Troy Vincent Says NFL 'Right Where We Need to Be' on Taunting Penalty Enforcement

NFL Executive Vice President of Football Operations Troy Vincent told the Associated Press' Rob Maaddi that he is satisfied with the league's enforcement of unsportsmanlike conduct penalties:

"We're right where we need to be and we're now seeing the correction we were looking for. We saw the spike the first three weeks and now we're seeing the decline. The coaches and the NFL Competition Committee are pleased. "

"Coaches have told us their players are adjusting, they're thinking about what they're going to do, knowing it may cost the team. These are game-changing penalties for a selfish act."

The taunting penalty enforcement has come under fire this year, with many analysts taking to Twitter and making their case, as noted by Jack Baer of Yahoo Sports on Sept. 19.

It reentered the national conversation following the end of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' 28-22 win over the Philadelphia Eagles on Thursday.

With the Bucs up 28-22 and possessing the ball on 1st-and-10 from their 25-yard line, Tampa Bay running back Leonard Fournette got two yards before Steven Nelson and Genard Avery forced him out of bounds.

Fournette got up, and Avery was in his face. The defensive end didn't appear to do much, but a taunting penalty was called:

Instead of 2nd-and-8 from the 27-yard line, the Bucs now had a 1st-and-10 from their own 42. They ended up running out the clock en route to the win.

Fans and analysts still appear to be upset, with Charles Curtis of FTW compiling more negative reaction Friday.

The NFL is clearly accomplishing its goal regardless of how anyone on the outside feels, and it's clear officials aren't afraid to call flags on borderline taunts or potentially game-altering plays.

We'll see how the rest of Week 6 goes starting Sunday at 9:30 a.m. ET when the Miami Dolphins and Jacksonville Jaguars play in London.