A potential of consequence of the perverted 'letting them play' BS

[Rip_E_2_Joe_PA]

Now that college players have legal rights and the days of 'Kill Bubba Kill' are almost gone from the rear view mirror of us old bastards minds a potential legal recourse of the ref crew demanded 'let some of them play beyond the rules' is an elephant in the room. At least in my mind.

Many of the rules, that we as fans often into the category of holding effect all defensive players, especially edge rushers, were specifically designed to reduce injury. Crack back blocking, leg whipping, horse collars, grabbing facemasks with a twist etc. come to mind. Now some ref crews outright through those rules to the curb for what high scoring games in an overt act of insubordination.

With the not very bright ref crews announcing that they are 'letting them play'....code words for we are willfully ignoring our responsibilities to certain players safety over high scores in games, how soon does an edge rusher or other defensive player lose a career to serious injury, get a good attorney and file a law suit for negligence?

There certainly is a huge body of video evidence available to support a suit, coupled with announcers now pointing out the holds more openly and the stupid statements of some refs in this matter.

Maybe and hopefully this never happens. To me, at least, and unfortunately, this seems more likely to happen than not to happen someday.

'Kill Bubba Kill'

 

[NittanyLionRoar]

You know, I’ve been thinking about this. Someone is going to get really hurt by this.

 

[Jerry]

Now that college players have legal rights and the days of 'Kill Bubba Kill' are almost gone from the rear view mirror of us old bastards minds a potential legal recourse of the ref crew demanded 'let some of them play beyond the rules' is an elephant in the room. At least in my mind.

Many of the rules, that we as fans often into the category of holding effect all defensive players, especially edge rushers, were specifically designed to reduce injury. Crack back blocking, leg whipping, horse collars, grabbing facemasks with a twist etc. come to mind. Now some ref crews outright through those rules to the curb for what high scoring games in an overt act of insubordination.

With the not very bright ref crews announcing that they are 'letting them play'....code words for we are willfully ignoring our responsibilities to certain players safety over high scores in games, how soon does an edge rusher or other defensive player lose a career to serious injury, get a good attorney and file a law suit for negligence?

There certainly is a huge body of video evidence available to support a suit, coupled with announcers now pointing out the holds more openly and the stupid statements of some refs in this matter.

Maybe and hopefully this never happens. To me, at least, and unfortunately, this seems more likely to happen than not to happen someday.

'Kill Bubba Kill'

For me it was a huge red flag when Joel Klatt revealed on air that the refs had made that comment to him before our Ohio State game. Seriously, I've never a broadcaster say such a thing regarding a football game. Immediately, based on our prior history in this league, it translated in my mind into: we're gonna let the Buckeye defensive secondary, already superior in talent, mug Penn State receivers at will, entirely negating Penn State's passing attack and crippling its offense.

Then, weeks later, after learning...>>surprise surprise!<<...that the same crew had been assigned to the CCG against Oregon, I knew that the league had found its successor to John O'Neill: Kole Knueppel. The officiating in that game confirmed my opinion. It feels so liberating to escape the clutches of these god-awful conference refs during the playoffs.

"Letting them play" is a term I've heard more in connection with basketball where there's a lot of physical contact and if all of it were to be tightly called, the game would turn into a parade to the foul line. As regards football, the way the game is played in the defensive secondary and offensive line these days, the refs have to allow some leeway or you'd end up with a flagfest, which is not a lot of fun to watch.

But there's a difference between allowing some leeway and green-lighting mayhem which turns the game into a farce. You have to call blatant penalties. I think Abdul Carter is the most held lineman in college football. It's ridiculous, it really is. I thought the SEC crew did a passable job in the SMU game. Hell, anything is better than Big-10. But they still missed more than one offensive holding call that seemed pretty obvious to me.

 

[LionFan87b]

The entire concept is absurd. Rules should be enforced consistently. Coaches should only have to game plan for their opponent, not for which referees will be officiating.

 

[CJFisJoePaII]

Now that college players have legal rights and the days of 'Kill Bubba Kill' are almost gone from the rear view mirror of us old bastards minds a potential legal recourse of the demanded 'let some of them play beyond the rules is an elephant in the room. At least in my mind.

Many of the rules, that we as fans often lump into the category of holding DL, especially edge rushers, were specially design to reduce injury. Crack back blocking, leg whipping, horse collars, grabbing facemasks with a twist etc. come to mind.

With the not very bright ref crews announcing they are 'letting them play', code words for we are willfully ignoring our responsibilities to certain players safety over other players, how soon does an edge rusher or other defensive player lose a career to serious injury, get a good attorney and file a suit for negligence.

There certainly is a huge body of video evidence available to support a suit, coupled that with announcers now pointing out the holds more openly and the stupid statements of some refs in this matter.

Maybe and hopefully this never happens. To me, at least, and unfortunately, this seems more likely to happen than not to happen someday.

'Kill Bubba Kill'

How about LoadoInTheCommodo - the great defender of b2g Officiating - claiming the Neutral Crew that called the SMU game called holding "like the b2g" (i.e., don't call it) - which is pretty humorous as the crew called SMU OL for three Holding Penalties, which was a fraction of the OL Holds committed by SMU, but still Infinitely more than the b2g homer, hack clown crews called on PSU's b2g opponents for the entire season, let alone a single b2g game as 0÷3 = Infinity!

