is ever going to get better, the NFL needs to simplify their rules. I’ve been watching NFL games since 1964, and trust me when I say games in the 60s-90s were much less dominated by strange penalties that made people scratch their heads. Sure you got bad calls- like the ridiculous call against Benny Barnes in SB XIII...but I digress.

Bottom line- the bad calls we are seeing in mass quantities are a direct result of the NFLs poor job of clearly defining its rules. It needs some serious work!

Im not a conspiracy theorist but I agree with KSK there are some pretty evident patterns . That said In the 60s through the 90s guys would sit at the lunch table and talk about the great plays made in the games and very little about the bad calls the refs made. In TODAYS WORLD the poor officiating dominates football conversations and the great plays take a back seat .

This tells me the NFL has it wrong and are going to lose fans no matter what type of pass happy score fest they turn the game into all people want to talk about is how some official made a bad call that ruined the game .

 

[Blackrain]

Are you saying that the officials blatantly made calls to keep that one close? If so, can you elaborate on how?

Please read the last sentence Although the taunting penalty could have changed the game but it happened so close to the end would not have affected the viewing audience for a substantial period of the game

That was a great game that need no tweeking by the refs

 

[MarcusRock]

Please read the last sentence

I see. You must have added it just before I hit reply.

 

[kskboys]

Agreed when games especially prime time games start to be a run away the refs call enough holding so the underdog scores before half time and people continue to watch .

Sponsors are paying for viewers to see there products blowouts decrease the viewing audience so things have to be kept interesting .

Take our last game against the Giants in the biggest market in the world bet everybody watched that to the end because it was a nail biter . Some games are so good they don't have to get involved

There is just so much evidence that calls are being made to keep games close.

 

[SlammedZero]

Roughing the QB is the one that really frustrates me anymore. What are these players supposed to do to sack a QB? It's ridiculous. I think there are those obvious plays where you can tell that the player was probably too rough with the QB, fine call those, but stop calling these basic tackles on a QB "roughing". Especially when it happens in crucial situations.

 

[RustyBourneHorse]

With today's technology, we have as an advantage to see what many times refs on the field cannot. You might think they would have a booth review official to overturn the bad calls. It could easily happen without slowing the game down too. Going under the hood to reverse calls down on the field seems to take an eternity.

Yes, and one thing that English football and rugby have is an ear piece for the ref to talk to the chaps up in the booth. If there's a problem, then the ref can simply push on the mic to talk directly to the booth and ask what they see. If the call that the ref made is correct, then play on. If not, then quickly change the call accordingly and play on. It'd be really easy to do that with the NFL with all the normal stoppages between plays.

 

[RustyBourneHorse]

Yes, and one thing that English football and rugby have is an ear piece for the ref to talk to the chaps up in the booth. If there's a problem, then the ref can simply push on the mic to talk directly to the booth and ask what they see. If the call that the ref made is correct, then play on. If not, then quickly change the call accordingly and play on. It'd be really easy to do that with the NFL with all the normal stoppages between plays.

For example, on a game changing situation such as a potentially missed pass interference or a horrendously ticky-tacky PI, the VAR man in the booth can tell the ref to have a look at the jumbo Tron at the stadium for a rewind of what just happened.

 

[Bobhaze]

Here's a link to the actual NFL rulebook. https://operations.nfl.com/the-rules/2018-nfl-rulebook/

It’s 89 mind dulling pages. If you have about 3 hours to kill, you can read them. Good luck understanding them.

 

[IceBowler]

First off, I'm not a conspiracy theorist. I call myself a "Patternist". I notice patterns.

The NFL uses calls to keep games close. As you said, O holding can be called on all plays.

So, start paying attention. When a team starts building up a lead, gaining momentum, tweeeeeeeeeeet.

And I mean it's like clockwork. I fully realize how I sound, but the evidence is screaming. O holding calls are used to control games.

And if the league is manipulating games (and they are), then the game has been taken away from the players and fraud is being constituted against the fans (paying customers).

