Guys, I missed the game last night. But apparently it was a flag fest? If I’m reading the article correctly, the refs threw 15 flags in the 1st half. Then Tom Brady tweets that he’s turning the game off because of too many penalties. Then there is not a single flag thrown when they come back in the 3rd quarter, and only 5 flags thrown for the entire rest of the game?
I think Brady was just getting super jealous of the best 6th round pick in the making…Minshew! 
Yep and yep! Some calls were legit and some were awful. Aikman was giving the flag fest a good amount of criticism through the broadcast.
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They were saying something on the radio earlier in the week that the NFL was flirting with breaking the record for most flags through 2 games into the season. Don’t know if they did or not but this was probably why Eisen or Mort was saying the refs are ruining the NFL.
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The NFL is ruining the NFL with all the stupid rules, not the refs.
Nearly every NFL game I watch is a flag fest. It has been for years and it’s only getting worse. It’s unbearable (to me).
The refs receive grades after each game and are scrutinized over every call they do or do not make. Everyone wants to get an A, so they call everything they see.
I think a solution would be to stop negatively grading refs on certain “missed” calls.
Example: “Joe, you missed holding calls on these 11 plays. As a result, you’ve earned a negative grade for your performance. You risk losing your job, you definitely aren’t reffing in the playoffs or the super bowl. Your crew is going to take a hit for the 11 missed calls.”
Next week’s game - 26 flags thrown. Not a single holding call missed, no matter how ticky-tack it was.
I get it. The refs want to do the job to the best of their ability. Their career depends on it to a large extent. If they are graded poorly for “letting things go”, then they aren’t ever going to let things go.
I don’t think this is what NFL fans want, however. Do we need to call holding on the left tackle when the play call was a pitch right to the halfback? Do we need to call holding on Diggs when he slightly touched a TE running his route up the right/middle of the field and the QB never took his eyes off the WR’s split to the left and threw the ball in that direction?
A solution would be for refs to be permitted to “let it go” if the infraction had no significant impact on the play. Yes, unfortunately, this is subjective. What the hell though, so much of it already is subjective. So, let’s find a way to allow the refs to err on the side of keeping flags in their pockets when they can.
My biggest gripe isn’t necessarily the number of holding calls. If they are going to call it…the players will adjust. My biggest issue is how inconsistent they are with the calls. Things have gotten a little better in recent years, but there’s no doubt teams like the Lions get called a little stricter than the “good” teams in the league. The same with the Browns, they get the Lions treatment. What’s a hold for a Browns offensive lineman, isn’t necessarily a hold for a Cowboys offensive lineman. Its sickening.
I also hate that the entire season is reffed one way, then the playoffs come around and its called completely different. WTF?
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If you have the stature, you might as well use it for positive change.
“Too many penalties. Just let us play!” Brady wrote. “I’m turning off this game I can’t watch these ridiculous penalties anymore.”
Tom has the stature. Problem is, he’s still playing and if he doesn’t watch himself, he may find himself crushed, on the field, with no flag and ref looking down at him saying, “we’re just letting you play”.
As a side note to Brady and the rules, something has been on my mind about it. They put in the rule that you can’t dive at QBs legs anymore. They are off limits, like the head. They didn’t give a chit when Carson Palmer was taken out on the 1st play of a playoff game, but when Brady was taken out during the 1st game of the season something had to change!!!
At any rate, why does it seem like they rarely ever enforce this rule anymore? Its…selective.
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Too many rules to remember them all.
Soon, we’re going to need lawyers on the field with the refs!
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Actually, a lot of officials ARE lawyers in the offseason!
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