I get what you are seeing, but I think it’s more a combination that blocking is better and they don’t call holding on blockers (unless the fix is in. This is the NFL afterall and blocking is the easiest call in the universe to make)
Holding occurs on every play. That makes it easy for the refs to influence a game.
I watched football in the 70s and 80s and virtually none after that until recently and I noticed the same thing. Tackles seemed almost amateur. When my 10 yr old started football last season NONE of the kids had a clue how to hitthe runner. For better or worse when I was a kid trying to kill the runner was favorite activity number one. The first knowledge we gained was the fine points of taking him down. And everyone really put his heart into it. My kids team seemed almost diffident in this respect. They seemed to shy away from. Toward the end of the season though they had gotten fast and efficient. They knew if they effed it they’d be riding the bench
Great, insightful discussion.
I guess the flip-side of this same topic is that I notice receivers making spectacular catches on a much more frequent basis and I have to assume a combination of similar factors: rules favoring offense, including very strict limits on defensive backs, very big, fast and strong receivers and tight ends and the supremacy of passing offense in general.
Thanks to all.