Is the NFL becoming too flag happy?

[RockThatBlue]

Appears that way to me. Every game I watched this weekend was littered with penalty flags

[21isSuperman]

Yes!  I don't know what's going on this year, but it seems like every game has way too many flags.  I don't know if the NFL is really trying to emphasize player safety or what the deal is, but it seems like refs are far too flag-happy.  It's a complete joke how the NFL handles its refs

[COLTS449]

Yes. And its becoming too soft too.

[RockThatBlue]

Yes! I don't know what's going on this year, but it seems like every game has way too many flags. I don't know if the NFL is really trying to emphasize player safety or what the deal is, but it seems like refs are far too flag-happy. It's a complete joke how the NFL handles its refs

Yup. I love football but these games are becoming hard to watch. Hard to enjoy a game when every other play a penalty flag is thrown.

[Patagonia Chris]

Absolutely. This is the result of years and years of the NFL instituting rule changes to make the game more friendly to offenses. I'd hate to be a DB in this league. It's almost to the point where you can't actually defend a WR other than running stride for stride with him and trying to get your hand on the ball.

[ricker182]

It's almost unwatchable for me.

I cancelled Sunday Ticket this year because it's become unbearable.

Only Colts games for me now.

[ReMeDy]

Call this a conspiracy theory, but I wonder if the flags are meant to inflate the duration of games. Longer games means more commercials, which comprise a large chunk of the NFL's revenue. In particular, this is why the NFL has been slow to embrace the Internet, outside of select purchase packages and fantasy football.

[JPFolks]

Yes, I watched every single game and the flag situation was the worst I have ever seen.   I think it is a two-fold problem: 

 

1. They are simply hyper-flagging.  

 

2. Teams are far more sloppy after a second year of limited pre-season practice time due to the CBA.  It is hurting and it is I suspect the root of the injury problems as well.  

[Narcosys]

Absolutely. This is the result of years and years of the NFL instituting rule changes to make the game more friendly to offenses. I'd hate to be a DB in this league. It's almost to the point where you can't actually defend a WR other than running stride for stride with him and trying to get your hand on the ball.

Most of the flags were against the offense.

[Narcosys]

2. Teams are far more sloppy after a second year of limited pre-season practice time due to the CBA. It is hurting and it is I suspect the root of the injury problems as well.

Yes. A study showed injuries have been on the rise since the CBA. Players are getting lazy.

[amfootball]

I think the teams have been really sloppy. I have not seen a lot of egregious calls. Some questionable/borderline ones but that is par for the course. The teams need to clean it up.

[DougDew]

The NFL has been really BORING these first two weeks. It must be the spread offenses and dink/dunk game that's making the game almost unwatcheable for me.

Either a hold, procedure, PI...etc. all contributing to more flags.

not to mention missed tackles...poorly thrown passes. Give me the running game and field position battles. Its more interesting to watch than the stuff that's being played now....fewer chances for flags too.

[Dark_Indy]

At one point in last night's game, there were 9 plays ran, and 5 penalties.

 

Even Gruden was asking to let them play.

[pgt_rob]

At one point in last night's game, there were 9 plays ran, and 5 penalties.

 

Even Gruden was asking to let them play.

 

Yes, let them play. If a ref is going to call holding for the first half and not call it the second half is pure crap. You either call it or you don't.

[amfootball]

The NFL has been really BORING these first two weeks. It must be the spread offenses and dink/dunk game that's making the game almost unwatcheable for me.

Either a hold, procedure, PI...etc. all contributing to more flags.

not to mention missed tackles...poorly thrown passes. Give me the running game and field position battles. Its more interesting to watch than the stuff that's being played now....fewer chances for flags too.

I really loathe the kickoff. A team scores, you are jacked then commercial break, then touch back, then another commercial break. Just have the offense start at the 20 after a score and get rid of it already.

[aaron11]

I really loathe the kickoff. A team scores, you are jacked then commercial break, then touch back, then another commercial break. Just have the offense start at the 20 after a score and get rid of it already.

yeah kick offs suck.  most of the time they are a touch back then break to commercial.

