Seattle Seahawks’ Pete Carroll Says NFL “Opened a Box of Worms” in Focusing on Taunt Rule

SEATTLE – Seahawks coach Pete Carroll says he respects what the NFL is trying to accomplish by enforcing the taunt rule more strictly, but he thinks the league has “opened up a bit of a worm box” by penalizing them. actions that can be difficult for players to suddenly avoid in the midst of the emotions of a game.

“You have a lot of guys who have to deal with these explosive moments and they really have to take their attention away from the opponent,” Carroll said on Monday. “It’s a good idea. It’s just hard to manage.”

The taunt rule is not new, but the NFL has focused on its application for officials in 2021. The 11 taunt penalties called in the first two weeks already equate to the total for the entire 2020 regular season, according to ESPN Stats & News Research. There were nine in 2019.

The Seahawks have been reported to have mocked twice in two games: wide receiver DK Metcalf in Game 1 and cornerback DJ Reed on Sunday.

Carroll’s comments were in response to that on Reed, who came in the fourth quarter of Seattle’s overtime loss to the Tennessee Titans. After successfully defending a deep ball that fell incomplete, Reed pumped his arms while watching wide receiver AJ Brown – a routine celebration that hasn’t been penalized in recent seasons.

Carroll’s issue was with the rule itself, not the official’s decision to flag Reed on this play. Strong safety Jamal Adams shared a similar sentiment after the game while calling the penalty a “ticky-tack” .

“Come on, man,” Adams said. “You take the passion and emotions out of football. At the end of the day, that’s the rule. We have to play smarter.”

Carroll cited another moment in Sunday’s game as an example of how to avoid being penalized for taunting. He said that an unidentified player “made a very aggressive move” after a play, but his body turned slightly away from the opponent, so it didn’t look like he was directing his celebration to who whether it be.

“What we’re talking about is always celebrating with your teammates and we’ve practiced it and made it a big deal because it’s one of the main new things they’ve focused on, and like always, that’s what they call it, “he said. “So I don’t think it’s bad for the game. I just think it’s hard for the guys to do it right now. They just have to learn and train and we have to do a better job. have to do a better job of putting ourselves in situations and making sure we’re watching them really carefully and helping our guys train. “

Reed’s penalty was one of five 15-yard offenses the Seahawks committed against Tennessee. In all, they committed 10 penalties for 100 yards.