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Post by Tizu on Jul 25, 2013 6:43:52 GMT -5
Here's the list:
• To eject players who target and contact defenseless players above the shoulders. • To add a 10-second runoff with less than a minute remaining in either half when the sole reason for the clock to stop is an injury. • To establish three seconds as the minimum amount of time required to be on the game clock in order to spike the ball to stop the clock. If one or two seconds remain on the clock, there is only time for the offense to run one more play. • To require a player that changes numbers during the game to report this to the referee, who will announce this. • To only allow one player number to be worn by the same team and participate at the same position (e.g., two quarterbacks on the same team are not allowed to have the same number). • To require teams to have either their jersey or pants contrast in color to the playing field. • To allow the use of electronic communication by the on-field officiating crew after successful experimentation by the Southeastern Conference. This is not a required piece of equipment but will allow officiating crews to use this tool. • To allow the Big 12 Conference to experiment with using an eighth official on the field in conference games. This official would be placed in the backfield opposite the referee. • To allow instant replay to adjust the clock at the end of each quarter. Previously this provision was only in place for the end of each half.
Obviously the big one here is the first item in the list. I understand they are trying to make the game safer but this is simply a judgement call by the official. Sometimes it is not possible to prevent hitting a player who may be deemed "defenseless". If player A leaves his feet prior to player B becoming defenseless and makes contact above the shoulders "accidentally", that player is now subject to being ejected. Player A didn't intentionally target that area. Now, I realize players do intentionally target the head area and I think it's good in that it will make players think twice before trying to make a highlight reel hit on a receiver who's jumping to catch a ball.
I don't get the spike rule or the 10 second run-off rule. If a player is truly injured, why should the team be punished for that? I understand there are scenarios (like what happened in the NFL last year) where there's 30 or so seconds on the clock, team has no timeouts so a player fakes an injury then is back in the next play. Then I understand it, but for a legitimate injury, I think it's asinine to potentially end the game where the other team may have scored and possibly won.
The spike rule again, I think is silly. Ok, so if there's not 3 seconds on the clock and the team has no more timeouts, they're screwed b/c they have no way of stopping the clock after a play. I realize that doesn't happen frequently, but again could cost a team valuable seconds needed to score.
What are your thoughts?
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Post by Tizu on Jul 25, 2013 6:49:38 GMT -5
More on the Ejection rule. If the player is deemed as targeting, that player will be ejected and a 15 yard penalty will be assessed. If the penalty occurs in the first half of a game, the player is ejected for the remainder of the game. If the penalty occurs in the second half or overtime of a game, the player is ejected for the remainder of the game and the first half of the next contest.
The committee has also decided, in an effort to address concerns when one of these plays is erroneously called, to make the ejection portion of the penalty reviewable through video replay. The replay official must have conclusive evidence that a player should not be ejected to overturn the call on the field. Additionally, a post-game conference review remains part of the rule and conferences always have the ability to add to a sanction.
So, the ejection is reviewable, but they still assess the 15 yard penalty regardless? What sense does that make!? You're still punishing the team for a penalty that was erroneously called but the only part reviewable is whether the player is ejected or not? That's bullshit!
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Post by Ken D on Jul 25, 2013 9:50:17 GMT -5
Here's the list: • To eject players who target and contact defenseless players above the shoulders. • To add a 10-second runoff with less than a minute remaining in either half when the sole reason for the clock to stop is an injury. • To establish three seconds as the minimum amount of time required to be on the game clock in order to spike the ball to stop the clock. If one or two seconds remain on the clock, there is only time for the offense to run one more play. • To require a player that changes numbers during the game to report this to the referee, who will announce this. • To only allow one player number to be worn by the same team and participate at the same position (e.g., two quarterbacks on the same team are not allowed to have the same number). • To require teams to have either their jersey or pants contrast in color to the playing field. • To allow the use of electronic communication by the on-field officiating crew after successful experimentation by the Southeastern Conference. This is not a required piece of equipment but will allow officiating crews to use this tool. • To allow the Big 12 Conference to experiment with using an eighth official on the field in conference games. This official would be placed in the backfield opposite the referee. • To allow instant replay to adjust the clock at the end of each quarter. Previously this provision was only in place for the end of each half. Obviously the big one here is the first item in the list. I understand they are trying to make the game safer but this is simply a judgement call by the official. Sometimes it is not possible to prevent hitting a player who may be deemed "defenseless". If player A leaves his feet prior to player B becoming defenseless and makes contact above the shoulders "accidentally", that player is now subject to being ejected. Player A didn't intentionally target that area. Now, I realize players do intentionally target the head area and I think it's good in that it will make players think twice before trying to make a highlight reel hit on a receiver who's jumping to catch a ball. I don't get the spike rule or the 10 second run-off rule. If a player is truly injured, why should the team be punished for that? I understand there are scenarios (like what happened in the NFL last year) where there's 30 or so seconds on the clock, team has no timeouts so a player fakes an injury then is back in the next play. Then I understand it, but for a legitimate injury, I think it's asinine to potentially end the game where the other team may have scored and possibly won. The spike rule again, I think is silly. Ok, so if there's not 3 seconds on the clock and the team has no more timeouts, they're screwed b/c they have no way of stopping the clock after a play. I realize that doesn't happen frequently, but again could cost a team valuable seconds needed to score. What are your thoughts? What, exactly, does "defenseless" mean? The media made a point of citing the Jadaveon Clowney hit against a Michigan running back as an example of a now illegal hit. They could just as easily have cited any attempted quarterback sneak. Clowney came in low to the ground. He didn't have time to come up out of his stance since he met the runner within a second or so of the snap. What was he supposed to do when the runner, whose shoulders were also low to the ground, came directly at him? Fall to the ground? I can see a rule like this beyond some reasonable distance from the line of scrimmage, but contact in the trenches will almost always violate this rule. Maybe next year we can require defensive linemen to count to three Mississippi before crossing the line of scrimmage. As for spiking, I have no problem with placing limits on this practice. It is, after all, intentional grounding made legal for the sole purpose of making the end of a game more exciting. I wouldn't have a problem if spiking were banned entirely. We all know that players fake injuries for all sorts of reasons. They do it because it's nearly impossible to tell when they are faking. It is not unreasonable to assume that a player is more likely to be faking when stopping the clock favors his team. I would expand this rule to require that any player whose apparent injury stops the clock in the final minute of a game not be permitted to reenter the game at all. If he is truly hurt, this won't penalize his team. But if he is faking, his team won't be unduly rewarded for it.
