2023 curtain raiser

[JohnTurney]

Agree with the lax interpretation of the tackles' helmets at the belt of the center ... the offensive line looks like
a boomerang.

I looked at the all-22 and many times that RT did get off wit the snap and it looked early but it wasn't

HOWEVER it was hard to see on the All-22 when the Chiefs were going the other way. And when the were
while they were facing the camera, as I said, MOST of the time that part of legal several times it was not
and not called but MOST of the time head not at belt of center on pass plays.

It is evident that OTs cannot block DEs without these advantages ... and that offense gets the advantage.
I just think if they are going to not call things that are against the rules --- black letter rules --- then they
should just change the rules. Allow the helmet of the tackle to be at the butt of the center

If they want the offense to have yet another advantage codify it.

[Brian wolf]

I also wonder how many times Hutchinson was held that wasnt called? Florio protested as well, thinking that it got to the point of ridiculousness ... I dont even watch for motion penalties, offensive linemen get away with movement all the time ...

[JuggernautJ]

I know there have been a lot of rules changes over the last decades.
And many of them have fundamentally changed the way the game is played.

But if the offense isn't required to have 7 men on the line of scrimmage it is no longer (American) Football.

Not that I'd ever go for it but it would be preferable to have a rule saying the defense couldn't line up within one yard of the line of scrimmage.
Heresy though that is, it wouldn't be as bad as less than 7 men on the line.

[JohnTurney]

I also wonder how many times Hutchinson was held that wasnt called? Florio protested as well, thinking that it got to the point of ridiculousness ... I dont even watch for motion penalties, offensive linemen get away with movement all the time ...

there is almost no such thing as 7 men on the line, offensive false starts and offensive holding

yeah, it's in the books, but looks to me like only a fraction get called
I think it's by design to favor the offense
favor the gambling, favor the cash cow
the product the are selling --- points
and games not being held up by penalties

[JameisBrownston]

As someone who just discovered that "7 men on the line" is the cardinal requirement of a legal formation... I really don't think I'd notice if it was changed, unless teams adapted to it in drastic ways. What I have noticed over the last few years, however, is an increase in somewhat V-shaped o-line arrangements. I don't ever recall seeing this years ago, but recently it's not that infrequent. I never assumed it was something to flag.

[Brian wolf]

Damn John, you almost sounded like Brian Tuohy ... haha

Games are still held up by penalties. Might as well call them FAIRLY ...

[JohnTurney]

Damn John, you almost sounded like Brian Tuohy ... haha

Games are still held up by penalties. Might as well call them FAIRLY ...

No, not even close to him - games being fixed and scripted and so on.
But I think some penalties that are called help the offense.

OPI happens and is not called that much and DPI gets called a lot.
If you want to think the NFL favoring offense is some major
conspiracy theory, I'd have to disagree.

I think the NFL's product have been skewed to the offense since 1978
a little at a time and this is the latest ... they interpret rules on
holding and the two things talked about in this thread in such a way
that they are rarely called, even compared to 4-5 years ago
there is no other explanation/

The refs are not blind. They are highly trained. The don't call these
false starts and holds and 7 man on online penalties because the
NFL does not want them called.

I talked to Howie Long and Michael Strahan about this at the SB last year
not 4-5 minutes ... and they say there has been a change in how
things are called --- and when asked about their day and it was not even
close.

Of course, I didn't need their confirmation for that ... that is obvious.
But the slippery slope was become more and more vertical (or slipperier)

So, if I am a conspiracy theorist for thinking the NFL wants these rules
called the way the yare being called, well, yeah, then I am.

I think the do. The NFL has too much control over their product to let
refs do something rogue. And what a coincidence... if the explanation is
just poor refs it always seems to be in favor of the offense.

Nah ... NFL wants scoring, offense, feed the beast, fans, advertisers
(more and more are gambling) ... younger fans care more about
fantasy than ever before ... the game is tailored for the new-type fans.

IMO, anyway.

[Brian wolf]

Great response John ... I agree with it, though I also agree with alot of what Tuohy speculates, especially in terms of "A Presentation Of The National Football League". Like you said, Fantasy Leagues have been an unfortunate, though marketing influence.

Rules or not, its on the Coaches and Players to give it their all and play with pain to keep the conspiracy vutures-viewers like myself from wondering if the integrity of the game can somehow be maintained, week to week ...

With more holding, movement and illegal formations being allowed, its puts more emphasis on the pass rushers like Donald, the Watts brothers, the Bosa brothers in terms of how great they are or can become?