Another canard of Loado's was shown to be false in the game - "PSU does just as much holding... so the b2g not calling it benefits them just as much.... blah, blah, blah.... blabity, blab, blab..." - I don't recall a single PSU OL getting called for Holding in SMU game, so that would be 3 OL Holding on PSU's Opponent and zero holds called on PSU. Which makes sense given that PSU led the b2g in sacks and TFLs I believe.

 

[sdwcpa]

It cuts all ways. I don't know if this is true or not but I have read OSU has been the beneficiary of exactly one holding call all year and that was called on Western Michigan in the second game of the season. If that is true then I find it incomprehensible that in the entire B 10 season there was not a single call for holding JTT or Jack Sawyer.

 

[jbenedict]

The entire concept is absurd. Rules should be enforced consistently. Coaches should only have to game plan for their opponent, not for which referees will be officiating.

TRuth

 

[joeaubie21]

How about LoadoInTheCommodo - the great defender of b2g Officiating - claiming the Neutral Crew that called the SMU game called holding "like the b2g" (i.e., don't call it) - which is pretty humorous as the crew called SMU OL for three Holding Penalties, which was a fraction of the OL Holds committed by SMU, but still Infinitely more than the b2g homer, hack clown crews called on PSU's b2g opponents for the entire season, let alone a single b2g game as 0÷3 = Infinity!

Another canard of Loado's was shown to be false in the game - "PSU does just as much holding... so the b2g not calling it benefits them just as much.... blah, blah, blah.... blabity, blab, blab..." - I don't recall a single PSU OL getting called for Holding in SMU game, so that would be 3 OL Holding on PSU's Opponent and zero holds called on PSU. Which makes sense given that PSU led the b2g in sacks and TFLs I believe.

Loado just needs to be ignored .

 

[Safety Blitz]

The entire concept is absurd. Rules should be enforced consistently. Coaches should only have to game plan for their opponent, not for which referees will be officiating.

That sounds great…..in an ideal world.
In the real world, coaches who fail to teach their teams to adjust to situations within the game will soon find themselves teaching gym class at some high school.
Some calls in football are cut and dried: out of bounds, false starts, etc. But many calls are the opinion of the individual making the call.
How do you get seven different conferences crews to call offensive line holding “consistently?” Hell, how do you get seven members of the same crew to all call it the same way?
Coaches just want those officials to be consistent from the start of the game to the finish. Their teams, if well coached, will adjust from there.

 

[Rip_E_2_Joe_PA]

That sounds great…..in an ideal world.
In the real world, coaches who fail to teach their teams to adjust to situations within the game will soon find themselves teaching gym class at some high school.
Some calls in football are cut and dried: out of bounds, false starts, etc. But many calls are the opinion of the individual making the call.
How do you get seven different conferences crews to call offensive line holding “consistently?” Hell, how do you get seven members of the same crew to all call it the same way?
Coaches just want those officials to be consistent from the start of the game to the finish. Their teams, if well coached, will adjust from there.

In the real world organizations either cull the garbage from their staff (in this case referee crews) or pay consequences. They don't get off Scott free forever.

 

[Westcoast24]

How about LoadoInTheCommodo - the great defender of b2g Officiating - claiming the Neutral Crew that called the SMU game called holding "like the b2g" (i.e., don't call it) - which is pretty humorous as the crew called SMU OL for three Holding Penalties, which was a fraction of the OL Holds committed by SMU, but still Infinitely more than the b2g homer, hack clown crews called on PSU's b2g opponents for the entire season, let alone a single b2g game as 0÷3 = Infinity!

Another canard of Loado's was shown to be false in the game - "PSU does just as much holding... so the b2g not calling it benefits them just as much.... blah, blah, blah.... blabity, blab, blab..." - I don't recall a single PSU OL getting called for Holding in SMU game, so that would be 3 OL Holding on PSU's Opponent and zero holds called on PSU. Which makes sense given that PSU led the b2g in sacks and TFLs I believe.

So by not calling any holding against PSU in the SMU game it sounds like maybe the refs were favoring PSU. Would that apply here or is this situation different? Because roles reversed puts you into a complete everyone is out to get PSU rampage and multiple threads complaining about it.

 

[CJFisJoePaII]

So by not calling any holding against PSU in the SMU game it sounds like maybe the refs were favoring PSU. Would that apply here or is this situation different? Because roles reversed puts you into a complete everyone is out to get PSU rampage and multiple threads complaining about it.

Given that PSU was among the national leaders in both sacks and TFLs, the numbers make sense - what doesn't make sense is your belief that all teams pressure the QB (and by extension OL) equally. They don't genius.

 

[berklion]

At what point does it become criminal, in this day of legalized betting. They absolutely affected the game as far as the line in the OSU game. Then announcing that they will let the teams play, but call Tracy for an unsportsmanlike after a 3 and out. Which turned into a td. That sounds like rigging the outcome.