NFL Officiating Has Football Fans Frustrated and Angry

The NFL is some of the greatest drama on television due to its unpredictable nature. On any given Sunday, every single team has a fighting chance and every tick of the clock counts. Whether a team can capitalize and achieve victory is another matter entirely, especially when it comes to aspects that are out of their hands.

Unfortunately, the latter has reared its head the first two weeks of the 2019 season thanks to some penalties and egregious calls by the referees. This has created an entirely different style of drama for the NFL as yellow flags and fines are pouring down like rain. The game is obviously changing as the league tries to make it safer, but some of the penalties have been viewed as either unnecessary or downright wrong.

As it turns out, the NFL is actually aware of the issues surrounding the first two weeks of the season. Officials even recently phoned Denver Broncos GM John Elway to say that they were “dead wrong” when calling a roughing the passer penalty on defender Bradley Chubb. This is a play that directly affected the outcome of a game in which the Broncos lost to the Bears 16-14.

Elway is not alone in his victimhood. There are multiple other teams that have been on the receiving end of bad calls, including the New Orleans Saints, Minnesota Vikings, and New York Jets. Many of these instances have played a direct role in how a team has performed.

Needless to say, the fans, players, and coaches are all in various states of anger after the early portions of the season. They have chosen to voice their frustrations on social media in an effort to make the NFL take notice.

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The New Orleans Saints and their fans have a very combative relationship with NFL referees. Whether it was the missed pass interference in the NFC Championship Game earlier this year, the clock errors in week one, or the voided touchdown in week two. The Saints have been on the receiving end of some very egregious mistakes. Are the officials out to punish the Saints, or does this team simply have terrible luck? 

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Steve Gleason is a legend in the state of Louisiana. The former member of the New Orleans Saints, who has since been confined to a wheelchair due to ALS, is the man that blocked a punt by the Falcons and scored the first touchdown in the Saints stadium since Hurricane Katrina devastated the city. This was a moment that has since been immortalized with a statue outside of the stadium. Gleason has been on the sidelines for every Saints home game and has seen some egregious calls by the referees. Unfortunately, he is beginning to sense a pattern with these calls against his former team.  

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On Monday night, the New York Jets and Cleveland Browns generated constant discussions about the NFL after big plays by Odell Beckham Jr. and Baker Mayfield. This offense finally showed signs of life en route to a decisive win at MetLife Stadium, and fans were very vocal in response.

That said, one of the biggest discussions actually revolved around Jets safety Jamal Adams, who was benched after getting flagged on multiple plays. The young star from LSU was even fined $21,000 after hitting Mayfield on what many described as a questionable play. 

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As long as Twitter has existed, there has been a common theme of discussion. Are the referees favoring New England Patriots Tom Brady? There is a belief that those in the stripes routinely make calls that benefit the six-time Super Bowl champion, and now, a member of the Miami Dolphins has just added fuel to that fire. Apparently, he got a warning after hitting Brady during Sunday’s game. 

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With the referees coming under constant scrutiny, it’s important to realize that they are all part-time employees. These officials have full-time jobs and only don the stripes in their free time. Unfortunately, this means that they don’t have the time to dedicate to truly becoming a master of the craft. This fact is difficult for many fans to accept considering that the NFL reportedly earned around $15 billion in 2018. 

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Thursday’s battle between the Tennessee Titans and Jacksonville Jaguars was one that brought the referee frustrations to the forefront of the season conversation. The game saw 15 penalties called in the first half alone, totaling 92 yards.

For comparison, Titans quarterback Marcus Mariota only managed 62 yards passing in the same span of time. The most prominent calls during this game were holding penalties, many of which generated cries of frustration. In fact, some people even went to the footage in an effort to find out where these holds happened. 

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There were times in the history of the NFL where fans loved certain referees. Whether it was Ed Hochuli with his long-winded explanations and massive biceps or Jerome Boger with his smooth delivery, it was easy to enjoy seeing these officials on the TV. Public opinion has since changed, however, and fans are now frustrated with referees on a daily basis. 

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There are many football fans that are wondering why only the players are punished for their mistakes. If a defender, such as Stefon Diggs of the Vikings, takes off his helmet on the field of play in a fit of anger, he will be fined by the league. His mistake will directly impact his bank account, so why doesn’t this standard go both ways? NFL fans would like to see referees held accountable for their mistakes. 

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For many fans, these penalties are getting out of hand. It seems like every time a player steps onto the field or ties his shoes, he is getting a yellow flag thrown in his direction. This may be a bit of an exaggeration, but the fans are far beyond frustrated with the number of penalties called every single week. 

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The Minnesota Vikings and New Orleans Saints do not like each other as NFC rivals, and their fans historically have very combative relationships. However, one thing that they can agree on is the quality of officiating or lack thereof. Both teams and their fans felt that referees were directly responsible for taking touchdowns off the board.

In Los Angeles, the officials mistakenly blew the play dead as defensive end Cameron Jordan was running to the end zone after picking up a fumble. The Vikings, on the other hand, lost a Stefon Diggs touchdown when referees called offensive pass interference on Dalvin Cook. This wouldn’t have been an issue if the penalty was called during the play. However, the referees actually waited until the Vikings were lining up for the extra point before reviewing the play and calling what many described as a questionable penalty.