 

even when they are returned the runner usually fails to make it to the 20 or 25 at best

[Vance]

Player safety is fine and all but they are getting stupid with it.

[2006Coltsbestever]

Not to make any excuses because we played bad last night but I thought the REFS were horrible last night. They wiped out a couple of long Gore runs and an Andrew run of 20 yards that had Gruden even questioning the call. On the replay's all of those calls looked bogus. There was one call on Davis for interference but the ball wasn't even catchable as well that set up a Jets a TD.

[DougDew]

I really loathe the kickoff. A team scores, you are jacked then commercial break, then touch back, then another commercial break. Just have the offense start at the 20 after a score and get rid of it already.

Incompetent passing offenses are the worst to watch. Poor throws, incomplete passes, holding calls, illegal formations, procedure or neutral zone...the pass first offense even draws too many judgmental PI calls.

There is a difference in watchability between having few offensive yards due to stout defensive play with good tackling and having few offensive yards due to an incompetent O. The latter is painful

[Patagonia Chris]

Most of the flags were against the offense.

 

I meant the NFL as a whole, not just the Colts/Jets game.

[Thewholefnshow28]

I really loathe the kickoff. A team scores, you are jacked then commercial break, then touch back, then another commercial break. Just have the offense start at the 20 after a score and get rid of it already.

 

That second commercial break is what kills me.  You are either jacked your team just scored or ready to see your offense respond.  You go to commercial and come back to see a kickoff and guy kneel the ball and right back to commercials.  I just imagine Roger and company going how can we squeeze another commercial break in there?  Then someone suggest moving the kickoff forward in the name of "safety" and they all laugh evily and say brilliant.

[amfootball]

Incompetent passing offenses are the worst to watch. Poor throws, incomplete passes, holding calls, illegal formations, procedure or neutral zone...the pass first offense even draws too many judgmental PI calls.

There is a difference in watchability between having few offensive yards due to stout defensive play with good tackling and having few offensive yards due to an incompetent O. The latter is painful

You know I think it will be a slow drain but the NFL product is starting to go down hill. Just so many mediocre teams and players. Outside of watching Rodgers and Brady there is not a lot of compelling offensive football. And the rules have made the game so foreign to what it was just 10 years ago. It is really brutal to watch a guy like Ryan Fitzpatrick starting and just pushing the ball around because he is so inept. He would never ever have been starting an NFL game 10-15 years ago. Now with the rules, he is not only a starter but a guy believed to be good enough to lead the Jets to the playoffs. That is not a good thing for the NFL.

[bababooey]

Yes!  I don't know what's going on this year, but it seems like every game has way too many flags.  I don't know if the NFL is really trying to emphasize player safety or what the deal is, but it seems like refs are far too flag-happy.  It's a complete joke how the NFL handles its refs

At least have a yellow flag for defensive penalties and another color flag for offensive so I don't have to sit like a doofus for a minute watching three zebras discuss.

[dw49]

Yup. I love football but these games are becoming hard to watch. Hard to enjoy a game when every other play a penalty flag is thrown.

 

 

Last night was insane. I thought they could have thrown half the flags. So many marginal holding calls on the O Line , TE's and DB's.

[bababooey]

Not to make any excuses because we played bad last night but I thought the REFS were horrible last night. They wiped out a couple of long Gore runs and an Andrew run of 20 yards that had Gruden even questioning the call. On the replay's all of those calls looked bogus. There was one call on Davis for interference but the ball wasn't even catchable as well that set up a Jets a TD.

How about the facemask on Luck that ended up being an intentional grounding against him

[bababooey]

Last night was insane. I thought they could have thrown half the flags. So many marginal holding calls on the O Line , TE's and DB's.

I get so heated when we have the first down so every extra yard is just gravy and you have * like Jack Doyle or Castonzo holding when the play is already past them.

[dw49]

I get so heated when we have the first down so every extra yard is just gravy and you have * like Jack Doyle or Castonzo holding when the play is already past them.

