NCAA Rules O-sight Committee to make a decision on 3 yard OL downfield rule change

[aurorasooner]

LOL at Malzahn opposing the change. CFB refs are so lazy now that they won't call OL downfield unless we give the refs on the LOS some kind of head up display goggles with a 3 yard yellow line superimposed at that 3 yard mark. Maybe a 1 yard rule change would simplify it for them. Asking the officials to ""look for it" is like pizzing in the wind imo. Perhaps a change to a 1 yard rule would get them to call it if the OL get 3 yards down the field.

It would be interesting to get LR's thoughts on the possible rule change, and how such a rule change would/might limit his/offense, but with the Stoops Bros captaining his ship, I don't think he would comment.


Malzahn opposes lineman downfield rule, says it stifles 'creativity'
http://www.cbssports.com/collegefootball/eye-on-college-football/25092873/gus-malzahn-opposes-lineman-downfield-rule-says-it-hurts-creativity


The NCAA Football Rules Committee has proposed reducing the number of yards offensive linemen can move downfield from three yards to one, a shift that national officiating coordinator Rogers Redding said would help simplify the call for officials. But the change might also severely limit the effectiveness of the "pop pass," a play-action play used by many spread teams -- like Malzahn's -- to simulate a run before throwing downfield.


The NCAA's Playing Rules Oversight Panel will make a decision on the proposed rule Thursday. Malzahn hopes that rather than changing the rule, the NCAA can first consider asking officials to simply enforce the current three-yard limit.

Current offenses are frequently given too much leeway to send their linemen downfield and have been given that leeway for years; see this 2014 Kansas State pop pass touchdown vs. Oklahoma (and the linemen six yards downfield) for one example that -- rightly -- incensed Sooners' defensive coordinator Mike Stoops.


Yes, some change is necessary. But does that mean it's time to go all-in with a rewrite of the rulebook? What would it cost to spend one season asking officials to "look for it," in Stoops' words, and then determine if the rules require shifting from three yards to one? If a guard or center slips two or three yards downfield during a prolonged quarterback scramble -- as they tend to do -- is that really worth penalizing?

[SicEmBaylor]

"The Briles Rule"

What a crock of ****.

[EatLeadCommie]

"The Briles Rule"

What a crock of ****.

lol. Briles is the first guy I thought of.

[KantoSooner]

Basically I'm of the mind that, if it doesn't get called, you better account for it in your game plan. That said, pass play blocking by Baylor has, since Briles' arrival, been among the most 'creative' in CFB. Picks, crack backs, linemen downfield and so forth, Art doesn't stretch the envelope, he went to Mark Cuban and had a whole new batch of envelopes made up.
And, so far, Snider's the only other coach who's caught on that the rules have effectively changed.

[8timechamps]

K-State was far more guilty of this than Baylor. I only recall seeing maybe 1 time Baylor had a guy past the 3 yard limit. KSU ran about a half dozen of those plays, and they were so egregious that whomever wrote that article used them as the example.

Mike (Stoops) has a legitimate beef here, because it makes the safeties job almost impossible. I really hope it gets passed.

[BoulderSooner79]

Basically I'm of the mind that, if it doesn't get called, you better account for it in your game plan. That said, pass play blocking by Baylor has, since Briles' arrival, been among the most 'creative' in CFB. Picks, crack backs, linemen downfield and so forth, Art doesn't stretch the envelope, he went to Mark Cuban and had a whole new batch of envelopes made up.
And, so far, Snider's the only other coach who's caught on that the rules have effectively changed.

Yes, it's a level playing field like any other rule. If your defense is getting torched by it, then your offense better be torching their defense similarly. When I started watching the Ducks a few years ago, I thought they had lineman downfield every play. Then I watched more carefully and they were pretty disciplined about the 3 yard rule. 3 yards is a pretty big distance and it allows a lineman to fire out and try to engage a defender as if they are run blocking, but then stop driving to stay legal. I can see how it's a defensive coach would hate this rule whether the offense is cheating on it or not. The NFL rule a 1 yard is completely different as it's hard to fire out faking a run block without going too far. I prefer the NFL rule, but we need to take advantage no matter which way the ruling goes.

[KantoSooner]

You're correct on KSU being the leader on down field blocking. My ref to Baylor was that overall, including 'illegal' picks and the like, they are at a whole different level.

[Eielson]

If they just called the 3 yard rule, then I think that would be fine. The issue with KSU wasn't that they were 3 yards downfield; it was that they were BEYOND 3 yards downfield.

I'd like it to be switched to 1 yard, but just calling it correctly would be a huge upgrade. I don't see how letting lineman go 3 yards downfield does anything other than give an advantage to gimmicky offenses.

[Eielson]

Basically I'm of the mind that, if it doesn't get called, you better account for it in your game plan.

I'm gonna have to disagree. If it's not getting called, then refs need to be retrained/fired, or the rule needs to be taken out of the rulebook/amended. If some refs call it, and some refs don't, then that's an issue. What happens when you're in a bowl game, and no longer have Big XII refs? To some extent, we saw that in the UCF/Baylor game. Baylor had been getting away with things all year in their secondary that Big XII refs let go, but when an officiating crew from a different conference was used, it came back to bite them.

