With the exception of the referee debacle in 2012, the NFL has never seen such an uproar over preseason penalties. Players, coaches and the media have been overwhelmingly vocal against the unfathomable number of flags thrown through 2-plus weeks of games, leading to concern that the phenomenon will leak into the regular season.
As pointed out by ESPN, the numbers are a clear indication:
There have been 756 penalties called in 33 NFL preseason games in 2014. In first 33 preseason games in 2013, there were 526 penalties
— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) August 20, 2014
Fortunately the NFL appears to be aware of the frustration and even issued an apology, specifically regarding defensive holding and illegal contact flags. The 460% increase in those defensive flags account for the dramatic increase in overall infractions.
Defensive holding penalties called First 33 preseason games 2013 20 2014 112 — ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) August 20, 2014
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[ESPN]
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