NFL referees have become overzealous in flagging quarterbacks for clapping to get the center to snap the ball.
That’s what Cardinals coach Kliff Kingsbury said during the preseason, when his team was flagged multiple times, and now it’s what Colts coach Frank Reich is saying.
Colts quarterback Jacoby Brissett was penalized twice on Sunday for false starts after he clapped for the snap. According to Stephen Holder of TheAthletic.com, Reich says that the league office told him that Brissett’s clapping was actually within the rules.
That means the officials blew the call twice in Sunday’s game, after a preseason in which the Cardinals repeatedly complained that they couldn’t get clarification on the rule. The league needs to make sure that players and coaches understand what is and is not a false start, and that the officials call it consistently.