The 2018 NFL season is officially the most penalized in league history.
According to Rick Gosselin, a total of 3,447 penalties were called during the season, which is the most in the history of the sport.
NFL crews assessed a record 3,447 penalties in 2018. First-year referees Shawn Hochuli and Shawn Smith and their crews finished 1-2 in penalties with the Hochuli crew assessing 253 and the Smith crew 228.
— Rick Gosselin (@RickGosselin9) January 1, 2019
It really doesn’t get much worse than that stat at all. I think I also speak for everybody when I say some of the penalties called this past season were atrocious.
At times, it felt like breathing on the quarterback was enough to draw a flag. I will never understand how any player in the league is supposed to hit the QB without using his body weight. It doesn’t seem physically possible. (RELATED: Here Are The Best Moments From Week 17 Of The NFL Season)
The NFL has been on the rise the past season after slumping the past couple years for a variety of reason. Yet, in 2018, the TV ratings shot up and everything seemed to go well.
The only real black spot on the league in 2018 was some piss poor officiating, and boy, it was bad at times.
Listen up.
Football is a violent sport. That’s just a fact, and there comes a point when you have to stop making the game less violent. That’s just the way it is.
People have to get hit in football. If we make it a weak sport, then people will tune out. Now, I’m not saying we shouldn’t make it safer in areas where we can, but we have got to dial back the insane officiating. Otherwise, people are going to revolt.