🏈 Surprise, surprise, surprise!!! Guess the HC's against the rule changes for illegal men downfield?

[TerryP]

Coaches rally against recent rule change regarding downfield linemen

Paranoia. Paranoia. Everyone is out to get the spread teams.

Last year, Alabama’s Nick Saban and Arkansas’ Bret Bielema were advocates of slowing down the game by changing the defensive substitution rules.

The NCAA Rules Committee shelved the discussion after numerous coaches came out publicly denouncing the potential rule change.

However, the NCAA did pass a rule last week that shortens the distance an offensive linemen is allowed to be downfield when a pass is in the air. The new rule states an offensive lineman cannot be more than a yard beyond the line of scrimmage during a passing play.

At least four prominent coaches that utilize spread offenses came out publicly and stated the change is merely an overreaction by the rules committee.

“I just want ‘em to enforce the rule they have,” Arizona State head coachTodd Graham told USA TODAY‘s George Schroeder. “You’re not supposed to be more than 3 yards downfield. They need to enforce that.”

It’s not uncommon to see an offensive lineman five yards or more downfield due to the prevalence of packaged plays at the collegiate level. Quarterbacks are often given the option to hand the ball off, run or pass the football in a single play. Some signal-callers are adept at waiting until the last second before they uncork a pass. When that happens, there is usually an offensive lineman too far downfield, yet it’s rarely called.

Over the next two weeks, detractors of the rule change can provide comments to the rules committee. The NCAA’s Playing Rules Oversight Panel will then consider to move forward or not with the rule change on March 5.

“This is the second year in a row I’ll be involved in (pushing back against a proposal),” Ole Miss head coach Hugh Freeze told Schroeder. “I’m certainly not looking for things. If my understanding is correct, the reason they are proposing the rule change is based on a small sample size of plays that the (rules) committee viewed. In those plays, flags should have been thrown. … I think it’s a bad precedent to start changing rules of our game because things that were fouls weren’t called. I want to be clear: I don’t think we should be allowed to have linemen running free downfield (on pass plays). But the rule is a good rule.”

Graham and Freeze are joined by Auburn’s Gus Malzahn and Baylor’s Art Briles in asking the rule be withdrawn from consideration.




http://collegefootballtalk.nbcsport...-change-regarding-downfield-linemen/#comments

 

[bama alum]

 

[RTB X Bot]

 

[psychojoe]

It is one thing for a lineman to drive his man two or more yards downfield in selling 'run' in play action. It is quite something else when they are downfield ostensibly leading a wide play. Personally I like the NFL rule here. Of course I favor not allowing the ball to be snapped until the officials are in position. That makes me a Bammer Homer.

 

[UAgrad93]

All coaches say that there are 6-8 plays that decide the outcome of a game. Meanwhile, some of those same coaches bitch about the possibility of the rule change. They say "why not just enforce the rule as it is?" The rules are already geared in favor of the offense. If Malzahn, Freeze, and the others had their way, we would have multiple forward passes legal at anytime on a given play, you want 12-15 in the huddle or in a given play....sure! Take that HS shit back to HS!!!

 

[TerryP]

While I'm not a fan of his offense, there's only one guy that's been honest about this whole thing; Chad Morris.

I'm sure I've mentioned it here before. At the AFCA meeting two years ago he said, "they are calling it...we're going to continue to run it." I think I mentioned bringing this up to Penn Wagers in August of last year and I'd swear he acted as if he'd never noticed it being an issue.

 

[Bamabww]

The vote on this new proposed rule is Thursday the 5th so this could be interesting.

 

[planomateo]

So there is already a rule in place that the officials aren't enforcing seems to be the stance that those against the rule are pushing for.

So the officials aren't calling this because they don't see it or can't see it?

If they can't enforce 3 yards as it stands now, how are they going to enforce the proposed 1 yard any better? Would the line judge be able to do 1 yard easier than 3 yards or would it mean an entirely new official on the field just for this?

