One Big Fix

Just one more.

Now that we have the real officials back on the field there is only one last thing we need to do in the NFL for me to be fully satisfied from an officiating standpoint and that involves the hits on defenseless players and how they are currently being officiated.

Watch pretty much any NFL game and the odds are you will see at least one questionable call regarding a defenseless player, usually a wide receiver.  If it seems like the officials are quick to throw the flag in those situations and in fact seemingly throw the flag any time there is a big hit of any kind down the field or in some cases near the quarterback, there's a good reason for that.  They are doing what they are supposed to. 

Multiple sources have told me over the last couple of years that the officials have been told to throw a flag when in doubt in those situations, a standard that I vehemently disagree with.

Why is that the standard for penalties in these situations yet not any others?  That's not equitable.  They don't throw the flag "when in doubt" for holding penalties or pass interference or even offsides for that matter.  Can you imagine if they did?  It'd be a nightmare.  In those situations, they throw the flag if they see actually see or think they see a foul.  Not "if you aren't sure, call it".  That makes no sense.

I'm not okay with it and I'm not the only one.  Consider the following unedited response from New York Giants owner and NFL Competition Committee member (the governing body with the power to actually change the rules) John Mara to me and Bob Papa on our SiriusXM NFL Radio show back in April when asked about the "when in doubt, throw the flag out" standard:

 "I have to tell you that’s a standard that I'm not entirely comfortable with either, and that does come from the committee and does come you know right from the league office as well because there is such an emphasis on player safety but what happens, inevitably, is you get plays, you know, late in the 4th qtr where you wish the referee would keep the flag in the pocket because it was too close to make that call; and I'm not, you know personally, entirely comfortable with that standard but I’m hesitant to try to push through any type of change because again, you know, we want to try to make the game as safe as possible, and we want players when they have a chance to deliver a blow , we want them to change their aiming point and we want them to do whatever is possible to change that aiming point and we want that to be in the back of their mind that 'hey if I go up near the head here, I am liable to get a 15 yard penalty which is really gonna hurt my team' so as long as defensive players have that in the back of their mind I think you will see them change their aiming point and we have seen it,  I mean, we have watched so much tape of hits of defenseless players and we think that there is a change, and its gonna, you know,  take even a few more years I think before we get it to where we want it to be but defensive players have  a different mindset right now they are a little bit more timid when it comes to staying up near the offensive players head and we think that’s a good thing in the long run.”

To be clear, I am totally on board with the idea to deter those sort of hits.  The more information that comes out regarding concussions and hits to the head, the more clear it is that hits like that need to be discouraged.  The problem is that too many legal hits are being penalized and that just confuses things and could not only cost a team a game but make things worse in terms of the stated goal of trying to reduce those hits.

Perhaps penalties, or non-calls for that matter, on those types of hits could be challengeable and reviewable.  That's a possibility I suppose.

I prefer just making the standard for penalties on these plays the same as everything else; if you think it is a penalty, call it, but when in doubt don't  throw the flag. If in fact it was an illegal hit that wasn't called the behavior can be further deterred with significant financial penalties on Monday from the league office after viewing the tape.  Heck, it already is.  A $21K fine, the likes of which are handed out every week, is much more of a deterrent to me than some 15 yard penalty.  A penalty hurts during the game but you move on.  A fine really hurts. 

Plus the fine doesn't affect the outcome of that particular game like a penalty could.  It would just be such a shame if a clearly legal hit is penalized late in a game.  Does the NFL really want another Green Bay vs. Seattle Monday Night Football debacle?  That's a distinct possibility if this doesn't get fixed- and soon.

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Hey Tucker,

Great column... I was wondering.. which is the funniest
dance/celebration you have seen when a player makes a good tackle...
sack... int.. touchdown... anyone you recall?

From Carlito via email

The funniest celebrations to me are the ones that guys do when they didn't really accomplish anything that is worth celebrating.  And I don't mean funny as in "ha ha" I mean so pathetic it is funny.  I'm not old-school.  I get that it is about entertainment and it is about having fun and it is about enjoying yourself.  I just prefer that it is done spontaneously with teammates since I still believe at its core that that is what the game is about.  Sack dances, touchdown celebrations, etc. are all great.  The problem I have is when guys make a tackle ten yards down the field and they start to celebrate.  Or a wide receiver catches a six yard curl for a first down and does the whole first down signal thing  Give me a break.

I'm convinced NCAA is all talent and nfl is all coaching. Thoughts?

From @chuckhastings via Twitter

You are oversimplifying here but your point is well taken.  As a result of a lot of different factors there is a wide disparity in the haves and have nots in college football and more often than not it feels as if the team that wins it all is the team that has the most first round picks in the following April's draft.  The difference in conferences, TV money, stadiums, etc. really plays into that.  The NFL is a much more level playing field with the draft and a salary cap and as a result coaching can play an even bigger factor.  That said, the best teams are usually the ones with the best quarterbacks in the NFL and in college you can still attribute the accumulation of talent back to the head coach and the job he and his staff do in recruiting.

Do you think the Ravens defense will actually play better without Ray Lewis?

From @Biranfrankfurt via Twitter

I've heard a lot of people suggest this and while I understand where they are coming from I am not buying it.  Whatever they could possibly gain by having a younger, faster, player like Dannell Ellerbe filling in for him is mitigated by the loss of Lewis' leadership and attention to detail.  His knowledge of the opposition has helped his teammates for years.  Let's see how they do without his guidance.