I like Boise State and I like Georgia. I like their coaches and respect their programs. But when I turned on the TV on opening night I had a hard time watching the game because of their uniforms. Their UGLY uniforms. In a game of the “ugly uniforms”, Boise St. won 35-21. I thought I had seen the ugliest until a few days later I saw Maryland play and, oh my, Maryland topped them all! In a mosaic of the state flag, the Maryland team was really a sight to see. I couldn’t watch the game. Am I overreacting? Perhaps, probably, but that’s how I feel. Yeah, I know, I’m showing my age.
Who started this ugly uniform trend? I think it might have been Oregon. And the thing about Oregon is they have several different ugly uniforms with different colors and designs. An array of ugliness. Now many teams have jumped on the bandwagon and it’s like they are trying to outdo each other. I think the idea is to be modern and flashy but sometimes modern isn’t so cool. It reminds me of the 70’s and 80’s in baseball. Remember those blue collared uniforms with shorts that the White Sox broke out? Yeah, I’m trying not to remember either. Or how about the rainbow striped orange uniforms of the Houston Astros? Ugh! The Padres had some awful uniforms too. For awhile major league baseball was adorned in wild colors, polysester, and elastic waistbands. It was all very modern. But a few years later, by the late 80’s, most teams were going back to their old, traditional uniforms. Nearly all have stuck with the traditional look and they look sharp. I’m hoping football learns their lesson soon.
What uniforms do I like? Well, in college it would be Ohio St., Iowa, Alabama, and Texas. Wisconsin looks sharp and there are many others. Pennsylvania State is about as plain as you can get but I like them OK. In the pros I like the Bears, Packers, Colts, Browns and Dolphins to name a few. When I was a kid the Bears had all black (very dark blue) helmets. Then they got fancy and put a white “C” on the side. Then they REALLY got fancy and colored it orange several years later. Simple but cool.
Okay, I got that off my chest. Now for all you coaches, who have gone modern, go ahead and shake your head at my traditional ideas. I can take it. As always, feel free to give me your opinions here or on Chiefpigskin.com. By the way, we’re getting deeper into the season already! Isn’t it crazy how fast the season goes once we get started? Good luck to all.
Wednesday, September 14, 2011
Monday, September 5, 2011
It's Time for a Rule Change
You’re going to think I’m nuts. You’re going to think I’m advocating football blasphemy but it’s time to keep the clock running on incomplete passes. Oh, not completely keep the clock running, but start the clock once the ball has been spotted in place for the next down. Exactly the way we do the clock for setting the chains. Hear me out, my friend.
We have to think logically. Think back to the games origins (imagine) and try to figure out WHY the clock was stopped on an incomplete pass. They had to have a reason. The only logical answer is they stopped the clock to chase down the ball. The thinking must have been, “Let’s not run the clock while we’re retrieving the ball”. They probably didn’t have as many refs as we do now nor as many footballs and ball boys. It may have been time consuming to chase the ball down. Now, why the rules makers didn’t restart the clock when the ball was ready for play from the very beginning, I don’t know. Help me on that if you can. At any rate, there is no reason why the clock can’t be started when the ball is ready for play.
Why do we need this rule change? Because with passing attempts going up at all levels it’s starting to take too doggone long to play a game. Particularly at the pro and college level once you add in TV timeouts and the like. A team that throws three incomplete passes in a row might burn ten seconds and that in turn extends the game too much. I propose stopping the clock on an incomplete pass and then restarting it once it’s ready. Will that change some strategy? Sure, but so what? A good coach can still manage the clock with timeouts and utilizing the sideline. Remember, the clock can be stopped by going out of bounds although I can’t think of the reason for that. Another story some day. And what about spiking the ball? That will make that strategy useless you say. Good. I think it’s dumb anyway. Spiking the ball looks like a fumble to me. My proposal would speed up the game and still allow for strategy in stopping the clock.
Well, there it is. What do you think? Let me know by replying here or get on the forum on Chiefpigskin.com and give your opinion there. I’d like to hear from you. But you can’t say, “That’s the way it’s always been.” Give me a logical reason to keep the clock stopped until it’s snapped for the next play. Food for thought, huh?
We have to think logically. Think back to the games origins (imagine) and try to figure out WHY the clock was stopped on an incomplete pass. They had to have a reason. The only logical answer is they stopped the clock to chase down the ball. The thinking must have been, “Let’s not run the clock while we’re retrieving the ball”. They probably didn’t have as many refs as we do now nor as many footballs and ball boys. It may have been time consuming to chase the ball down. Now, why the rules makers didn’t restart the clock when the ball was ready for play from the very beginning, I don’t know. Help me on that if you can. At any rate, there is no reason why the clock can’t be started when the ball is ready for play.
Why do we need this rule change? Because with passing attempts going up at all levels it’s starting to take too doggone long to play a game. Particularly at the pro and college level once you add in TV timeouts and the like. A team that throws three incomplete passes in a row might burn ten seconds and that in turn extends the game too much. I propose stopping the clock on an incomplete pass and then restarting it once it’s ready. Will that change some strategy? Sure, but so what? A good coach can still manage the clock with timeouts and utilizing the sideline. Remember, the clock can be stopped by going out of bounds although I can’t think of the reason for that. Another story some day. And what about spiking the ball? That will make that strategy useless you say. Good. I think it’s dumb anyway. Spiking the ball looks like a fumble to me. My proposal would speed up the game and still allow for strategy in stopping the clock.
Well, there it is. What do you think? Let me know by replying here or get on the forum on Chiefpigskin.com and give your opinion there. I’d like to hear from you. But you can’t say, “That’s the way it’s always been.” Give me a logical reason to keep the clock stopped until it’s snapped for the next play. Food for thought, huh?
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