The Raiders were flagged for an NFL-high 147 penalties last season, so Raiders coach Jack Del Rio may be slightly biased when he offers his solution to the league’s problem with slower-paced games.
Del Rio told Steve Wyche of NFL Network that he supports the NFL’s efforts to speed up games, and he thinks the best way to do it would be for the officials to let the players play.
“For them to try to move along the game, I’m all for it,” Del Rio said. “I have one suggestion:
Just don’t throw so many flags. We saw so many flags last year in Oakland, I’d like to see a lot less flags thrown. So hopefully we get that flow of the game issue.”
Del Rio believes penalty delays are a real issue for the NFL’s fans, especially younger fans.
“With the millennials and people nowadays, you’re not going to keep their attention if you have too many pauses and delays,” Del Rio said. “They want things right now. So for us to speed up the game, I think that’s smart.”
Throwing fewer flags might be smart. And it might benefit Del Rio’s team.