 

[Bamabww]

Would the line judge be able to do 1 yard easier than 3 yards

From what I've read, that exactly the case. The officials say it's hard to judge 3 yards and one yard would be easier to judge.

 

[planomateo]

 

[BAMANEWSBOT]

Gus Malzahn: Rule change will stunt scoring

By Chris Low | ESPN.com

Auburn's Gus Malzahn and Ole Miss' Hugh Freeze fear they have lost the battle to keep the rule from changing on the illegal man downfield penalty.

The NCAA Playing Rules Oversight Panel is scheduled to vote Thursday on a proposal from the NCAA Rules Committee that would reduce the number of yards offensive linemen can move downfield on a pass play from 3 to 1 yard.

"It’s going to change the way we do things, those of us who are run-pass offenses, and when you look around college football right now, that’s a lot of us," Malzahn said. "You’re always looking for ways to be creative, and I don’t think you should ever change the rules to take creativity out of the game unless it’s a safety issue. This is not a safety issue.

"This is two years in a row now that something like this has happened, and it looks like this one will get through."

Last year, a 10-second rule designed to slow the pace of play offensively was proposed by the NCAA Rules Committee, but it was tabled before it ever got to the oversight panel.

Malzahn and Freeze are among a group of coaches nationally who have asked Air Force coach Troy Calhoun, the rules committee chairman, to also table this proposal and make it a point of emphasis this season among officials.

"I understand those coaches who are upset when a lineman is 5 or 6 yards downfield and the quarterback pulls up and throws a pass," Freeze said. "That’s a penalty and should be called. Throw the flag, but don’t penalize those of us who are doing it right and coaching it right by changing the rule."

Malzahn and Freeze are among several coaches nationally who use the “pop pass,” which is a play-action pass that many of the spread teams use to make it look like a run, particularly on a zone-read play, and then throw it. One of the most obvious examples of a “pop pass” was Nick Marshall’s touchdown pass to Sammie Coates to tie the Alabama game two years ago, which was then won by the Tigers on Chris Davis’ Kick-Six.

Steve Shaw, the SEC’s coordinator of officials, said the new rule would stipulate that an offensive lineman could still be 3 yards downfield as long as he was engaged with a defender, but that offensive linemen would no longer be able to free release beyond 1 yard and a team legally throw a pass.

"This will hurt the high school coaches, too, because a lot of those guys are running the same stuff," Malzahn said. "Those of us coaching in college who came from high school understand how important this is and how much it will change the game.

"Scoring will be down. You’re not going to see teams scoring as many points, and when it’s getting harder all the time to get fans to come to games, is that something that college football wants?"

Rogers Redding, the NCAA’s coordinator of officials, maintains that the proposal has support from both offensive and defensive coaches and that one offensive-minded coach even commented to him, "We have to play defense, too."

Redding added that the changes the committee are sending to the oversight panel are good for the game and that he supports them.

The split among FBS coaches on whether to change the rule, according to Redding, was about 50-50. The rules committee gathered input from coaches via a survey, but Malzahn said only a small sampling of coaches ever send those back.

"Part of the problem is that they do those surveys in January, right in the middle of recruiting, and a lot of us don’t have time to think,” Malzahn said. “Whatever happens, we need to come up with a better system on how to go about doing this."

 

[TerryP]

I've seen many reference the 1-yard rule was in place for a long time before it was changed to three. I've not tried to find out...curious is anyone happens to know the year the rule was changed.

Steve Shaw, the SEC’s coordinator of officials, said the new rule would stipulate that an offensive lineman could still be 3 yards downfield as long as he was engaged with a defender, but that offensive linemen would no longer be able to free release beyond 1 yard and a team legally throw a pass.

This makes perfect sense to me...couldn't be any more clear to a fan, coach, player...

"This will hurt the high school coaches, too, because a lot of those guys are running the same stuff," Malzahn said. "Those of us coaching in college who came from high school understand how important this is and how much it will change the game.

