Thank you jimbo fisher!

[confucius say]

8 minute rant about how ol down field on passing plays is illegal and destroying the game. Calls out auburn against Mississippi last year. This has been my soapbox for the last year. Auburn and Mississippi do it all the time. Won't change until every coach starts doing what fisher did. (Video in the link).

http://www.al.com/sports/index.ssf/2016/10/jimbo_fisher_says_auburns_play.html

[Todd4State]

I don't understand why it's so hard for the officials to enforce this rule. Are the offenses just going too fast? Are they incompetent? Do they need another official to help?

[thf24]

There was supposedly going to be a crackdown on it this year and it seems like I heard one official quoted as saying "Not one blade of grass more than three yards," and then, predictably, no change. Auburn and OM are still (intentionally) doing the same shit. Extremely frustrating. It's a grossly unfair advantage for the offense when they know they can get away with it.

[M.Fillmore]

I heard one official quoted as saying "Not one blade of grass more than three yards,"

That is supposed to be what is happening this year per the officiating heads.

Yet, Jimbo is exaggerating. Looking at the five interior linemen, #63 was the farthest downfield and his foot was four yards beyond the LOS. Illegal? Yes. But four yards is not seven yards.

[confucius say]

I don't understand why it's so hard for the officials to enforce this rule. Are the offenses just going too fast? Are they incompetent? Do they need another official to help?

In the video, fisher says it's hard on the refs Bc they see a pass AND THEN look to see where the ol are and, even if they are beyond 3 yards, the official is not sure where they were at time ball crossed line of scrimmage. I don't buy that personally. Every official has a designated eligible receiver to watch for interference. The ump and head ref have the ol. Shouldn't be hard for ump or head ref to make the call.

[DanDority]

Hasn't the SEC added an extra official this year or am I wrong, he may have been there in the past. The official back there with the ref. where the NFL's ump is located.

[JoseBrown]

Since ole miss and WR's were brought up, did y'all here the MNF crew last night point out that Treadwell was stuck on the sidelines? Said he was beat out by a rookie undrafted free agent.. While a good college WR Treadwell I don't think learned a single thing at ole miss to prepare him for the NFL...along with so many others...d

[HSVDawg]

In the video, fisher says it's hard on the refs Bc they see a pass AND THEN look to see where the ol are and, even if they are beyond 3 yards, the official is not sure where they were at time ball crossed line of scrimmage. I don't buy that personally. Every official has a designated eligible receiver to watch for interference. The ump and head ref have the ol. Shouldn't be hard for ump or head ref to make the call.

Exactly. It's like calling offsides in soccer where you have to know where a player was before the ball was passed (not after). Very difficult to have your eyes focusing on six different places at once. You can see the roll out but when a QB decides late to throw instead of run it is next to impossible to know for sure where the linemen were at the time of release. It needs to be a reviewable penalty.

[Taog Redloh]

I am for anything to slow down these garbage offenses, so....rant on Jimbo.

Question....when did the rule change? Did I miss something?

Either way, I am getting nothing that I want out of college football anymore:

- Bowl system going away or at minimum devalued
- Players wanting to get paid
- Garbage offenses and TDs that don't match real football, the way it's meant to be played
- Devaluing of the college football Saturday, spreading games out
- Rich getting richer

[RougeDawg]

Another slightly off topic downfall of officiating Is the delay of game. The officials watching for the snap and delay of game watch the play clock until it hits 00 and then look to see if the ball had been snapped. As I ranted the other night about instant replay getting plays correct around half of the time due to the human error allowance of "not having enough evidence to overturn the ruling on the field." Officials can rule in favor of a tr they want to win then entire game and then not overturn those who aren't clear on video. We have technology to detect gnat ass hairs on Venus, but cannot use it to determine the exact position of the football at all times and know when a big fatty is beyond 3 yards downfield.

[msstate7]

Simple fix... olinemen can't cross LOS on pass plays

[MetEdDawg]

I will admit that I don't watch a ton of soccer, but from what I've seen refs miss offsides calls very rarely. The problem is that a team will have to be made an example of consistently in a game and I doubt any ref wants to do that.

[RocketDawg]

Saw an article on al.com a few minutes ago that said Jimbo owes Gus an apology because the lineman was only 3 yards down field on the play. A video was provided but I didn't watch it.

Of course, al.com is an Alabama (state of, not university) publication so they'll defend Auburn.

[archdog]

I will admit that I don't watch a ton of soccer, but from what I've seen refs miss offsides calls very rarely. The problem is that a team will have to be made an example of consistently in a game and I doubt any ref wants to do that.

Yeah, but the soccer refs don't have to deal with 22 players starting every play mere yards away from each other 130 times a game.

[TUSK]

"...[it] cost Alabama a National Championship...." - Jimbo

nice... Tide always gettin' screwed!