 

 

I thought the one on Doyle and at least one other were pretty bad calls. But I get your point that much of this is just plain stupid.

[dw49]

You know I think it will be a slow drain but the NFL product is starting to go down hill. Just so many mediocre teams and players. Outside of watching Rodgers and Brady there is not a lot of compelling offensive football. And the rules have made the game so foreign to what it was just 10 years ago. It is really brutal to watch a guy like Ryan Fitzpatrick starting and just pushing the ball around because he is so inept. He would never ever have been starting an NFL game 10-15 years ago. Now with the rules, he is not only a starter but a guy believed to be good enough to lead the Jets to the playoffs. That is not a good thing for the NFL.

 

 

I agree with you in full. Last nights game was really a perfect example of it. 

[PeterBowman]

How about the facemask on Luck that ended up being an intentional grounding against him

and the Powell fumble that the Colts came out of the pile with but possession was still given back to the Jets.

 

but just look at the flag discrepancy...there is NO way a team as agressive and physical had so few calls against them

[Toe Toed Sloth]

Well...Last night's game was wayyyyy too flag happy against the Colts. I was at the game so I didn't see the replays but I had no idea why the refs threw 75% of the flags they did against the Colts. It doesn't excuse our play, but from my perspective they got unnecessarily hammered with flags.

[2006Coltsbestever]

The REFS basically stopped 2 of our drives with bogus penalties. They were calling everything on Davis as well.

[jseg18]

They just had to assign a First year ref on a prime time game. The worst call was the holding call on Anthony Costanzo after Gore gashed the Jets.

[Dark_Indy]

How about the facemask on Luck that ended up being an intentional grounding against him

 That, by rule wasn't even Intentional Grounding?

[2006Coltsbestever]

and the Powell fumble that the Colts came out of the pile with but possession was still given back to the Jets.

 

but just look at the flag discrepancy...there is NO way a team as agressive and physical had so few calls against them

yep

[NFLfan]

Outside of watching Rodgers and Brady there is not a lot of compelling offensive football.

I disagree. There are more teams/players playing compelling football. To be honest, I am not interested in watching a quarterback throw the ball 50-60 times. That is not compelling football to me. I will take Ben Roethlisberger over Brady but that is just my opinion. He makes 32-year-old DeAngelo Williams look like a great player.

[Moose Of Woe]

Apart from most teams being very sloppy, there need to be less rules that are enforced. Not piling more on top of more every season in the name of player safety.

 

Trim the rules, and enforce the ones that are easily black/white distinguishable. Forget the rest. Problem solved.

[amfootball]

I disagree. There are more teams/players playing compelling football. To be honest, I am not interested in watching a quarterback throw the ball 50-60 times. That is not compelling football to me. I will take Ben Roethlisberger over Brady but that is just my opinion. He makes 32-year-old DeAngelo Williams look like a great player.

I was not referencing just QB play but overall offensive play. I just cited Brady and Rodgers because their command of the offense is on a whole different level. For sure there are others like Ben and even Carson Palmer in Arizona. But the overall product is just being dumbed way down with the mediocre play and new rules. I can't believe the run game has all but disappeared along with the FB position. And a good defensive effort now a days is holding a team to under 400 yards. It is really pathetic in a lot of ways and I have not even touched on the horrid coaching. So many awful HCs and coordinators out there.

[Qwiz]

No.

[amfootball]

I agree with you in full. Last nights game was really a perfect example of it. 

You know what else has happened that I didn't see coming? All the Seattle players coming forward to get paid. On top of Pete having to deal with "the call", he had all his star players asking for money this off-season and still has Kam holding out. It was like all of them felt at the same time that it was time to get paid and with some players like Bennett and Kam, get paid again.

[RockThatBlue]

and the Powell fumble that the Colts came out of the pile with but possession was still given back to the Jets.

but just look at the flag discrepancy...there is NO way a team as agressive and physical had so few calls against them

I'd love to see the NFL explain how a team can recover a fumble but the refs rule the the other team reclaimed possession. This happens a lot and I don't understand it