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Post by Tizu on Jul 26, 2013 8:45:25 GMT -5
With regard to the "hit" rule...I agree with you, how in the world that Clowney hit would be deemed illegal is beyond me. Defenseless to me means a receiver who jumps up to catch a ball and is up in the air reaching for the ball with both feet off the ground. That Clowney hit was just a case of perfect timing and him having the momentum on his side prior to the runner getting going good. No reason as you said, that should be illegal. Really, I don't see much of a way he could have prevented hitting him.
I agree beyond 5 yards from the scrimmage line or something like that, but certainly not at or behind the line of scrimmage.
Spiking the ball has always been part of the game, and while I don't necessarily 'like' it, it's not against the rules, yet. It may be one day at which point I will be happy.
I agree 100% about if a player gets injured he's done for the rest of the game inside a minute. Simply because as you stated, it's nearly impossible to know if a player is truly hurt or faking sometimes. I'm with you on that one for sure.
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Post by Ken D on Jul 26, 2013 9:08:12 GMT -5
With regard to the "hit" rule...I agree with you, how in the world that Clowney hit would be deemed illegal is beyond me. Defenseless to me means a receiver who jumps up to catch a ball and is up in the air reaching for the ball with both feet off the ground. That Clowney hit was just a case of perfect timing and him having the momentum on his side prior to the runner getting going good. No reason as you said, that should be illegal. Really, I don't see much of a way he could have prevented hitting him. I agree beyond 5 yards from the scrimmage line or something like that, but certainly not at or behind the line of scrimmage. Spiking the ball has always been part of the game, and while I don't necessarily 'like' it, it's not against the rules, yet. It may be one day at which point I will be happy. I agree 100% about if a player gets injured he's done for the rest of the game inside a minute. Simply because as you stated, it's nearly impossible to know if a player is truly hurt or faking sometimes. I'm with you on that one for sure. You raise an interesting question, for which my internet search skills can't find an answer. You say that spiking the ball has always been part of the game. Really? I sure don't remember seeing it as a kid, and I watched a lot of football. Does anyone know when the practice started, or when the rule about intentional grounding was changed?
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Post by Tizu on Jul 26, 2013 9:27:24 GMT -5
Perhaps I shouldn't say it has "always been a part of the game". What I should have added to that is "as long as I can remember". Which really isn't that long. CRS ya know.
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Post by Ken D on Jul 26, 2013 9:38:46 GMT -5
Perhaps I shouldn't say it has "always been a part of the game". What I should have added to that is "as long as I can remember". Which really isn't that long. CRS ya know. Well, I expect I can remember further back than most here. I remember seeing Dick Lynch score a late touchdown to end Oklahoma's 47 game win streak in the mid-fifties. But more to the point of my question, I also remember a game at Carter-Finley against Penn State (I think in 1979). State was leading 7-6 with time running out. The Penn State quarterback threw the ball out of bounds to stop the clock, and there was some controversy about exactly at what point during the pass's flight the clock should have stopped (i.e. - does it stop when the ball passes the sideline, or when it hits the ground?). The official timer (from NC State, inexplicably) gave it a quick whistle, leaving one second on the clock. The Lions then kicked a 55 yard field goal to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat. My point is, if he had been allowed to spike the ball then, why would he have taken the time to throw it halfway across the field out of bounds? That tells me the spike rule is relatively recent. I would guess it started in the NFL, and migrated to college ball, but I can't find anything to back that up.
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Post by Tizu on Jul 26, 2013 10:56:59 GMT -5
Sounds very reasonable and likely, Ken. Makes sense that the QB would spike rather than throw it out of bounds simply to save a couple of seconds...which it turns out they only needed the 1.
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