Because they were so much more rare?? Now, after EEEEVERY play...EVERY play, you look for a flag and are rather shocked when there isn't one. Players have fed into it in modern times. After almost eeeeeevery contested incomplete, we see WRs making the flag toss gesture. Again, watch a game from the 70s. There had to be BLANTANT contact before you saw someone complain.
The NFL is STILL....BYYYY FAAAAAR...the best game around. But IMO, it's tarnished.
