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This past preseason yellow flags bombarded NFL fields like the Allies hit the shores of Normandy. It was a barrage and the target was, primarily, players in the defensive secondary. More physical corners and safeties were being singled out for their aggressive play and the message from the league was clear: Receivers must be given ample room to catch passes.
A longtime fan of football I lamented the change. Choruses of fans complaining that the league was ruining the game rained down and I tended to agree with that sentiment. In fact, it seemed highly possible that the league's Commissioner believed the league's own rules were manipulated to deny that which the league singularly desired: a denouement for the 2013 season with the league's own hero, Peyton Manning, hoisting the league's sacred trophy. And the flags of 2014 seemed like the likely safeguard to ensure that 2014 ended in a far different fashion. But after I thought about it I came to embrace the flags with a wild exuberance.
Sure, it seem.ed the league was rigging the rules to help Manning win a bowl so he could ride out on his silver horse like Elway circa 2000. And sure the brand of football the league was installing to meet those ends seemed overtly bogus. But when I thought about it more the prospects of tying defender's hands behind their backs with little yellow flags became more than intriguing. In fact, the whole idea now sounds fantastic!
Think about it for a minute. The only thing that remotely slowed down the Eagles offense under Chip Kelly was man coverage. Man coverage is clearly dependent on the defender marking his man through light contact. With this method of coverage now being outlawed the final barrier to getting eagles receivers the room they need to execute Kelly's offense has been removed.
Peyton Manning won't live forever. In fact, his expiration date is, at most, two years away. After that I fully expect the eagles to dominate the league.
So I stopped worrying and now I love the flags. And so will you. After all, if the eagles use the new rules to win a few Super Bowls nobody will be sitting around thinking it's less real because the Commissioner changed the rules.
A longtime fan of football I lamented the change. Choruses of fans complaining that the league was ruining the game rained down and I tended to agree with that sentiment. In fact, it seemed highly possible that the league's Commissioner believed the league's own rules were manipulated to deny that which the league singularly desired: a denouement for the 2013 season with the league's own hero, Peyton Manning, hoisting the league's sacred trophy. And the flags of 2014 seemed like the likely safeguard to ensure that 2014 ended in a far different fashion. But after I thought about it I came to embrace the flags with a wild exuberance.
Sure, it seem.ed the league was rigging the rules to help Manning win a bowl so he could ride out on his silver horse like Elway circa 2000. And sure the brand of football the league was installing to meet those ends seemed overtly bogus. But when I thought about it more the prospects of tying defender's hands behind their backs with little yellow flags became more than intriguing. In fact, the whole idea now sounds fantastic!
Think about it for a minute. The only thing that remotely slowed down the Eagles offense under Chip Kelly was man coverage. Man coverage is clearly dependent on the defender marking his man through light contact. With this method of coverage now being outlawed the final barrier to getting eagles receivers the room they need to execute Kelly's offense has been removed.
Peyton Manning won't live forever. In fact, his expiration date is, at most, two years away. After that I fully expect the eagles to dominate the league.
So I stopped worrying and now I love the flags. And so will you. After all, if the eagles use the new rules to win a few Super Bowls nobody will be sitting around thinking it's less real because the Commissioner changed the rules.