NCAA proposed rule change would hamper up-tempo offenses

[MarkL]

http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/ncaaf-dr- ... ncaaf.html

There is a proposed rule change that came out of nowhere which would require ten seconds between offensive plays. A violation would be a delay of game.

The timing for this proposed rule change is conveniently right after Oklahoma used an up tempo offense to upset Alabama. Coaches say they were caught completely off guard. If you can't beat them, change the rules, right?

I hope this does not go. This rule change would definitely adversely affect Dino's offense.

[Globetrotter]

So dumb. Its just a horrible idea.

[footballguy51]

I thought it was an excellent idea before we were going to that style of offense. Now...well, I suppose I cannot change my mind simply because the ruling would hurt our team. To me it doesn't seem like football when you're entire offense is centered around fast tempo and nothing more.

[Flipper]

Bad idea....I'm against anything that artificially works against innovation. Offenses speed up the tempo to confuse the defense, someone is going to have to find a way to defend against that. It's part of the natural progression of evolution. What's next, we gonna outlaw the forward pass because Nick Saban wants to focus on run defense?

[footballguy51]

There's a real easy way to combat that offense, and teams have used it (and people have complained). Somebody goes down with an "injury". Whoever is supposed to get subbed out can all of a sudden be hurt. They sit out for one play and then they're back in. Easy solution, and it's no more dirty or cheap than running an extremely up-tempo offense so the defense cannot adapt or sub.

[Falcon137]

I really wonder where football will be in 10-15 years and if in the future, it goes the way of boxing in popularity.

[Flipper]

I was thinking miore in terms of recruiting quicker players with a greater ability to read, react and disrupt than just faking a pulled groin...

Boxing was killed by too many titles and promoters scheduling top guys away from other top guys. We got spoiled in the 80's when Pryor, Arguello, Mancini, Hearns, Leonard, Benitez, Duran and Hagler all fighting from 135-160lbs. Those guys were willing to move up in weight to fight...you don't see that as much now.
The UFC has become popular because they're pretty much the only real game in town. They can set the fights people want to see...even then, we missed out on Silva/Bones Jones and Silva/GSP because they dicked around until Silva and GSP were beaten or severly tarnished.

[BGSU33]

I also read where they said if it passed they would allow a hurry-up offense in the final two minutes, which makes even less damn sence. They are saying part of this potential rule change is to prevent player injury. So what - players don't get injured in the final two minutes??? Just a Stupid idea.

If this rule actually does happen, I hope teams that were for it end up getting burn by it when they need to hurry up because they are trailing and running out of time. What a joke.

[Browns]

I also read where they said if it passed they would allow a hurry-up offense in the final two minutes, which makes even less damn sence. They are saying part of this potential rule change is to prevent player injury. So what - players don't get injured in the final two minutes??? Just a Stupid idea.

If this rule actually does happen, I hope teams that were for it end up getting burn by it when they need to hurry up because they are trailing and running out of time. What a joke.

I completely agree. If the reason for the rule is player safety why on earth would they allow it for the final two minutes? They don't throw out the targeting rule for the final two minutes of the game. I would have had the same opinion if Clawson was still our coach as well. I'm shocked that the NCAA even acknowledged this proposal.

[Globetrotter]

Oddest rule ever

[San Diego Falcon]

Besides slowing down the up-tempo offenses throughout the game, say a team is down by more than one score with say 5-10 minutes left to go, you'd want to play hurry-up but would have to wait to snap the ball while the clock ticks down. You can't even snap the ball to clock it.

Too many awkward consequences from this rule, so I doubt it will pass.

[ChicagoFalcon98]

I'm 100% against this rule, just adapt your defense...and I'm not talking about faking injuries to slow down play. Teams just need to recruit differently and build a defense that can adapt to any down and distance situation without having to sub in different player sets. Teams have been doing this for years.

One example is back when Nebraska was in the Big-12 and they were playing a lot of offenses that ran hurry up and spread formations, the Huskers started recruiting guys that could play multiple positions (e.g., players that were just as adept at playing safety or line-backer) thus allowing them to play a pass oriented defense or spin them down to play as an extra LB in running situations when the offense was in hurry up. They've continued to recruit that type of player now that they're in the Big10, guys like Nathan Gerry who are big enough to play LB but fast enough to play cover safety.

They also specifically created new positions in their defense (e.g., their "joker" position) which is designed to help allow their defense to shift from pass to run focus without changing personnel. One example of a guy they used in that role is Erig Hagg who played it well and ended up on the Cleveland Browns for a few years.

Anyway, that's just an example, lots of teams do this and have done this effectively to stop hurry up offenses. It generally requires smaller and faster LBs who can cover slot WRs and TEs when needed, and larger secondary players who can deliver hits and stop the run...not unlike what you saw with the Seahawks against the Broncos hurry up offense in the SB.

[footballguy51]

I'm still all for faking injuries. There's nothing in the rules that says you cannot do that. Is it unsportsmanlike? Probably. But an argument could be made that running multiple offensive plays consecutively could be seen as unsportsmanlike as well.

If I were the opposing coach going against a team that played hurry-up all the time, I'd tell my players that if they get winded and need to be subbed, they need to go down and pretend they have an injury. Their injury is...they got the wind knocked out of them. Then we'll go help them off the field and replace that player. Everybody else just got a breather as well, and I got to talk to my team as well. I also did any other subs I felt I needed to do. And yes, I realize everybody would REALLY complain that I would be doing that, but it's a strategy. Try to defeat it if you don't like it.

[factman]

I'm still all for faking injuries. There's nothing in the rules that says you cannot do that. Is it unsportsmanlike? Probably. But an argument could be made that running multiple offensive plays consecutively could be seen as unsportsmanlike as well.

If I were the opposing coach going against a team that played hurry-up all the time, I'd tell my players that if they get winded and need to be subbed, they need to go down and pretend they have an injury. Their injury is...they got the wind knocked out of them. Then we'll go help them off the field and replace that player. Everybody else just got a breather as well, and I got to talk to my team as well. I also did any other subs I felt I needed to do. And yes, I realize everybody would REALLY complain that I would be doing that, but it's a strategy. Try to defeat it if you don't like it.

It might work a few times, but if it became very obvious, the flags would start flying for delay of game. Not sure if football has a "making a mockery of the game" like baseball, but that might also apply, as I am sure there are other applicable rules.

[transfer2BGSU]

I'm still all for faking injuries. There's nothing in the rules that says you cannot do that. Is it unsportsmanlike? Probably. But an argument could be made that running multiple offensive plays consecutively could be seen as unsportsmanlike as well.

If I were the opposing coach going against a team that played hurry-up all the time, I'd tell my players that if they get winded and need to be subbed, they need to go down and pretend they have an injury. Their injury is...they got the wind knocked out of them. Then we'll go help them off the field and replace that player. Everybody else just got a breather as well, and I got to talk to my team as well. I also did any other subs I felt I needed to do. And yes, I realize everybody would REALLY complain that I would be doing that, but it's a strategy. Try to defeat it if you don't like it.

It might work a few times, but if it became very obvious, the flags would start flying for delay of game. Not sure if football has a "making a mockery of the game" like baseball, but that might also apply, as I am sure there are other applicable rules.

It's called Unsportsmanlike Conduct. It's a fifteen yard penalty and an automatic TIME WARNER CABLE FALCON FIRST DOWN!!!