 

[Bobhaze]

Here’s an interesting rule on p.27:

Item 7. Shoes. Shoes must be of standard football design, including “sneaker” type shoes such as basketball shoes, cross- training shoes, etc. Each team must designate a dominant base color for its shoes, either black or white (with shoelace color conforming to the dominant base color of the tongue area of the shoe). Each team must also designate one of its Constitutional uniform colors as a dominant team color for its shoes. Each team must also designate one of its Constitutional uniform colors as a secondary team color for its shoes. Each team may also designate a third uniform color as a tertiary team color that may be used for accents on its shoes. The designation of team shoe colors as described above must be reported by each team to the League office no later than July 1 each year. Each player may select among shoe styles previously approved by the League office. All players on the same team must wear shoes with the same dominant base color. A player may wear an unapproved standard football shoe style as long as the player tapes over the entire shoe to conform to his team’s selected dominant base color (i.e., white or black). Logos, names, or other commercial identification on shoes are not permitted to be visible unless advance approval is granted by the League office. Size and location of logos and names on shoes must be approved by the League office. When a shoe logo or name approved by the League is covered with an appropriate use of tape, players will be allowed to cut out the tape covering the original logo or name, provided the cut is clean and is the exact size of the logo or name. The logo or name of the shoe manufacturer must not be re-applied to the exterior of taped shoes unless advance approval is granted by the League office. Kicking shoes must not be modified (including using a shoelace wrapped around toe and/or bottom of the shoe), and any shoe that is worn by a player with an artificial limb on his kicking leg must have a kicking surface that conforms to that of a normal kicking shoe. Punters and placekickers may omit the shoe from the kicking foot in preparation for and during kicking plays. Punters and placekickers may wear any combination of the tri-colored shoes provided that the colors are consistent with those selected by the team and with the policy listed above.


OMG!

 

[IceBowler]

Every drive in the League now is either extended or stalled by some off-the-wall penalty, I honestly don’t know if anyone could score without the whistle.

 

[Bobhaze]

So you want to know how the NFL defines a catch? Here you are...straight from the NFL rulebook:

“ARTICLE 3. COMPLETED OR INTERCEPTED PASS. A player who makes a catch may advance the ball. A forward pass is complete (by the offense) or intercepted (by the defense) in the field of play, at the sideline, or in the end zone if a player, who is inbounds:
(a) secures control of the ball in his hands or arms prior to the ball touching the ground; and
(b) touches the ground inbounds with both feet or with any part of his body other than his hands; and
(c) after (a) and (b) have been fulfilled, performs any act common to the game (e.g., tuck the ball away, extend it forward, take an additional step, turn upfield, or avoid or ward off an opponent), or he maintains control of the ball long enough to do so.
Notes:
(1) Movement of the ball does not automatically result in loss of control.
(2) If a player, who satisfied (a) and (b), but has not satisfied (c), contacts the ground and loses control of the ball, it is an incomplete pass if the ball hits the ground before he regains control, or if he regains control out of bounds.
(3) A receiver is considered a player in a defenseless posture (See Rule 12, Section 2, Article 7) throughout the entire process of the catch and until the player is capable of avoiding or warding off the impending contact of an opponent.
(4) If a pass is caught simultaneously by two eligible opponents, and both players retain it, the ball belongs to the passers. It is not a simultaneous catch if a player gains control first and an opponent subsequently gains joint control. If the ball is muffed after simultaneous touching by two such players, all the players of the passing team become eligible to catch the loose ball.
(5) If a player, who is in possession of the ball, is held up and carried out of bounds by an opponent before both feet or any part of his body other than his hands touches the ground inbounds, it is a completed or intercepted pass. It is not necessary for the player to maintain control of the ball when he lands out of bounds.”
(Note: I added quotes to indicate beginning and end)

Refs have 1-3 seconds to decide if these rules for a catch have happened. Good luck.

