The NCAA’s Football Rules Committee proposed a rule change that would prevent offenses from snapping the football for the first ten seconds on the play clock. The rule was recommended with player safety in mind, according to the rules committee, but coaches thriving on up-tempo play styles have not been silent with their reactions to the proposed rule. On Thursday it was Oklahoma State’s Mike Gundy who took to Twitter to voice his frustrations.
“The no huddle, fast tempo style has changed the game of [college football],” Gundy said on his Twitter profile. “Our sport has exploded in popularity with high scoring games and packed stadiums.”
Gundy sees the proposed rule as a way of completely changing the game, which may be a tad extreme. The basics of the game are not impacted in any way by this proposed timing and substitution rule. The field is the same length, the point values have not changed, and each team gets 11 players aside. But tell that to Gundy.
“The 10-second rule is like asking basketball to take away the shot clock,” Gundy says. “Boring!”
Know what else is boring? Lopsided games with one team racking up 40-50 points more than their counterparts. This is not about player safety so much as it is about keeping the game competitive.
The more accurate comparison would probably be if he rules committee suggested doing away with the play clock, but the point is Gundy is another coach who is not supportive of the proposal. The proposal is fair for criticism. It is nowhere near perfect and it, like many proposed rules, is not without its flaws. If the idea is really to make the game more competitive, then it makes sense to find ways to allow defenses to get back on an even playing field, but it is also unfair to criticize teams that have managed to put together offensive styles that give their team a schematic advantage.
“College [f]ootball is constantly evolving,” Gundy said. “Coaches have to make adjustments based on their team, their talents and their opponents.”
Keep that last line in your memory banks, just in case the rules do change and have a negative impact on Oklahoma State’s offense. After all, as Gundy says, teams have to make adjustments. Those that do will have a higher probability for success.
The good news for all of the coaches ripping the proposal is there is probably a slim chance at best the rule will be approved and become standard for the upcoming football season.