This makes little sense to me.

College football rules most certainly filter down to other levels...but already calling it something that will hurt high school coaches?!?

 

[planomateo]

College football rules most certainly filter down to other levels...but already calling it something that will hurt high school coaches?!?

Gus trying to build support? From his comments I've read, he keeps talking for others instead of talking from his perspective only. I'm not a big fan of people talking for others. Always comes across to me as their opinion isn't valid on its own.

 

[UAgrad93]

You’re always looking for ways to be creative, and I don’t think you should ever change the rules to take creativity out of the game unless it’s a safety issue.

Say what you truly mean Gus! You are always looking for ways to bend the rules to your favor, not be creative! I've coached on both sides of the ball, so I know. When I coached DBs and playing cover 2, I taught my guys to play 2 yards inside of the receiver with his back turned toward the WR. This would eliminate the crack or stalk block and make the WR block you in the back. It was within the rules and it forced teams with sketchy passing games to try and throw the fade in the hole between the corner and over the top safety. This pissed off those offensive coaches to the point that they lobbied that our DBs were turning their back right at contact instead of being lined up like that pre snap. Eventually, officials refused to call blocks in the back or even holding on the perimeter. We used the tactic because we weren't strong enough to jam WRs at the line of scrimmage. The advantage immediately shifted back to the offense.
From the offensive standpoint, we always lined up in shotgun, but would "shift" to under center. This was a "free 5 yards" every time. Opposing coaches complained about the QB bobbing his head to the center squeezing the ball tighter to try and cause the defense to jump. We have sometimes been told by officials that we would be flagged every time we "shift".
There has got to be some give and take. You can't have it all Gus!

 

[Bamabww]

NCAA will NOT CHANGE ineligible lineman downfield RULE in 2015
ARTICLE from CBSSPORTS.com:

"For the second straight year, a controversial proposed football rules change has been tabled.

The NCAA Playing Rules Oversight Panel (PROP) has tabled a rule that would have adjusted the ineligible receiver downfield rule from 3 yards to 1 yard. The proposal from the NCAA Football Rules Committee was met with some public backlash by high-profile coaches who expressed concern that the creativity of football was being attacked again.

In a news release, the NCAA said PROP felt more discussion about the rule should occur before a final decision is made. The rule will remain 3 yards for the 2015 season.

Last year, college football faced blowback when it attempted to make offenses not snap the ball until 10 seconds had elapsed on the play clock. Tabling this latest proposal signaled continuing problems within college football over how rules are created and whether enough coaches have a say in the process.

"Additionally, the panel was concerned about the lack of participation in the rules process by head coaches, both in the survey process and comment period," the NCAA news release said. "Specifically, while 57 percent of Football Bowl Subdivision head coaches supported this proposed change in the initial survey, only 65 FBS head coaches participated in the survey. Also, while 54 percent of FBS head coaches were supportive of the rule change in the comment period, only 46 FBS head coaches offered comments."

College football plans to create a competition committee for 2016 that would look at some of these issues, such as the balance between offense and defense.

The NCAA Football Rules Committee supported the proposal and said it would encourage more consistent officiating on plays with ineligible receivers downfield. The rule, which is used in the NFL, would have allowed ineligible receivers not engaged with a defender to advance only 1 yard past the line of scrimmage when a pass is released.

The proposed rule change was met with public criticism from some high-profile coaches. Auburn's Gus Malzahn, Baylor's Art Briles, Ole Miss' Hugh Freeze, Arizona State's Todd Graham and Clemson's Dabo Swinney were among the coaches who told media outlets they wanted the proposal withdrawn. They said they wanted officials to enforce the current 3-yard rule better."

 

[psychojoe]

With this amount of attention being drawn to the existing rule, perhaps enforcing it will be a point of emphasis this fall.

 

[UAgrad93]

You can bet defensive coaches will be riding the Side Judge and Linesmen like a government mule during the games now. I think the rule proposal would have never come about if the current rule was enforced.