# Kicking plays in football: Are there more penalties called  than in previous years?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kicking-plays-in-football-are-there-more-penalties-called-than-in-previous-years/777197>\
**Category:** The Game Room\
**Created:** [January 15, 2017, 2:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kicking-plays-in-football-are-there-more-penalties-called-than-in-previous-years/777197 "2017-01-15T02:34:48Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 2\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Nars\_Glinley](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nars_glinley/32/8177_2.png) [@Nars\_Glinley](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nars_Glinley)\
**Post date:** [January 15, 2017, 2:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kicking-plays-in-football-are-there-more-penalties-called-than-in-previous-years/777197/1 "2017-01-15T02:34:48Z")

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Is it just me or are the refs in American football (both college and pro) getting more and more flag happy on kickoffs and punt returns? ISTM that more often than not, they’re calling either holding or illegal block in the back.

I don’t mean this year in particular but just a steady increasing trend over the past decade or so.

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**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\
**Post date:** [January 15, 2017, 7:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kicking-plays-in-football-are-there-more-penalties-called-than-in-previous-years/777197/2 "2017-01-15T07:36:11Z")

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I haven’t looked closely at it, but ISTM that punt returns, in the NFL, have _always_ been likely to have illegal block penalties on the returning team.