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<blockquote data-quote="FredJacket" data-source="post: 772021" data-attributes="member: 2843"><p>Some quality commentary on subject of targeting here....</p><p>---------------</p><p><strong>Dear Faux Pelini,</strong></p><p><strong>How do you prevent targeting calls on good football plays? — Sean P.</strong></p><p>Well Sean,</p><p>College football fans have many differences, but one thing unites us: the targeting rule. We despise everything about it — the way it’s written, the way referees enforce it, the sad and heavy-handed ejections that result from it. Even its goofy name has brought shame and dishonor to a convenient and reasonably priced department store. </p><p></p><p>We do love our rules in college football, though. When in doubt, we make a rule. Taking a recruit to dinner? There are rules for that. Bringing your parents to your bowl game? More rules. Planning a touchdown celebration? Better check the rules first. </p><p></p><p>College football rules generally fall into two categories: administrative rules that govern complex issues outside the game (recruiting, player eligibility, Art Briles) and the rules of the games themselves. The administrative people and football people mostly keep to their own separate NCAA committees, except when the occasional large and unwieldy problem emerges. When that happens the two groups of rule makers join forces to protect revenues, promote player safety and protect revenues. </p><p></p><p>A recent example of this occurred when the science people demonstrated that brain trauma had become a major problem in football, one that could threaten the sport’s existence if it wasn’t addressed. All of the rule makers came together with one goal in mind: to invent a rule that would prevent college football helmets from colliding during games. </p><p></p><p>Now, it is of course impossible to prevent helmet collisions in a sport where the players are encouraged to block and tackle each other, but impossibility has never discouraged NCAA rule makers. So subcommittees were formed, white papers were written, meetings were held and ultimately a new penalty called “targeting” was unleashed upon our world.</p><p></p><p>The new rule called for a grand scene to unfold whenever helmet ramming occurred, like something out of the Roman Colosseum (but with fewer lions and better wifi). A flag would be thrown, targeting would be alleged and the game would be halted for several minutes so that the offending player could think about what he had done. Meanwhile, the crowd would withdraw into a nervous hush as a middle-aged man analyzed video replays to determine the fate of the accused. </p><p></p><p>If the referee was sufficiently convinced that helmet-to-helmet contact had indeed occurred, he would solemnly announce that the player had been disqualified. Not ejected, not kicked out — disqualified. The penalty was to be so serious that the perpetrator’s qualifications to participate in the game (and perhaps society) would be revoked. </p><p></p><p>The rule makers no doubt believed that their invention was necessary and just. After all, if a player doesn’t want to be kicked out, well, maybe he should have thought of that before he decided to ram into someone’s helmet, right?</p><p></p><p>But there was a problem with the Targeting rulemaking process: It was an attempt to convert a policy born in a boardroom into a rule enforced on a football field. The rule makers imagined a simple world of good and evil inhabited by a maniacal headhunter and a helpless victim. Of course their punishment was going to be severe. </p><p></p><p>After targeting was rolled out and began to be called in the games, it didn’t take long for us to realize that this new penalty was broken. Although it was designed to prevent intentional headhunting, the majority of targeting calls seemed to involve accidents. But the rule craves ejections, and so on fall Saturdays we must repeatedly endure targeting calls where the punishment just doesn’t fit the crime. </p><p></p><p>Ironically, a rule designed to prevent violence has resulted in smashed coffee tables in living rooms across America.</p><p></p><p>How do we fix the targeting rule, Sean? I don’t know. I don’t fix the rules around here, I just criticize them. Maybe the second targeting foul of the season is the one that gets a player disqualified. Perhaps we could give referees some discretion to allow for accidental contact. Or maybe a player can avoid disqualification by delivering his victim a heartfelt apology and a hug. Almost any change would be good at this point.</p><p></p><p>But through all of this, remember that the targeting rule does have a worthy purpose. Minimizing head injuries will be necessary to preserve our sport and help parents continue to feel comfortable sending their kids to football practice. </p><p></p><p>Sean, next time you want to crush your coffee table remember that if our sport is going to survive for decades to come, we will need a targeting rule. Just a different one.