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- As much winter storm drama and upheaval as we’ve had, there haven’t been many opportunities to play in the snow. The boys got some time in this morning. I’m particularly happy for Aaron, who was kept inside with an ear infection for Tuesday’s snow with a promise he could play in yesterday’s (which never came during daylight hours).
- Lea’s been gone since early Tuesday afternoon. She’s been at the hospital with her mother (whose surgery was successful yesterday). So it’s just been us boys. That’s not without its own sort of appeal, of course, but I miss her. I’m ready to see her. I know the boys are too.
- I love the morning off when you know you have it the night before, though. Pancakes, cheesy eggs, sausage…
- I can remember Junior Johnson telling about “meetings” in the early days of NASCAR. When someone came around the pits and announced there was going to be a “meeting,” he said it almost always meant “Junior’s found another way to whip all our asses, so we’re going to take it away from him.” I thought of that immediately when I read this proposal, on changing the college football rules to slow down hurry-up no-huddle offenses. How lame. Coaches, go solve this problem on the field.
- Former New Orleans mayor Ray Nagin has been convicted on 20 of 21 criminal counts, including bribery, conspiracy, and wire fraud. He faces 20 years in prison.
- Windows 8.1 Update 1 isn’t sounding like it’s going very well. Sigh.
- As I type, there is snow on the ground in 49 out of 50 states. Can you guess which one is completely snow-free?
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BoWilliams.com
Couldn’t agree with you more about the proposed rule change in CFB. I suppose you know that Saban is one of the vocal proponents of the rule change.
Dave, yes, and I disagree. I’m a little disappointed in Coach Saban on this one.
No one knew how to defend against the wishbone…until they did. No one knew how to defend against the option…until they did. I don’t see any difference with HUNH. Don’t squash it in the boardroom. Figure it out!
Totally thought about the wishbone, too!
I realize the popular polemic is to blame Saban and Bielema for a rule change proposal they didn’t even vote on, but this is hardly the work of our Dark Lord. I agree that the rule change is unnecessary. Just enforce the rules as they are written. Nice article by Travis Reier on this: http://alabama.247sports.com/Board/116/A-little-conflicted-about-adding-more-rules–25871246
My frustration with HUNH offense is when a jackass coach is berating a side judge to movefastermovefaster often putting the umpire out of position (to you know call holding or linemen downfield). Or the phony, apoplectic shock shown when a defender goes down with an injury. Of course, they might be faking. Been that way since trick knees in the NFL against Marv Levy’s Bills and Sam Wyche’s Bengals. You accept it. Both ways. No need for a new rule. No need to blame Saban. When HUNH affects the defense, that’s good offense. When it affects the officiating, that’s unfair.
I’m not blaming Saban for the proposal. I’m disappointed that he supports it.
Don’t see where he’s even commented on it yet. For the record, the rule is silly. Let em run how they want. But if Kirby Smart signals the Trick Knee, that’s part of the game too.
I believe Lord Saban is far more concerned with getting a field goal kicker he trusts over worrying about Hugh Freeze or Kevin Sumlin.
Whether or not he’s (yet) on record on this particular proposal, he’s pretty unambiguously speculated favorably about kneecapping HUNH with rules, not defensive schemes. That disappoints me.
You would really be all right with Kirby Smart calling fake injuries?
Yup. If done with the same infrequency it has always been done on the highest levels since the HUNH was introduced THIRTY years ago. Sure. They’re both part of the game. I would point out that most of what Saban has said involved “Do we want this?” But also “Well, it is what it is and we’ll just adapt.”
http://www.al.com/alabamafootball/index.ssf/2014/02/looking_back_at_alabama_coach.html
The rule is stupid. But the public pillory of Saban over something he didn’t do is stupid too.
I said “disappointed” twice, which meets no reasonable definition of “public pillory.” I get where you’re coming from and I appreciate it, but nobody’s eviscerating Nick Saban here.
Public pillory != Bo Williams
Meant more for the talking heads and sports sites. Stupid rule is stupid, but I understand where it’s coming from too.
This proposed rule is not about slowing down the HUNH. Only a very small fraction of plays run by HUNH teams last year occurred where the ball was snapped in less than 10 seconds. This is about closing the loophole that allows the offense to run up to the line, thereby freezing defensive substitutions, and then standing there till they’re ready to snap the ball. This obviously gives the offense a competitive advantage. As a defensive coach, I can understand why Saban would be in favor in closing the loophole in order to eliminate that advantage. But it’s much more fun (and fits the “Saban is the devil” narrative) to hyperventilate over it. It’s not going to pass, so who cares?
The bigger story to me is that they are going to allow officials to pick up the flag when targeting is overturned. Now THAT is a welcome change.
Agree wholeheartedly on the targeting change.
I’m not so sure even about the substitution/offensive line stance. I mean, that comes with risk for the offense too, doesn’t it? Don’t they typically have to hold it longer, increasing false start chances?
I’m not a big fan of messing with the rules every year in the first place. Seems like there are a lot more changes year to year than there used to be.
I’m skipping the football comment for my other favorite topic, politics. I know a significant portion of Nagin’s 2nd term votes were from displaced population. IE – they were allowed to vote from Houston, Atlanta, etc, because they were residents before Katrina and supposedly wanted to come back.
I had a real problem with that particular ruling, because the people who stayed had to deal with the consequences of a vote where many of those lever-throwers never returned. It’s easy to vote for crap if you are not going to be subject to the consequences of the outcome.
Aww, you made it political. I was just reporting a fact. 🙂
Nagin always struck me as an evil clone of Montel Williams. I’m glad he’s going to jail. But since it’s a Louisiana judge and he isn’t a drunken Alabama fan, I’m betting probation and time served.