Flag Day

4 thoughts on “Flag Day”

1. Good Morning from Omaha,

   it does seem like there have been a lot of flags in the NFL but they really seem to be showing up in the college game. The owners have a lot of money invested their receivers and qb’s. They are afraid of litigation that might show up with concussions in the future. Helmet to helmet hits, spearing and there have been a lot of cheap shots across the league as players who are toiling away in obscurity try to make a name, and more money, for themselves.

   There is also the factor of the shortness of the training camps. Early on players were holding on for dear life as they struggled to keep up. There is no consistency from game to game as the officials tend to change. what is holding in one officials eyes is a no call for another. oh well. there are certain fouls we can all agree on, its the arm checking with the receiver and corner that might get a call for P/I. I actually saw a P/I call go against the offense in the Chiefs game the other day. Now thats a rarity.

   strive for excellence, nothing but your best.

   Gene

2. Gene:

   Good point on the brief nature of training camps; that probably has a good amount to do with some of the sloppy play early in the season, except by Green Bay (Aaron Rodgers, IIRC, held an informal player-led camp at his place during the lockout). There are crackdowns on unfair and dangerous hits, but the majority of flags still go to your LOS fouls: procedure, encroachment, false start, etc.

3. Dear Drew,

   a good cartoon as usual.

   I wish I had something more to say about it but I don’t. I guess I’m still saddened by the death of “Smokin” Joe Frazier. A great fighter during an era of many great fighters who claim to fame was being the verbal punching bag of Muhammad Ali. I can’t help but wonder if people would find it funny today like they did in his prime when Ali called him a “Gorilla” and an “Uncle Tom” to a man who was very proud of his skin tone.

   Sadly too many people’s first images of the man that comes to their mind won’t be giving Ali his first loss but of his fight with George Forman and the iconic call of Howard Cosell when he shouted,”Down Goes Frazier” which sounded more like “Down Goes Fra-zah!. Down Goes Fra-zah”

   All the best

   Louis

4. Excellent Drew. Let me begin by saying that I hate to see the serious injuries and concussions. We are learning more and more about the long term effects of the continued concussions and I applaud football at all levels addressing the problem.

   All of that being said, however, what the heck (you said keep it clean) is becoming of the NFL? No way guys like Hamm, Lambert, Gradishar, et al could play the game today without a revolving expense account to the NFL fine division.

   Distinct leading with the helmet to the other guy’s helmet? Sure. Flag ’em and even fine ’em. Each week, however, I am seeing flags thrown when the guy is using his shoulder and the helmets simply make contact. On a couple of plays this past weekend where I saw DBs getting flagged for breaking up a pass I remember thinking, “sheesh. the new rule is going to be that you have to wait for the receiver to catch the ball, turn around, and begin to run before you can tackle him. (let me digress and say “hit” since few players at the college and pro level seem to actually know how to “tackle” like we were all taught years ago)

   I guess I am just a throwback to the 70’s and 80’s, but I thought one of the ideas in football was to try to knock the stuffing out of the other guy. That did not mean you want to injure him, other than Jack Tatum I guess, but rather hit him so hard that he thought twice about running over the middle, at you, whatever.

   I wonder how long it will be before we see the next “flag day” as being one where the players are wearing them on a belt around their waist.