The suggestion made by JJ Watt regarding the NFL game is heavily influenced by the Super Bowl LVIII match.
JJ Watt (Via Imago)
When it comes to penalties for holding, the referees in the NFL often seem hesitant to make the call. However, this can have significant consequences for the teams, especially when there is a lot on the line.
That is why the former defensive lineman in the NFL proposed an interesting idea to the league, aiming to make the game fairer and more thrilling for the defensive players.
During his recent appearance on the Pat McAfee Show, he suggested reducing the penalty for offensive holding from 10 yards to 5.
He argued that the current ten-yard penalty is too severe and often unfair to the teams, and even the referees acknowledge this. Therefore, if the penalty is reduced to a certain extent, it would not harm the offensive side as much.
J.J. Watt suggests decreasing the penalty for offensive holding from 10 yards to five, as mentioned on @PatMcAfeeShow. He believes this change will encourage more officials to make the call. pic.twitter.com/I6X9De9h3k
Although the proposal made by the three-time Defensive Player of the Year is intriguing, it may not address the underlying reason why officials hesitate to call holding penalties. This hesitation usually stems from the officials favoring the offensive lineman, providing them with an advantage over the defensive lineman who could potentially harm the quarterback.
The main reason why Watt put forth this idea at this particular moment is heavily influenced by the Super Bowl LVIII game, where the Kansas City Chiefs emerged as the consecutive champions, defeating the San Francisco 49ers by a score of 25-22.
The game has been surrounded by numerous controversies, particularly regarding the failure to call offensive penalties. The head coach of the 49ers expressed to Sports Illustrated that the NFL officials refrained from penalizing the Chiefs’ offensive lineman, who should have been flagged more frequently.
He attributed this failure on the part of the officials to the unfortunate loss of the Niners, while the Chiefs enjoyed success without any holding penalties in three consecutive Super Bowl games.
According to the Source firstsportz.com