NFL officiating head expects penalties to decrease in regular season

NFL officials have been under fire during the 2014 preseason schedule due to a higher volume of penalties called. The league’s vice-president of officiating, Dean Blandino, says he expects the numbers to decrease when the regular season starts.

The NFL’s popularity knows no bounds these days, but it’s hard to tell how that might be affected if the on-field product is affected. According to the Washington Post, games are running five minutes longer than last season because the penalty rate is so much higher, up 44 percent:

Total penalties are up 43.7 percent from last year through the first two weeks of preseason games, according to the league’s figures. There have been 756 penalties so far this preseason, compared to 526 last year through two weeks of preseason games.

“We expected it. I think there’s an adjustment period for our officials, for the coaches and our players,” Blandino said. “When the regular season rolls around, I think everybody will be on the same page and I think you’ll see those foul totals go down.”

The league’s referees have been told to make illegal contact a major point of emphasis, especially on the defensive side. It will be interesting to see how the numbers hold up when the NFL season kicks off on Sept. 4.