Professional Football Researchers Association Forum

It would appear that the N.F.L.'s crackdown on "taunting" is drawing a great deal of controversy. I wonder if there will be enough push-back that they'll "ease up" on this after this season.

I'm older than old school. I like guys who play ball and STFU. Let your playing do your talking. So the flags don't bother me.

The League needs to worry more about offensive line holding and offensive pass interference. Its gets ridiculous during games ...

Part of the problem is the NFL has taken away the "self policing" aspect of football and so are forced to do so themselves through officiating (or, some would say, over-officiating).
Back in the "old school" days (or on the sandlot) if someone was a bozo the other players would "educate" him about proper behavior amongst men. Nowadays that is a penalty (oddly enough "unsportsman like" conduct) so now the league has to police bad behavior.

Yet another example of the law of unintended consequences.

RichardBak wrote:I'm older than old school. I like guys who play ball and STFU. Let your playing do your talking. So the flags don't bother me.

Amen brother. The players nowadays need to learn how to act. Back in the day, they would have been taken out, so to speak, by the other team and players on their own team wouldn't have a problem with that happening.

RichardBak wrote:I'm older than old school. I like guys who play ball and STFU. Let your playing do your talking. So the flags don't bother me.

I get that. I truly do. But the question is: "How many flags thrown for 'taunting' last weekend were actually for merely 'exulting' or 'emoting'?" In my opinion: too many.

Brian wolf wrote:The League needs to worry more about offensive line holding and offensive pass interference. Its gets ridiculous during games ...

It's by design. The NFL doesn't want QB's touched so the lines are allowed to hold obscenely. They like huge passing stats and shootouts so OPI they usually turn a blind eye to. Not always...but very often. The games can be so unbalanced nowadays