"Athlete safety" my fat keester. This is all about maximizing the advantage of schools who have Rivals 5 star athletes two deep at every position. Anything the "little guys" want to do to try to stay competitive is frowned upon by the $ that drives the bus that is college football.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p>In <a href="https://twitter.com/espn">@ESPN</a> poll of all 128 FBS coaches, only 25 favor 10-second rule proposal</p>— Brett McMurphy (@McMurphyESPN) <a href="https://twitter.com/McMurphyESPN/statuses/438760843023745024">February 26, 2014</a></blockquote> <script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p>In <a href="https://twitter.com/espn">@ESPN</a> poll of 128 coaches about 10-second rule proposal, 73% opposed, 19.5% in favor, 7% undecided</p>— Brett McMurphy (@McMurphyESPN) <a href="https://twitter.com/McMurphyESPN/statuses/438762470350802945">February 26, 2014</a></blockquote> <script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p>In <a href="https://twitter.com/espn">@espn</a> poll, only 11 of 65 "Power 5 Conference" coaches favor 10-second rule proposal</p>— Brett McMurphy (@McMurphyESPN) <a href="https://twitter.com/McMurphyESPN/statuses/438765133771587585">February 26, 2014</a></blockquote> <script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p>I won’t break down conference votes, but no league was unanimous & no league had more than 1/3 of teams in favor</p>— Brett McMurphy (@McMurphyESPN) <a href="https://twitter.com/McMurphyESPN/statuses/438768175799226368">February 26, 2014</a></blockquote> <script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p>Only 19.5% of all FBS coaches favor 10-second rule proposal. My story: <a href="http://t.co/g0tbI5N6HB">http://t.co/g0tbI5N6HB</a></p>— Brett McMurphy (@McMurphyESPN) <a href="https://twitter.com/McMurphyESPN/statuses/438772013688446976">February 26, 2014</a></blockquote> <script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Are those opposed the ones who can't figure out how to stop hurry-up offenses? This seems like the most reactionary movement in the NCAA. They sound like the people who complained when Dr. Naismith cut a hole into the bottom of the peach basket.
Alabama's Nick Saban offers first thoughts on NCAA's proposed 10-second rule Saban: "I really don't necessarily have an opinion on the 10-second rule. I think there are three issues that need to be researched relative to pace of play, the first being player safety. When you look at plays that are run, and a team averages 88 plays, and we average 65 at Alabama, that's 20-something plays more a game over a 12-game season, that adds up to four more games a year that guys have to play. I think it's wear and tear and tougher to prepare players when you have to play against a hurry-up offense because of the way you have to practice. ... The second thing is, can officials officiate the game? They're not in position when the ball is snapped, just like defensive players aren't in position when the ball is snapped, so that's a game administration issue that people should probably look into. And the third thing, to me, and the last thing, which is not the most important, I think the first is most important, is there any competitive imbalance created by the pace of play. ... But anyway, there's just a lot of issues that need to be looked at, but I think the bottom line is, was football intended to be a continuous game? Soccer is a continuous game, rugby is a continuous game, but for the physical elements that are involved in playing a football game and the number of plays that you play, I don't know that it was ever intended to be a continuous game." ... "I think player safety is the No. 1 thing, and that was my No. 1 issue as well. I think when players get tired they're more susceptible to get injured if you can't substitute players when they're tired or if they're injured and you can't get them out of the game. Or if a player has a pre-existing condition, whether it's sickle cell, asthma or whatever it is and the trainer says that guy needs to come out. The only way to get them out of the game is to call timeout, so the other way, we could, you know alleviate -- there's a lot of solution to the problem. I don't think coaches should be making this decision. I don't think I should make it, I don't think any coaches should make it. I think somebody outside all of us should decide what is in the best interest of the game, whether it's player safety, game administration, whatever it might be. That's sort of the concern that, I think, we all have." ... "I think one thing people don't understand is they don't have all the facts about this. The reason -- I had nothing to do with the idea of the 10-second rule, but the committee decided the 10-second rule because they took 12 games of three fastball teams: Oregon, Auburn, Texas A&M and I forget the fourth one, it might have been Baylor, I'm not sure. And they said, OK, how many times did they snap the ball in the first 10 seconds of the play clock? It averaged four times a game, so you're really not changing -- I don't think anybody was trying to change what they do or how they do it, but the fact that they can get on the line and snap it quick, you can't substitute. All right. So, that becomes an eventual player safety issue and I think if you ask the guys philosophically, a lot of them that run the offense, they say we want to wear the defense down and get the defense tired. Well, you get the defensive players tired they are going to be more susceptible to getting injured. ... "They spent a lot of money in the NFL figuring out what's best for the game and what's best for the players and they have a lot invested in it and I think sometimes we don't need to do all the things that they do but I think in some situations the officials controlling the pace of the game in that league has, I think, benefited the players and I would like to see the officials be able to control the pace of the game. I think the officials control the pace of the game in all games, but they don't in college football."
I guess I do enjoy the humor Saban essentially admitting he's scared of Gus Malzahn and Kevin Sumlin!
They said the same thing this last offseason! And was torched 3 different times! The game is changing and Saban better realize it!
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p>Rich Rod as Keanu Reeves in Speed parody of 10-second rule proposal. Great job by <a href="https://twitter.com/ArizonaFBall">@ArizonaFBall</a> <a href="http://t.co/AGOfnM7hXk">http://t.co/AGOfnM7hXk</a></p>— Brett McMurphy (@McMurphyESPN) <a href="https://twitter.com/McMurphyESPN/statuses/440563735074070528">March 3, 2014</a></blockquote> <script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
I believe the Cougars have proven that it can go wither way. While we have proven time and time again that the high speed offense wins games, not only in the 90's with the run and Texas, and others, we have all too often been rolled over by the more talented and more physical teams like UCLA and others. I don't think it evens the playing field myself. I think the more talented and best prepared team usually wins. I think the advantage that these offenses have is that they run the same plays so often they have mastered them. And the defense is often reacting, rather than playing aggressively to attack the offense. Either way, 10 seconds won't change that.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p>BREAKING: In teleconference today, NCAA FB rules committee withdreew the 10-second rule proposal. Story: <a href="http://t.co/6CVnUaCtbk">http://t.co/6CVnUaCtbk</a></p>— George Schroeder (@GeorgeSchroeder) <a href="https://twitter.com/GeorgeSchroeder/statuses/441300263379271680">March 5, 2014</a></blockquote> <script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
