The NFL is steeped in custom, and the opening sport of every season is often a fairly good indicator of that.
How so?
The defending Tremendous Bowl champion nearly at all times hosts the league’s kickoff sport. It is a time for that crew to unveil its championship banner and have a good time with followers. It is nearly at all times performed on a Thursday, having moved to that point slot initially in 2002. The NFL additionally likes to do that humorous factor the place referees are over-fixated on a selected rule and throw sufficient flags to each confuse and anger gamers, coaches and followers alike.
It is large!
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The Baltimore Ravens and Kansas Metropolis Chiefs met for this season’s begin, with that remaining custom turning into the largest story to come back out of the sport.
Ravens left deal with Ronnie Stanley was known as for 3 unlawful formation penalties and proper deal with Patrick Mekari was known as for one Thursday, as league officers instructed groups that the decision can be a degree of emphasis this season. The Chiefs weren’t known as for any, regardless of the very fact their proper deal with, Jawaan Taylor, was essentially the most penalized participant in the whole NFL in 2023 and the particular person many consider the rule is being targeted on for.
“The way in which it was going by the sport, I actually really feel like they had been attempting to make an instance and selected me to be the one to try this,” Stanley stated, per team-provided video. “So far as I noticed, they weren’t doing it on each side of the ball. I do know that I used to be lined up in good place a majority of these calls they made.”
How does this have something to do with the Patriots?
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Patriots offensive lineman Chukwuma Okorafor was flagged 3 times for unlawful formation by referee Shawn Hochuli when the Patriots closed out the preseason towards the Washington Commanders.
Hochuli, in fact, obtained the Ravens-Chiefs task and was additionally the one who penalized Stanley.
It is in all probability truthful to say each crew within the NFL that is not situated in Baltimore caught a break with this new enforcement of a long-standing rule, because the rash of penalties is certain to have offensive tackles double and triple-checking themselves earlier than each snap.
New England handled the identical situation, sure, however at the least they had been made an instance of throughout a preseason sport.
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