Posted on 01/29/2015 12:13:14 PM PST by Colofornian
There's a team in Super Bowl XLIX that, for years, has created a major competitive advantage by blatantly disregarding NFL rules.
I'm talking about the Seattle Seahawks, of course.
Focused on 24 PSIs of missing hot air and hype in New England, we've all missed an actual rules revolution going on in Seattle that, with one more win on Sunday in Arizona, could fundamentally change the NFL -- forever.
Over the past three years the Seahawks have done something no one in the white-socks-and-black-shoes, stuck-in-the-1950s NFL ever dreamed possible, or legal. Since 2012 Seattle has been at the top of the NFL in wins (tied with 36), Super Bowl appearances and ... penalties.
The best team in the league has been penalized so many times (416) in the last three seasons that I'm pretty sure the fluorescent yellow trim on the Seahawks uniforms is actually just residue from all the penalty flags. Still, Seattle's success isn't in spite of all the penalties. It's inspired by it. Without anyone really noticing, Seattle has created a blossoming dynasty in the most competitive league in the world by completely, and brilliantly, turning the stigma of penalty flags upside down; embracing infractions rather than avoiding them at all costs.
[SNIP]
Through 18 games, the Seahawks not only have been called for a league-high 144 penalties (according to NFLpenalties.com) their opponents have only been flagged just 80 times. Yes, you read that correctly. The Seahawks have been called for almost twice as many penalties as their opponents.
(Excerpt) Read more at espn.go.com ...
The Seahawks know the refs aren't going to throw a penalty every play. So just cheat every play and take your eight or nine penalties per game! (By comparison, Seattle's opponents this season averaged just over 4 per game).
I've been pushing for the Pats to be held accountable for DeflateGate, but week in, week out, BOTH teams are high in the "cheating" categories -- the Pats just seem to add more off-the-field "extracurricular activity."
See Deflate-gate triggers stat spat as analysts attempt to solve why Patriots don't fumble for latest statistical anomaly of the Pats since 2007.
On the other hand...
Target rich opportunity for the Hicks.
Well Waa Waa Waa
WRONG!
If the penalties are called and consequences imposed, then those are the rules, fairly applied.
“Cheating” would be doing the crime, but not the time (or in this case, yardage.)
(Both defenses routinely flout the rules)
(Considering the Pats #1 in offensive pass interference -- Gronk routinely pushes off to separate & rarely gets called for it -- who can outcheat whom?)
If 22 of you in your neighborhood conspired to max out your cheating re: tax submissions, knowing the odds that only a few of you would be audited, having 2-5 of you accept the "consequences imposed" while the other 17-20 reaped the benefits of that...and shared it with the 2-5 thus audited, then, yup...cheating.
Super Bowl officials are going to let them play.
This is the ultimate proof of why the “cheater” obsession spawned by the deflated balls is so stupid. Rules violations are a basic part of sports, it’s built into the fabric of the games, and the structure is such that breaking the rules is often the smart play. It’s not cheating, it’s accepting the potential punishment as worth the risk. Sports is all about risk and reward, you take actions (prescribed and proscribed by the rule book) knowing that it could go well or it could go poorly. And remember the “punishment” for under inflated balls is they switch them and/ or fix them. Exactly what happened.
The only thing that’s actually interesting about Seattle leading the league in penalties and going to the SB is usually the team that leads in penalties is sloppy and poorly coached. This is clearly not the case in Seattle. If other teams figure this out the NFL will join the NHL and NBA that truly understand the idea of a good penalty to take.
That’s a lame analogy.
Who said the ref’s were missing things?
Holding a running back. Interesting.
GO SEAHAWKS.
Equating penalties with “cheating” is kind of a stretch. A lot of penalties - illegal motion, offside, delay of game, too many men on the field, illegal formation, etc. - are the result of timing errors, lack of concentration, or simple confusion, not deliberate efforts to obtain some sort of illegal advantage.
Not letting him release on a pass pattern out of the back field, huge advantage for the defense.
Not knowing football 101 when posting on a football thread could result in fan card revocation.
I intend to watch the game, but certainly not out of any, zero, nada, no respect for either coach.
We both realize that not every infraction draws a flag.
The purpose of imposing penalties is to discourage violating the rules. If the burden of the penalties does not, in fact, discourage violating the rules, then eventually every team will modify its behavior and we will be looking at a totally different sport.
If that's an undesirable outcome, then some changes will need to be made so that penalties do discourage CHEATING.
Sounds to me like sour grapes from f’n losers. “Mommy, that nasty boy is cheating by following the rules.”
Want some cheese with that whine ?
Pure speculation on why so many penalties.
I think that they play very aggressively causing penalties.
This is not cheating......
Tush.
The Pittsburgh Steelers built five Championships on offensive holding.
Yep … Bill Belicheat vs. Cheat Carrol.
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