In a recent appearance on “The Pat McAfee Show,” former Houston Texans defensive end JJ Watt voiced his concerns about what he perceives as a shortage of offensive holding calls in today’s NFL, particularly from the standpoint of pass rushers like himself. Watt expressed frustration, highlighting the consistent lack of penalties for holding, even when it involves elite pass rushers such as Micah Parsons, Myles Garrett, and his brother TJ Watt.
To address this issue, Watt has proposed a nuanced adjustment to NFL rules that could potentially aid defenses. His suggestion is to decrease the penalty for offensive holding from the current 10 yards to just 5 yards. According to Watt, this alteration would lead to more equitable and realistic enforcement, as referees are well aware of the substantial impact a 10-yard penalty can have in the NFL. By reducing the severity of the penalty, Watt believes referees would be more inclined to call holding infractions consistently, ultimately resulting in a decline in such violations.
While Watt’s proposal seems to have theoretical validity, it comes with a caveat – there’s no assurance that referees would respond precisely as Watt anticipates based on his psychological reasoning behind the rule change. The success of this potential adjustment hinges on the assumption that a less severe penalty would encourage more consistent enforcement by referees. It remains to be seen whether the NFL would entertain such a rule change and how officials would interpret and apply the revised penalty in real-game situations. As the league often grapples with finding the right balance between offense and defense, Watt’s suggestion adds an intriguing perspective to the ongoing discussions surrounding rule modifications in the NFL.
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