If a team occasionally goes 3.5 yards past the line of scrimmage, then that's one thing, and I'd rather let it go, but when a team is going 3.5 yards down field consistently (using the leniency as a weapon), then I have an issue. I like letting things go if you can, but you can't sit back and watch teams like Oregon, Baylor, KSU, Auburn, etc. abuse a rule.

[aurorasooner]

I prefer the NFL rule, but we need to take advantage no matter which way the ruling goes.
So what you're saying is we need a staff that's not stale and is innovative.

I think we might be on offense side this year with our play-makers if they let LR alone and we get some good QB play and perhaps some decent OL play. If we don't get any of our play-makes suspended this off-season, that is.
However on D, I really don't have much hope that this gravy-train D staff can think outside the box. I don't know, maybe that new D back coach can get our Dbacks to play in front of the ball instead of constantly chasing the receivers.
Hope I'm wrong about this D-staff, because that Baylor drive in the 2nd half last year was as painful as watching our 90s Blake coached teams. BTW, Briles didn't just become an offensive genius at halftime of our game. What offensive-minded coach with a quality QB wouldn't have played pitch and catch with our chitty DB alignment/adjustments? That was some John Blake type coaching genius on our defensive side. I'm surprised that the home crowd only booed, and there wasn't a Sisco type "get a rope" lynch mob after that game. Man, if that Baylor game last year would've been played during the 50s, they would've found our D-CO on Sunday floating in the duck pond.

[KantoSooner]

Eielson,
Let's distinguish: I agree completely with your position if 'we' are the NCAA. No point in ignored rules. As OU however, standing on principle and getting smashed by teams that stretch the rules is insane.

[BoulderSooner79]

I don't see how letting lineman go 3 yards downfield does anything other than give an advantage to gimmicky offenses.

<TDTW> Which is exactly what OU will have this season. </TDTW>

[Eielson]

Eielson,
Let's distinguish: I agree completely with your position if 'we' are the NCAA. No point in ignored rules. As OU however, standing on principle and getting smashed by teams that stretch the rules is insane.

I agree for the most part with that. I don't think OU, or anybody else, should have to reteach midseason, though (unless OU is the one exploiting the rule). I think the Stoops brothers' approach ("bitch about it until they call it") seemed to work fairly well. In the second half of the Baylor game 2 years ago, the refs started calling picks, and after the KSU game, I don't recall any of our opponents exploiting the 3 yard rule. It was too late for those games, but that's something that would have happened either way. I don't think it continually happened.

[Eielson]

<TDTW> Which is exactly what OU will have this season. </TDTW>

For that very reason, I cringed as I typed the word.

If the rules allow us 3 yard, I'm fine with being gimmicky. I just don't want to use 4, and hope the refs don't mind.

[BoulderSooner79]

For that very reason, I cringed as I typed the word.

If the rules allow us 3 yard, I'm fine with being gimmicky. I just don't want to use 4, and hope the refs don't mind.

I see it being like any other rule - coaches will probe early in games to see how that crew is going to call it. The OL will see how far outside the frame of the body they can grab and not be called for holding. DBs will see how much jamming/chucking and hand fighting the refs are going to allow. This rule is a bit different in that 3 yards can be measured, but at the speed of the game and everything else that's going on, it's just going to be eye-balled. Given the noise about it this last season, I suspect the rule will be better enforced this year, but crews will always vary.

[8timechamps]

You're correct on KSU being the leader on down field blocking. My ref to Baylor was that overall, including 'illegal' picks and the like, they are at a whole different level.

I'm with ya. My biggest issue with Baylor the past couple of years has been their picks and overly physical receivers. Last year, it appeared that the officials has clamped down in the physical play by receivers, but the picks were still there. They also had men down field, but KSU was the one that comes to mind the most.

[BoulderSooner79]

This potential rule change was tabled due to lack of response from head coaches. But it was interesting to see the the majority of coaches that did respond were in favor of the change. That surprises me a bit.

[jkm, the stolen pifwafwi]

The part of this rule that never gets enforced that bothers the crap out of me is the long snapper on punts. No one can touch him because of "safety rules" so he gets a free run down the field. You combine that with them not calling him leaving immediately (instead of after the ball is kicked) it effectively gives you 3 gunners (2 wide and one middle). It has basically killed the punt return in college football unless a gunner falls down.

To be fair, we are the #1 abuser of this rule. Our current punt protection scheme should be horrid at covering kicks (until the ball is kicked we should only have 2 guys who can even advance down field since we have 3 OL in the backfield). But we've gotten around this by basically having an undersized speedy linebacker as a snapper who snaps and then takes off down field clogging the middle. Every one on the OL is at least 5 yards downfield when the ball is kicked.

[Pride1Mom]

I always wondered why the refs missed calling ineligible receivers against Texas A&M when Johnny Manzell was running around like a chicken with its head cut-off. He would complete a pass and everyone thought it was great! Why not make EVERY player on the offensive line player eligible, it will look like back-yard football.

[Tear Down This Wall]

Hard to believe that enough defensive coaches have become such p*ssies that this is even an issue.