I obviously don't mean it like that, and play-calling and dictating that a kicker must kick a field goal three times only neither he nor anyone else know which one is actually the one that matters is not the same thing. There is absolutely no other instance in sports where the players may be forced to perform their job multiple times not knowing if it's gonna count or not. It'd be lame as hell if an NBA player could have a timeout called as he's halfway through his free throw release. Or if as a soccer player is stepping up to kick a PK and the opposing coach called time right before and he had to kick it again, it would be stupid. 3-2 count, bottom 9, bases loaded, 1 run game, the pitcher catches the batter looking with a backdoor slider... nooooo there was a timeout from the bullpen, do it again. This only accepted practice in football because "it's within the rules, it's perfectly legal." Take it out of the rules and make it illegal, and it's just like any of the above situations, isn't it?
This doesn't have anything to do with an game ending FG. But remember in 2007 when the Patriots and Ravens played on MNF, and the timeout right before the snap backfired on the Ravens. It was 4th and 1 and Brady tried to run a sneak and the Ravens stuffed him, seemingly ending their perfect season. Turns out the Rex Ryan called a TO right before the snap and the Patriots got another chance and converted. I just think there is no need to make an adjustment on how a TO should be used, because it could backfire on you. <object width="480" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/nZKVwaBYuww?fs=1&hl=en_US&start=300"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/nZKVwaBYuww?fs=1&hl=en_US&start=300" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="385"></embed></object>
its not about perform their job multiple times. The play NEVER happened because the timeout was before the snap. You're basketball example isnt a good one for that very fact. You see it all the time in baseball, where a batter calls a timeout and the pitcher cant stop becase it was right before his wind up.
i also remember a time when the guy missed the first FG but a TO was called and he ended up making the second one.
Atleast it's the batter in baseball and it's known and the pitcher has some chance to stop. Id be fine with it if the players called it and it was obvious in football. I know the timeouts are technically before the snap and the play never happened, but most coaches time it now to make sure that the kicker kicks it. Ill actually atleast give Kubiak credit for doing it a couple seconds early and multiple whistles went off clearly before the kick, but in most situations now, there isn't a clear indication before the kick that it won't count.
Each sport has their own rules about when you can call timeouts. In basketball, you see it a lot when an opposing coach calls a timeout right when the player steps up to the FT line to ice him. I don't know at what point when you can't specifically call the timeout, but I'm thinking as long as the shot hasn't been released yet. Isn't part of a coach's job is to utilize his timeouts wisely? Icing the kicker falls under it. All a moot point if the TO is called before the snap. The kicker's job is make the 2nd kick still. No excuses.
That was kinda my point. If the rule to not allow this type of icing the kicker was already there, no one would be clammoring to make it legal. At some point in time in basketball they may have had to implement a rule to prevent something like that, and years later it's just accepted(no clue if this actually happened, but my point is rules get changed.) I feel like they could find some type of rule that would work here, and 10 years down the road NO ONE will be upset that coaches can't call a last second timeout to ice a kicker.
Im not making excuses for kickers, Im just completely speaking from a fan-experience perspective. I wanna be able to jump out of my seat and run around like a mad man as soon as I see the ball go through the uprights, I don't wanna wait the extra 10 seconds to find out if it really counted. Im impatient, I know.
Well I like my football with strategies and such. I'm for it and hope the straight laced football fans don't get their way. Well, it's like the DH rule in baseball. You have fans for it and against it. Doesn't mean it's going away anytime soon (or should). Fans against it should just deal with it.
I get what you are saying from a fan-experience perspective. But having to wait to see if a game winner counted is nothing new in the NFL. With instant replay, you might have to wait to see if a potential game winning TD (ie Calvin Johnson week 1) was good or not. Its the same with a last sec shot in the NBA or a questionable HR in MLB. The Cowboys threw a game winning TD against the Skins, and they were celebrating and it got killed by a holding penalty.
Fair enough. I choose to deal with it by semi-ranting against it while drinking and passing time before Monday Night Football starts. It's not really a big deal to me, Id prefer to see it changed, but Ill live with it.
That's true. I realize Im reaching for reasons that it SHOULD be changed, it just rubs me the wrong way. Atleast it benefited the Texans yesterday, Im certainly not complaining about that.
Why is there even a debate? If you have a timeout you can call it. Simple as that. I have never understood why people have a problem with this. Might as well take away timeouts period then.
In basketball, can a team call a timeout while an opposing player is at the free throw line and entering his shooting motion? If not, why? Same thing.
In football if your defense isn't set up the right way on special teams you can call timeout. There is no way to stop this. This is the biggest non issue ever discussed. It does not ruin the game. Also football is football and basketball is basketball. No comparison.
The difference is basketball had the foresight to put a rule in about it a long time ago before it became a trendy thing to do.
The rule that you can't call a timeout while an opposing player is shooting a free throw. Basketball specifies the times in which you are allowed to use your timeouts. It would not be that out there for football to also place certain restrictions on when teams can use their timeouts.
What if your team isn't lined up at the lane the way you want when an opposing player is about to shoot his second free throw? Why can't the defense's coach call a timeout there? Basketball is basketball and football is football is not a good enough reason. They are comparable situations. I prefer how its done in basketball, where the team has an opportunity to call a timeout, but not after the ball is in the shooter's hands.
Yeah it's called before the snap of the ball. It can't be anymore black and white than that. I know TOs have been called when the basketball player have stepped up to the FT line. What I don't know is if the TO can be called right before the shot is released. But that's basketball where the goal is only 10 ft away and good FT shooters will make their FTs regardless of a TO called beforehand. Ok, so a TO can't be called when the player receives the ball at the FT line in bball. At least the guideline is clear. But so is football.
