The 2018 NFL Season Could Be a Rough One For Penalties
By Erik Lambert
Truth be told it felt like penalties were worse than ever in 2017. So what would that mean for how things would transpire in the 2018 NFL season?
The facts are decidedly different. Both the 2016 and 2017 saw a considerable drop in a total number of flags thrown for the years at 4,166 and 4,167 respectively according to NFLpenalties.com. This was down from a peaking moment during the 2015 season when a whopping 4,327 were thrown. That at least lets you know it’s not as bad as it looks.
However, those numbers change when one realizes that in 2013 only 3,636 flags hit the field. So in 2014, it seems like there was a significant uptick in the referees deciding to toss the flag. There are a variety of reasons for this possibility. Constantly changing rules is one. A desire to instruct on what type of plays are acceptable in the name of player safety is another.
One facet though that might be getting overlooked is a significant shift in the core body of NFL officials. Players aren’t the only ones who age and retire. Several longtime veteran refs have stepped down the past two years, bringing in a large influx of young bucks to plug the holes. This might not be the best thing if it’s fewer flags fans want.
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According to NFL.com, the overturn of the roster of referees for 2018 could be substantial as no fewer than seven new faces will be entering their first season at the professional level.
"“The NFL roster of game officials for the 2018 season will include seven first-year NFL officials among the group of 121, the league announced today.Field judge Land Clark (Pac-12), field judge Matt Edwards (Big Ten), side judge Chad Hill (SEC), field judge Anthony Jeffries (SEC), back judge Tony Josselyn (SEC), line judge Mark Stewart (Big 12) and field judge Don Willard (Big Ten) will make their NFL officiating debuts this season.”"
Now, this isn’t anything like the replacement refs fiasco a few years ago. These men come in with plenty of experience, but college is still different from the NFL level. It’s quite possible they’ll choose to err on the side of caution, throwing more flags than normal so as to get a feel for the situation and above all the speed of the pro game. Then there’s the other elephant in the room.
One that might explain why the league is grabbing so many refs from college now. That’s the major helmet rule change. One that will draw a flag if it’s ever determined that a player lowers his helmet when delivering a tackle or even trying to rush the quarterback. Most people have seen a similar rule down in the college ranks called “targeting.”
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In that context, it would make sense to bring in officials who have experience with it. Nonetheless, it likely means there will be a substantial jump in flags throw this season, adding to the complaints about games slowing down. It will be interesting to see how quickly the league can adjust. Or even if it can.