The NFL Plans to Address the Problem of Patrick Mahomes Ruining Football With His Flopping and Sliding
Jamie Squire. Getty Images.There's a natural human tendency to believe that when something has been popular for a long time, it's going to stay popular forever. But nothing could be further from the truth. In the grand scheme of things, everything is temporary. Viewed through the broad arc of history, everything is a fad. Institutions that looked like they'd never go away turn out to have been built on a foundation of sand. Just look at what happened to boxing. Hard rock music. Sitcoms. Late night talk shows. Superhero movies. Sears. Toys 'R Us. Blockbuster. Bread. Unprotected sex. All basically went the way of Ozymandias. Look on my works, ye mighty. And despair.
It's tempting to think pro football is the same way, given that it's not just America's favorite sport; it's our favorite thing. The water hole that attracts every species of the American animal to it. The only product we produce that has more people consuming it with each passing year. But there's one threat to the NFL's success that could very well end it and turn the sport into just niche pastime.
And that is the NFL itself.
Consider the problem the league has been ignoring for years now, because viewership was up and revenues were only getting higher. And that is people questioning its legitimacy thanks to its most high profile figure - the very face of the league - getting special treatment time after farking time:
When you so obviously and blatantly have special rules, that coincidentally happen to benefit the most recognizable player and the guy with the biggest endorsement deals with your sponsors, it quickly reaches a point of no return from which you can't recover. And that happens when that special treatment becomes a punchline. And we are at that point. On the NFL's own broadcast partners, no less:
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As usual, Roger Goodell's little galactic empire is the last to comprehend the fact they've cocked things up and now have a major problem on their hands. But as with the concussion crisis, they do tend to get there eventually. And it seems they've heard the public's disgust and are going to at least pretend to address the issue:
Source - For all those complaining that Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes gets too many calls, relief soon could be on the way.
NFL replay assist is expected to expand this offseason into plays that could include the quarterback slide, league sources told ESPN on Saturday.
The NFL enacted replay assist in 2021 to allow replay officials and designated members of the officiating department to assist with on-field calls in limited game situations.
Replay assist has been used during games when there is clear and obvious video evidence, such as the spot of the ball or a foul, a complete or incomplete pass, and touching of the ball or a line.
Yes, this is long overdue. Fat lot of good it'll do this offseason to help Houston, Buffalo or Philly. Justice delayed is justice denied, and all that. But at least they're not blind to the fact that they've let these monkeyshines go on too long and their precious league is fast turning into a national disgrace. Worse still, a joke.
For the longest time I've been screaming into the void about the NBAification of football. Where rules are applied differently according to who's committing the penalty and who's on the business end of it. Gronk is the primary example. Once he established himself an unstoppable force of nature, it became legal to hit him below the knee or above the neck with impunity. In fact, they went the other way. The older Gronk got the more they called Offensive Pass Interference against him. Like he needed to push off some 6-0, 190lb defensive back just to get open. But it was a conscious effort to level the playing field and make him defendable. Spoiler: It didn't work.
In Mahomes' case, they've taken the already most physically gifted player in the game and given him every Cheat Code. Which is why everyone in the country watching that flop on the sidelines instantly think of Lebron James and the shamelessness of the special treatment he gets.
We'll see if this business of bringing the replay assist rule into this mess will help. I like to think it'll be like a Civilian Review Board looking into law enforcement corruption. But it's more likely to be dirty cops working with other dirty cops. There's simply too much insurance company money to be made from giving Mahomes and the Chiefs every possible break. The benefit of all the doubts. Only now with the replay assist playing along to make it all seem like it's on the up and up. Starting next year, we'll know for sure.
PS. I know what you're thinking, Don't try and "But what about Tom Brady?" me. The Tuck Rule was the correct call. The thing you call "The Brady Rule" was put in effect after Carson Palmer got his knee blown out. And they suspended him for a month over footballs losing pressure in the cold. (pV = nRT. Look it up.) I would've given my son's tuition for Brady to have gotten 10% of the special treatment Mahomes gets every week. Fortunately, I didn't have to. Just spare me your indignation.