Finally, the offense gets a break
Posted: Sun Oct 01, 2023 1:23 pm
Just saw this: Washington had 3rd and 11 on the Eagles' 15-yard line. Sam Howell went back to pass, got rushed, and ran for about 7 yards, to the 8-yard line. But the Eagles were flagged for defensive holding. OK, that's a 5-yard penalty and an automatic first down. But the referee announced the penalty as "half the distance to the goal," and sure enough, on the next play it was first-and-goal from the 4-yard line. So now they're tacking on the penalty after the play? When did they change that rule?
I can imagine some rule-makers sitting around and somebody saying, "You know, it's a shame when the defense commits a penalty but the offense gains some yardage on the play. Then they have to make a difficult choice of whether to take the play or the penalty. Why don't we take the pressure off and just let them have both?"
I'd like to see some consistency in this regard, so next time the defense gets a sack and they call holding on the offense, they mark off the penalty from the place where the quarterback went down. But I'm not holding my breath.
I can imagine some rule-makers sitting around and somebody saying, "You know, it's a shame when the defense commits a penalty but the offense gains some yardage on the play. Then they have to make a difficult choice of whether to take the play or the penalty. Why don't we take the pressure off and just let them have both?"
I'd like to see some consistency in this regard, so next time the defense gets a sack and they call holding on the offense, they mark off the penalty from the place where the quarterback went down. But I'm not holding my breath.