Quote:
Originally Posted by dkgo
Anyway, my vote is for any unsportsmanlike conduct being the dumbest penalty. When lining up offsides you are at least trying to gain a competitive advantage, you keep pushing forward until the ref calls it. Excessive celebration or taunting is 15 yards just because you have the emotional control of a child.
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My thoughts exactly ^^^ You've got to be a special kind of stupid (and/or the emotional control of a child, as stated above) to get called for this type of penalty.
While agree that the neutral zone infraction is generally a very dumb penalty, I suppose I can envision instances where the d-lineman, caught up in the anxiety and fatigue of the moment, might experience just enough disorientation or distraction to misplace himself with regards to his stance. (It also appears to me that refs give players a little leeway on this infraction. Sometimes the camera angle will clearly show that a defender's helmet or front hand-on-the-ground is a bit into the neutral zone, but it usually isn't called unless it's obvious. Makes me think that a linesman might warn the defender, "hey, you're getting pretty close to lining up in the neutral zone... might wanna watch that.")
The other dumb football penalty that sticks out, though rare, is the case of a wide receiver jumping offsides (false start). Unlike a O-lineman, that fraction of second head start that he's looking for is unlikely to break the play if he doesn't get it. When you combine that with the fact that he doesn't even need to know the snapcount - just needs to watch the ball - it is truly a boneheaded penalty.