[scottycameron]

One thing about the rule that I don't think most realize.... An OL can be more than three yards downfield and be legal. As long as he is engaged in blocking he can be as far downfield as he wants. And if he is over three yards and disengages then he is still legal, he just can go any further downfield than he was when he disengaged. Think about that and how hard it is for a ref watching the action to decide that. That's what makes it so hard to call and why it's missed so often.
You can determine it on replay, but live it's very very hard.
That's the dellima.

[Taog Redloh]

"...[it] cost Alabama a National Championship...." - Jimbo

nice... Tide always gettin' screwed!
I guess Jimbo didn't think he was going to beat you, seeing how it cost you the title. Better wording would have been, a shot at the title.

[confucius say]

Simple fix... olinemen can't cross LOS on pass plays

This is the way it use to be and there was a big movement to go back to it. The freezes and malzahns whined and the compromise was just to make a concerted effort to enforce the rule of three yards as is, but the rule is not being enforced at all.

[Todd4State]

This is the way it use to be and there was a big movement to go back to it. The freezes and malzahns whined and the compromise was just to make a concerted effort to enforce the rule of three yards as is, but the rule is not being enforced at all.

If that's true, then I suspect that they will go back and make it where o-linemen can't cross the LOS then.

[confucius say]

One thing about the rule that I don't think most realize.... An OL can be more than three yards downfield and be legal. As long as he is engaged in blocking he can be as far downfield as he wants. And if he is over three yards and disengages then he is still legal, he just can go any further downfield than he was when he disengaged. Think about that and how hard it is for a ref watching the action to decide that. That's what makes it so hard to call and why it's missed so often.
You can determine it on replay, but live it's very very hard.
That's the dellima.

Don't think so. Link? An ol can't run block/fire off 5 yards down field and it not be a penalty on a forward pass just Bc the ol was engaged with the dl. That's not the rule.

[confucius say]

If that's true, then I suspect that they will go back and make it where o-linemen can't cross the LOS then.

Saban and bielema are pushing for it.

[confucius say]

Saw an article on al.com a few minutes ago that said Jimbo owes Gus an apology because the lineman was only 3 yards down field on the play. A video was provided but I didn't watch it.

Of course, al.com is an Alabama (state of, not university) publication so they'll defend Auburn.

Well check out this from 2013. Ol was well over 3 yards down field.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=5HwTY0WITP4

[dawgoneyall]

That is supposed to be what is happening this year per the officiating heads.

Yet, Jimbo is exaggerating. Looking at the five interior linemen, #63 was the farthest downfield and his foot was four yards beyond the LOS. Illegal? Yes. But four yards is not seven yards.

You evidently have no problems with cheating. Must be a bearshark thing.

Oh...it was just 4 yards. Oh...it was only a yard more than 4 yard. Oh...well if you are going to give then 4 yard what is only two yards more. And on and on and on.......

[confucius say]

Here is a good brief article on the rules committee threatening to change rule to one yard downfield if officials don't start enforcing the three yard rule

http://www.underdogdynasty.com/2016/3/9/11181456/the-ncaa-may-have-just-killed-the-run-pass-option

[tireddawg]

Looks like it has fallen on deaf ears..

[Todd4State]

Saban and bielema are pushing for it.

I would push for it too if I were them.

[blacklistedbully]

Don't think so. Link? An ol can't run block/fire off 5 yards down field and it not be a penalty on a forward pass just Bc the ol was engaged with the dl. That's not the rule.

I'm with confucius on this one. You can't be pass-blocking more than 3-yards downfield. That's called, "run-blocking", and is a read for LB's and DB's to know they should come off receivers and support the run.

I believe the only exception is when the pass is completed behind the LOS.

[thf24]

That is supposed to be what is happening this year per the officiating heads.

Yet, Jimbo is exaggerating. Looking at the five interior linemen, #63 was the farthest downfield and his foot was four yards beyond the LOS. Illegal? Yes. But four yards is not seven yards.

Seven yards is more than four yards, but four yards is a hell of a lot more than "...one blade of grass more than three yards." Jimbo's hyperbole aside, if they're going to use language that strong, it makes it even more of a farce when nothing changes.


I will admit that I don't watch a ton of soccer, but from what I've seen refs miss offsides calls very rarely. The problem is that a team will have to be made an example of consistently in a game and I doubt any ref wants to do that.

That's a good point and probably the reason we haven't seen the crackdown most of us would like to. I guess it's similar to GT a few years ago when teams started complaining that they were chop blocking every play; couldn't start cracking down all at once or GT games would have been unwatchable.