 

[RustyBourneHorse]

So you want to know how the NFL defines a catch? Here you are...straight from the NFL rulebook:

“ARTICLE 3. COMPLETED OR INTERCEPTED PASS. A player who makes a catch may advance the ball. A forward pass is complete (by the offense) or intercepted (by the defense) in the field of play, at the sideline, or in the end zone if a player, who is inbounds:
(a) secures control of the ball in his hands or arms prior to the ball touching the ground; and
(b) touches the ground inbounds with both feet or with any part of his body other than his hands; and
(c) after (a) and (b) have been fulfilled, performs any act common to the game (e.g., tuck the ball away, extend it forward, take an additional step, turn upfield, or avoid or ward off an opponent), or he maintains control of the ball long enough to do so.
Notes:
(1) Movement of the ball does not automatically result in loss of control.
(2) If a player, who satisfied (a) and (b), but has not satisfied (c), contacts the ground and loses control of the ball, it is an incomplete pass if the ball hits the ground before he regains control, or if he regains control out of bounds.
(3) A receiver is considered a player in a defenseless posture (See Rule 12, Section 2, Article 7) throughout the entire process of the catch and until the player is capable of avoiding or warding off the impending contact of an opponent.
(4) If a pass is caught simultaneously by two eligible opponents, and both players retain it, the ball belongs to the passers. It is not a simultaneous catch if a player gains control first and an opponent subsequently gains joint control. If the ball is muffed after simultaneous touching by two such players, all the players of the passing team become eligible to catch the loose ball.
(5) If a player, who is in possession of the ball, is held up and carried out of bounds by an opponent before both feet or any part of his body other than his hands touches the ground inbounds, it is a completed or intercepted pass. It is not necessary for the player to maintain control of the ball when he lands out of bounds.”
(Note: I added quotes to indicate beginning and end)

Refs have 1-3 seconds to decide if these rules for a catch have happened. Good luck.

So, essentially, the rules need to be simplified, and they should have a mic connected to the replay people so they can talk directly to them.

 

[Bobhaze]

So, essentially, the rules need to be simplified, and they should have a mic connected to the replay people so they can talk directly to them.

The more simplified, it’s easier to enforce. It’s hard to enforce all 89 pages of their rule book. That’s obvious every week.

 

[InTheZone]

I remember that play and I think that one had to do with vantage point. The ref behind the play was shielded from the push on the front of Gallup's body only being able to see his back. It's the same as the Dez no catch. The field official was shielded from the ball hitting the ground, which is why he called it a good catch.

the ball hit the ground and that's perfectly fine. As long as the ground doesn't move the ball it's a catch. The ball moved after he should've been down by contact at the 1, but in this case since he recovers the ball in the endzone it should've been a TD.

 

[Chrispierce]

It’s complicating the refs job. It’s all the piling on of new rules,stupid trivial technicalities and making things confusing that used to be a simple matter no one really cared about.

 

[Chrispierce]

Defensive holding should not be an automatic first down. That penalty alone ruins most games for me. Every time a pass is thrown I hold my breath until I see if a defensive holding flag has been thrown. It also seems subjective as to when it gets called.

And know how many times I see a WR push off in the end zone...and nothing? This is a bullcrap push to increase passing and that’s all it is.

 

[Diehardblues]

It is pitiful Bob!!

Reviewing every TD is disgusting too.

Maybe we should review all penalties as well?

If like on TD we’re going to call it under a microscope why not penalties too?

 

[MarcusRock]

the ball hit the ground and that's perfectly fine. As long as the ground doesn't move the ball it's a catch. The ball moved after he should've been down by contact at the 1, but in this case since he recovers the ball in the endzone it should've been a TD.

The ground DID move the ball ... all the way up his forearm until he lost possession of it completely for a moment. My point was the ref didn't think it hit the ground which was why he ignored all that ball movement and called it a catch. If the ball never hit the ground, it would have been.

 

[OUCowboy]

Roughing the QB is the one that really frustrates me anymore. What are these players supposed to do to sack a QB? It's ridiculous. I think there are those obvious plays where you can tell that the player was probably too rough with the QB, fine call those, but stop calling these basic tackles on a QB "roughing". Especially when it happens in crucial situations.

Concerning the roughing call on Gregory two or three weeks ago, Troy Aikman even said he didn't know what Gregory could have done differently. He asked the question; how else was he supposed to sack the QB.