They say flags fly forever.

Friday night’s Saints/Titans preseason game was full of highlight plays. It was also nearly four hours long. The Saints alone were flagged 22 times, which would have tied an NFL record had it been a regular season total. The Saints lead the NFL this preseason with 32 flags thrown on them altogether, though given Friday night’s total that isn’t a shocking stat.

It’s been a league-wide trend this preseason, almost certainly stemming from the league-mandated “point of emphasis” upon calling illegal contact in the secondary. The popular theory is such a focus was brought upon by the Seattle Seahawks, who absolutely dismantled Peyton Manning’s record-setting Denver Broncos offense in the Super Bowl. Seattle is known for its physical play against receivers and the supposed belief by its coaching staff and players that officials will only flag for contact so many times, so do it every time. 

See also: Pistons, Detroit. They can’t call a foul every play, so just foul every play!

Look, this flag-fest shouldn’t continue into the regular season. It would make the game pretty unwatchable, and this isn’t the first time officials have overthrown flags to set a preseason tone. 

Still though, while all of the attention is on what Seattle “got away with” last season, the fact remains that a man just tossed 55 touchdown passes and nearly 5,500 yards and the officiating response is to HELP THE OFFENSE. 

Really?

I can understand, on some level at least, the idea where the NFL might try to avoid the aforementioned “Pistons” outbreak before it catches on. The late 80’s Pistons are one of my all-time favorite NBA teams, as are the early 90’s Knicks. But the era of basketball those teams brought on was painful to watch at times, to say the least. The NFL knows offense sells, and a league that sees everyone copycat what Seattle does might not be to the owners’ tastes.

But then again … exactly how close are we even to having 10 teams that can replicate what Seattle does? Do we even have five? Many people simplify what the Seahawks did to “they get away with murder in the secondary,” but the Seahawks also have a few other distinct advantages: linebackers that run as fast or faster than many wide receivers, despite also boasting size, and a plethora of pass-rushing talent. 

Teams can copy aspects of what Seattle does. They can’t just ‘become’ Seattle overnight. 

But what the league should be wary of is an increased veer toward an “Arena League” style of play, which, despite my last name believe it or not, I am far from a fan of. Touchdowns need to matter and not just be an assumed end of a drive. 

The last time “illegal contact” became a true point of emphasis was following the 2003 NFL season, it led to Manning tossing an at-the-time NFL record 49 touchdown passes. Minnesota’s Daunte Culpepper passed for 39 touchdowns. 

Those totals spiked from 29 and 25 respectively in the previous season. 

This time, we’re coming off of a record-setting season already. This season, we may well see how high the scoreboard can climb.