I’m no longer the football fan that I once was. I’m still a New York Giants fan. Although, not of recent seasons for obvious reasons. My focus has turned to the New York Mets primarily. More of a baseball junkie more than anything. It was the first sport I fell in love with. Football is still a great sport. At least to those who understand it. And for many die-hard football fans, the game has gone south fast in the shortest amount of time. Less time than it takes for a team to blow a Super Bowl lead.
Among the immense outrage and sadness over concussions, CTE, brain trauma, and other ailments to the mental health of players of the gridiron sport, the NFL did make necessary changes to address what was and still is a legitimate problem to this day. Roger Goddell, the sixth commissioner of the league, has been criticized to the degree like that of his baseball counterpart, Rob Manfred whom I’ve talked about already. But this isn’t about all the controversies under Roger’s tenure. And there have been many. But about the play of football. And by play, the actual performance of the teams and players. Let me make it clear that I suck at football. It was my least favorite sport to play in high school. And every player in the league is better than me for sure. But watching the games and seeing it in the news, it's quite clear in the past few years, play calling and performance have been an utter disgrace.
Tanking should be considered the official playcalling of all thirty-two teams. But all should be lumped together for one reason. The amount of bad play goes back to all these rules regarding contact between players. Football is a contact heavy sport. Always has been. Some bad hits are going to happen to players in the head. It's not totally avoidable. Another factor has been what fans refer to as “Ref Ball”.
Ref Ball simply means bad calls made by referees in football, basketball, soccer, hockey, or in baseball, umpires. But ref ball isn’t just bad calls made by the officials, it has become in the past several years, referees making bad calls and becoming the center of the game when they’re not supposed to. The calls made and they are plenty of them over the years in the various sports have hurt the game. Among the ways in which ref ball is related to the NFL’s process to cut down CTE and brain damage-related injuries is the issue over illegal contact. Four articles in the NFL’s official rules define what is illegal contact. The rules state:
ARTICLE 1. LEGAL CONTACT WITHIN FIVE YARDS
Within the area five yards beyond the line of scrimmage, a defensive player may chuck an eligible receiver in front of him. The defender is allowed to maintain continuous and unbroken contact within the five-yard zone, so long as the receiver has not moved beyond a point that is even with the defender.
ARTICLE 2. ILLEGAL CONTACT WITHIN FIVE YARDS
Within the five-yard zone, if the player who receives the snap remains in the pocket with the ball, a defender may not make original contact in the back of a receiver, nor may he maintain contact after the receiver has moved beyond a point that is even with the defender.
Note: If a defender contacts a receiver within the five-yard zone of the line of scrimmage, loses contact, and then contacts him again within the five-yard zone, it is a foul for illegal contact.
ARTICLE 3. ILLEGAL CONTACT BEYOND FIVE-YARD ZONE
Beyond the five-yard zone, if the player who receives the snap remains in the pocket with the ball, a defender cannot initiate contact with a receiver who is attempting to evade him. A defender may use his hands or arms only to defend or protect himself against impending contact caused by a receiver.
Note: If a defender contacts a receiver within the five-yard zone and maintains contact with him, he must release the receiver as they exit the five-yard zone. If the defender maintains contact beyond five yards, it is illegal contact.
ARTICLE 4. INCIDENTAL CONTACT BEYOND FIVE-YARD ZONE
Beyond the five-yard zone, incidental contact may exist between receiver and defender.
Penalty: For illegal contact by the defense: Loss of five yards and automatic first down.
In August it was reported the NFL told referees to pay particular attention on illegal contact for the 2022 season. The first week of the 2022 preseason saw an increase of flags dropping on the field by refs a total of thirty-six times. Preseason doesn’t mean much other than teams figuring out who’s going to make the time and just overall getting ready for the regular season and postseason ambitions. But these calls are hurting the game. No matter whether it's preseason or week five. Fans are fed up with this.
Between 2002 and 2020, officials averaged 97 illegal-contact calls per season. And the vast majority of these calls are not “illegal contact” or “roughing the passer” when a defensive tackle or any other player is just trying to block or sack the quarterback or whoever has the ball in their possession. That’s their job. Their job is to stop the other team from scoring so they can score and win the game. Sports 101. During Week Five in a game between the Kansas City Chiefs and the Oakland Raiders, Chris Jones of the Chiefs was penalized for sacking quarterback Derek Carr on October 11. What was clearly an ordinary tackle or sacking, one that is within the rules and does not violate any form of sportsman-like conduct, the refs called it roughing the passer. Which it was not. It should be pointed out that roughing-the-passer penalties actually are down 45 percent this season. Officials have assessed 28 such penalties through Week 5, down from 51 roughing-the-passer calls following five weeks last season in 2021.
This game on October 11 is just one game out of many that have frustrated everyone who has heard it time and time again. If the NFL wants to better prevent CTE and other serious injuries it needs to teach refs to stop making these ridiculous calls and train them better to officiate the game. Like baseball with all the rule changes, baseball has become less fun, and so has football.
Roger Goodell has the power to change this as the head of the game. Especially with what happened with Tua Tagovailoa of the Miami Dolphins, the NFL needs to take a hard look in the mirror if they actually care about the health of their players. With the video linked from YouTuber Urinating Tree, the NFL has even auto-claimed the monetization of the ads on his video. Wherever a buck is to be made, the NFL will make it. And bad football is just another way for it.