One thing about the rule that I don't think most realize.... An OL can be more than three yards downfield and be legal. As long as he is engaged in blocking he can be as far downfield as he wants. And if he is over three yards and disengages then he is still legal, he just can go any further downfield than he was when he disengaged. Think about that and how hard it is for a ref watching the action to decide that. That's what makes it so hard to call and why it's missed so often.
You can determine it on replay, but live it's very very hard.
That's the dellima.

Yeah I don't think that's right, and even if it is, it's not how these teams are abusing the rule. They're not engaging DL at the line and blowing them 5 yards back, they're running 5 yards down the field and engaging linebackers.

ETA: Actually no, misunderstood what you said and it's definitely not right. If a covered OL is more than three yards downfield and a pass is thrown beyond the line of scrimmage, then it's ineligible receiver downfield. He doesn't have to touch anyone, just be standing more than three yards past the line.

[JoseBrown]

Well, based on this thread I'll blame the refs lack of calling the rule correctly on Kivon Coman leaving so many WR's open. Seems like a handful of times every game the WR gets passed the DB and Coman is with the LB's. The good teams turn them into easy td's and I've been blaming Coman. I'll issue a public apology to Kivon right now. I'm sorry for doubting you dude, but please find a different key to assume it's a run. That's all.

[M.Fillmore]

Jimbo exaggerated, and four yards is not okay. I know a bunch of college officials in a bunch of conferences. Here is the deal. Starting this year, if an interior lineman has his big toe over the three yard mark when the pass is released (not when it crosses the line of scrimmage) then it is a foul.

Contrast this with illegal forward pass where the passer has to be 100% beyond the LOS when the ball is released to be a foul.

The three yard line rule will primarily be caught by the Line Judge who holds the LOS until the ball crosses the LOS. The Head Linesman drifts 5 yards downfield at the snap, and he can looks as well. The Referee is watching the passer to make sure he doesn't get hammered, so he doesn't help much as all. I don't know the Center Judge's mechanics as I haven't talked with very many of them as it is a new position.

These guys are reviewed on every play. So if they are missing it, they are hearing about it. Every conference sends out a weekly list of officiating highlights (some good calls, mostly bad calls). Officials call this the %*#$%* list. No official wants to be on this video.

Are there politics involved to get to the big time? You betcha. I've been told by D-1 officials of really lousy high school officials to move to D-1 conferences when outstanding officials can't get above the bush leagues (NAIA, D-2, D-3, and Juco). It is in who you know, who pushes you, and mainly if you played D-1 ball (nepotism is big as well).

Just don't say that when rules are made as points of emphasis that no one is looking. Everyone in these conferences, bush leagues included, knows when these rules are missed, from 3.05 yards to Jimbo's exaggerated 7.0 yards.

[BulldogBear]

Jimbo exaggerated, and four yards is not okay. I know a bunch of college officials in a bunch of conferences. Here is the deal. Starting this year, if an interior lineman has his big toe over the three yard mark when the pass is released (not when it crosses the line of scrimmage) then it is a foul.

Contrast this with illegal forward pass where the passer has to be 100% beyond the LOS when the ball is released to be a foul.

The three yard line rule will primarily be caught by the Line Judge who holds the LOS until the ball crosses the LOS. The Head Linesman drifts 5 yards downfield at the snap, and he can looks as well. The Referee is watching the passer to make sure he doesn't get hammered, so he doesn't help much as all. I don't know the Center Judge's mechanics as I haven't talked with very many of them as it is a new position.

These guys are reviewed on every play. So if they are missing it, they are hearing about it. Every conference sends out a weekly list of officiating highlights (some good calls, mostly bad calls). Officials call this the %*#$%* list. No official wants to be on this video.

Are there politics involved to get to the big time? You betcha. I've been told by D-1 officials of really lousy high school officials to move to D-1 conferences when outstanding officials can't get above the bush leagues (NAIA, D-2, D-3, and Juco). It is in who you know, who pushes you, and mainly if you played D-1 ball (nepotism is big as well).

Just don't say that when rules are made as points of emphasis that no one is looking. Everyone in these conferences, bush leagues included, knows when these rules are missed, from 3.05 yards to Jimbo's exaggerated 7.0 yards.

Well, dang... there goes my chance to join the ranks and make it all better****

[BossDawg]

One thing about the rule that I don't think most realize.... An OL can be more than three yards downfield and be legal. As long as he is engaged in blocking he can be as far downfield as he wants. And if he is over three yards and disengages then he is still legal, he just can go any further downfield than he was when he disengaged. .

Good Lord that's a lot of moving parts to watch at one time.

[BigEasyDawg]

"...[it] cost Alabama a National Championship...." - Jimbo

nice... Tide always gettin' screwed!

Is he implying that it cost them a national championship or an appearance in the national championship?

FSU won the national title that year against Auburn right? So is he saying he wished he would have had to play Saban and would have lost? lol