Rob Gronkowski sounds off on controversial decisions by NFL refs in 2023 - "Doing a terrible job"
NFL referees have been in the crosshairs of everyone lately and now Rob Gronkowski has given his thoughts on the officiating.
With so many questionable calls happening in every game and every week, there have been calls to make every penalty reviewable. While that will no doubt slow the game down, some people think it could prove beneficial.
The biggest issue that most have is with the roughing-the-passer penalties. Though the NFL is right in trying to protect players from concussions, it seems that they have gone too far the other way. Maybe it needs to be reeled in a bit and Rob Gronkowski thinks so too.
Rob Gronkowski gives thoughts on roughing the passer penalties
With so many roughing-the-passer penalties being questionable, on the Up & Adams Show with Kay Adams, the host and Gronkowski worked through a play that happened this past week.
New England Patriots quarterback Mac Jones was the beneficiary of the flag and Gronkowski wasn't happy to see that given as a penalty.
"The NFL is doing a terrible job with it. I think it's kind of ruining the game. They're policing roughing the passer way too much. So, it's bad it's kind of ruining the game because it's giving the advantage to the offense sometimes when they should never have the advantage, you get a free 15 yards for absolutely no reason and that can change the momentum of the game at any time. So, I think it's just policed just insanely too much."
NFL refereeing a topic of hot discussion
Now, before we get into it, we all know that referees are humans and make mistakes, so they can't be perfect all the time, despite fans wanting them to be.
Yet, what gets fans offside is with all the cameras available at stadiums and the ability to rewatch plays etc, the right decision more often than not should be had.
Additionally, given that the NFL is a billion-dollar league, the fact that no NFL officials are full-time is odd given how much the league needs them.
So, is Rob Gronkowski right? In that, the referees are watching the roughing-the-passer too much and throwing the flag when they shouldn't? Possibly, and this is what makes fans think that all roughing the passer penalties should be reviewable.
While nothing will change this season, it will make for interesting viewing to see if anything in the referee landscape changes after this season.