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="FredJacket, post: 772021, member: 2843"] Some quality commentary on subject of targeting here.... --------------- [B]Dear Faux Pelini, How do you prevent targeting calls on good football plays? — Sean P.[/B] Well Sean, College football fans have many differences, but one thing unites us: the targeting rule. We despise everything about it — the way it’s written, the way referees enforce it, the sad and heavy-handed ejections that result from it. Even its goofy name has brought shame and dishonor to a convenient and reasonably priced department store. We do love our rules in college football, though. When in doubt, we make a rule. Taking a recruit to dinner? There are rules for that. Bringing your parents to your bowl game? More rules. Planning a touchdown celebration? Better check the rules first. College football rules generally fall into two categories: administrative rules that govern complex issues outside the game (recruiting, player eligibility, Art Briles) and the rules of the games themselves. The administrative people and football people mostly keep to their own separate NCAA committees, except when the occasional large and unwieldy problem emerges. When that happens the two groups of rule makers join forces to protect revenues, promote player safety and protect revenues. A recent example of this occurred when the science people demonstrated that brain trauma had become a major problem in football, one that could threaten the sport’s existence if it wasn’t addressed. All of the rule makers came together with one goal in mind: to invent a rule that would prevent college football helmets from colliding during games. Now, it is of course impossible to prevent helmet collisions in a sport where the players are encouraged to block and tackle each other, but impossibility has never discouraged NCAA rule makers. So subcommittees were formed, white papers were written, meetings were held and ultimately a new penalty called “targeting” was unleashed upon our world. The new rule called for a grand scene to unfold whenever helmet ramming occurred, like something out of the Roman Colosseum (but with fewer lions and better wifi). A flag would be thrown, targeting would be alleged and the game would be halted for several minutes so that the offending player could think about what he had done. Meanwhile, the crowd would withdraw into a nervous hush as a middle-aged man analyzed video replays to determine the fate of the accused. If the referee was sufficiently convinced that helmet-to-helmet contact had indeed occurred, he would solemnly announce that the player had been disqualified. Not ejected, not kicked out — disqualified. The penalty was to be so serious that the perpetrator’s qualifications to participate in the game (and perhaps society) would be revoked. The rule makers no doubt believed that their invention was necessary and just. After all, if a player doesn’t want to be kicked out, well, maybe he should have thought of that before he decided to ram into someone’s helmet, right? But there was a problem with the Targeting rulemaking process: It was an attempt to convert a policy born in a boardroom into a rule enforced on a football field. The rule makers imagined a simple world of good and evil inhabited by a maniacal headhunter and a helpless victim. Of course their punishment was going to be severe. After targeting was rolled out and began to be called in the games, it didn’t take long for us to realize that this new penalty was broken. Although it was designed to prevent intentional headhunting, the majority of targeting calls seemed to involve accidents. But the rule craves ejections, and so on fall Saturdays we must repeatedly endure targeting calls where the punishment just doesn’t fit the crime. Ironically, a rule designed to prevent violence has resulted in smashed coffee tables in living rooms across America. How do we fix the targeting rule, Sean? I don’t know. I don’t fix the rules around here, I just criticize them. Maybe the second targeting foul of the season is the one that gets a player disqualified. Perhaps we could give referees some discretion to allow for accidental contact. Or maybe a player can avoid disqualification by delivering his victim a heartfelt apology and a hug. Almost any change would be good at this point. But through all of this, remember that the targeting rule does have a worthy purpose. Minimizing head injuries will be necessary to preserve our sport and help parents continue to feel comfortable sending their kids to football practice. Sean, next time you want to crush your coffee table remember that if our sport is going to survive for decades to come, we will need a targeting rule. Just a different one. [/QUOTE]
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