Will Flags Rain Down On New England?
By David Smith
The last New England Patriots game was something to watch, especially the first team offense as well as Jimmy Garoppolo. However, like almost all preseason games, there were just way too many flags.
As much as I love the Patriots, I would watch them regardless of conditions and who’s actually playing, but that game became almost unwatchable. It seemed like every 5 minutes there was some flag for something, then there would be a replay of the supposed flag and it looked like nothing was wrong.
The one thing I’m worried about the most is CB Brandon Browner. Browner is known for his rough, in your face play and that won’t fly if this is the kind of officiating the regular season will see.
CB Darrelle Revis said that he’s not changing his style. And that’s fine and all, Revis isn’t the problem. When he was with New York, I saw him literally throw receivers to the ground and get the interceptions (ask Brandon Marshall), and no one said a word. But Browner isn’t in the elite class like Revis is. The NFL lets their premier players get away with more, while also protecting them more.
It’s obvious the NFL wants 70 point shoot outs and 7,000 yard passing seasons. The league is taking away any style of defense from the game and playing to the receivers and QBs. I get it; I do, just like in baseball, everyone loves the long ball. No one wants to see a 7-6 game; everyone would rather watch a shootout that goes to the 4th quarter. But it has to stop at some point.
I’ve been trying to watch as many preseason games as I can, regardless of which team, and it is ridiculous. Every game seems to have at least 15 flags in them. I even watched the MNF game between the Redskins and Browns; I counted at least 3 times where there were no less than 3 flags in a row. That’s far too many.
The league is hiding behind the “player safety” blanket and throwing flags for everything. Please, people know what they’re getting into when the sign that contract. I think all contracts should come with a “don’t sue us for your health problems down the road” clause. People will still want to play for the NFL, so I’m missing the point. How does a CB playing bump and run get an illegal contact, or unsportsmanlike conduct flag every 10 seconds effect player safety? It doesn’t, the NFL just wants to hold the defense back because the average fan can name more players on offense than defense. Period.
Welcome to the NFL, the No Fun League.