Check your NFL Twitter feed and you won't have to scroll for too long before you get commentary from someone who is upset about the NFL's helmet rule. 


There have been some bad calls this preseason, and the struggle to balance player safety while keeping the integrity of the game still intact will be one that exists throughout 2018. Fans and players are hoping the league listens to outside criticism in order to tame ref's sensitivity to throwing flags on the slightest bit of contact, and now sports agents are getting involved in the conversation too.

This was the exact video San Francisco 49ers corner Richard Sherman alluded to when he called out officials for getting this one wrong.

Like coaches who consult the game tape to find mistakes and inconsistencies in play, the hope is referees do the same this preseason. If not, unjust penalties will indeed affect the outcome of games when the stakes are much higher.


Come regular season and playoff time, every decision could be the difference of win-and-move-on or lose-and-go-home.