Coaches’ sideline behavior a ‘point of emphasis’ for SEC officials
HOOVER Ala. — SEC director of officials Steve Shaw was first up on Day 2 of SEC Football Media Days and there was much to discuss with regard to rule changes in 2012.
First and foremost is the change on kickoffs. For safety reasons, the placement of the ball has been moved up from the 30- to the 35-yard line. Shaw said the move was made in order to induce “more touchbacks, less collisions.”
However, touchbacks have also been moved up for the offensive team from the 20- to the 25-yard line. So defensive-minded coaches aren’t necessarily inclined to readily give up those five yards.
Florida coach Will Muschamp, for instance, said the Gators are discussing alternatives.
“We have talked about some sky kick situations,” Muschamp said. “We’re looking at directional kicking the ball with height and see if we can pin them back a little further.”
They’ve also instituted a rule that protects the receiver when the kicking team attempts an onsides kick with a high one-hopper. In the past, the kicking team could strike the receiver before he touched the ball. Now that receiver is protected from being hit until he has had a chance to field the ball.
Other changes, mainly designed for player safety, include:
- It’s now a 15-yard foul for a defender to attempt to leap over backfield punt protectors.
- Kick-catch interference, also known as the “halo rule,” has been reintroduced as a “modified halo.” Now it’s going to be a one-yard halo, or shoulder width.
- Helmets popping off will be strictly enforced. If not caused by foul, the player will have to sit out the next play. So players “better buckle that thing up,” Shaw said.
- Blocking below the waist is going to be another point of emphasis.
And finally, “coaches’ sideline behavior” will be closely monitored.
“We have great coaches in this league and we don’t think there will be anything here for us,” Shaw said. “But I think nationally we’ve all agreed that anytime the coaches’ behavior on the sideline is demeaning to the game we have to deal with it. And we will.”
You’ll recall that, Georgia defensive coordinator Todd Grantham and Vanderbilt head coach James Franklin had a nose-to-nose, postgame confrontation this past season.
MORE COVERAGE FROM DAY 2 OF SEC MEDIA DAYS (MORE TO COME ALL AFTERNOON):
- Coaches’ sideline behavior a point of emphasis for SEC officials
- Muschamp: Keep Georgia-Florida in Jax; ‘Coach Dooley never complained about it’
FULL AJC COVERAGE FROM DAY 1 OF SEC MEDIA DAYS:
- SEC commissioner Mike Slive talks playoffs and a lot more
- South Carolina’s Spurrier prefers UGA’s schedule
- Missouri, Texas A&M state their case
- Jeff Schultz’s digi-blog: Welcome to Media Daze.
- Aggies excited, not intimidated, by SEC debut.
- Schultz: SEC needs to be vigilant to avoid Penn State-like scandals
- Vanderbilt coach passes on question about Todd Grantham
- The media’s record at predicting SEC champ: 4-16 since 1992
- Spurrier has no qualms about this quarterback
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185 comments Add your comment
AltamahaDawg
July 18th, 2012
12:01 pm
You make my point. they are addressing a possible by-product and not the action.
And isn’t it already a penalty to play without all the straps secured. Wouldnt THAT make more sense to enforce more vigorously?
What's GT gonna do?
July 18th, 2012
12:03 pm
“Blocking below the waist is going to be another point of emphasis”
That’s gonna drastically change that so called genius offense from GT
benadawg
July 18th, 2012
12:07 pm
i dont give a shizzle for Alabama …….ya’ll weren’t even the best team in the sec last year, oh i forgot yall begged in the BCS game…..Take a bite of that!!
Spanky (giggle)
July 18th, 2012
12:08 pm
Give him the choke sign! (giggle)
Dawg Tired
July 18th, 2012
12:16 pm
The new onside kick rule is asinine. It basically requires the kicking team to allow the receiving team to catch the ball. How high must the ball bounce for the new rule to apply? Can you even imagine an SEC official trying to figure that out? This new rule will basically eliminate the onside kick as we know it. Now you apparently must kick it along the ground and hope it does not hop up into the air. Imagine the collisions that will occur at ground level – looks like a broken neck about to happen – after all, if it doesn’t bounce “high” you can hit him. He’s going to be low and the kicking team guys are all going to be low trying to keep the receiver from getting the ball. That will be an extremely dangerous situation. Under the old rule the receiver just got the hell knocked out of him but no head or neck involved – usually gut or chest area. Talk about something that makes no sense!
kingdaddy
July 18th, 2012
12:16 pm
Lex
I just read it. Typical Spur-spew…
I dropped my fried twinkie
July 18th, 2012
12:17 pm
What’s GT gonna do?……………..NOTHING will change at TECH. Read the RULE on CUT BLOCKS and you will understand how the REFS will look at the penality not the actual Block.
Spanky (giggle)
July 18th, 2012
12:23 pm
Blocking below the waist
Offensive players in the tackle box at the snap who are not in motion are allowed to block below the waist legally without restriction. All other players are restricted from blocking below the waist with a few exceptions (for example, straight-ahead blocks).
Spanky
July 18th, 2012
12:25 pm
“GT is averaging 26 points and 433 yards a game against him. Seems like he is having some trouble.”
……really?!…..That’s your response?! LMAO!!!!
Spanky
July 18th, 2012
12:27 pm
Somebody wants to be me, and should be blocked!
Dawg Tired
July 18th, 2012
12:27 pm
Suggested new rule: “If any player initiates physical contact with an opposing team’s player the initiating player’s team will be penalized 25 yards and the player will be ejected from game and the next 4 games his team is scheduled to play. Players receiving a second such penalty during the season will be banned from ever playing football again.”
DP
July 18th, 2012
12:29 pm
Just get rid of onside kicks, which are extremely dangerous for players. Get rid of the live ball after it goes 10 yards and make it like a punt, the kicking team can’t touch the ball until it hits or is touched by a player on the receiving team. If you score with a minute left to get within 7 points and have no timeouts left, tough luck, you lose. Play better next time.
Spanky (giggle)
July 18th, 2012
12:30 pm
(giggle)
Dawg Tired
July 18th, 2012
12:30 pm
Under my new suggested rule the defensive player must remove the flag on the offensive player’s waist without actually touching the player himself.
Dawglasville
July 18th, 2012
12:30 pm
To my North Ave neighbors, if you guys are so well rounded to let football be the end all for you, when we are speaking about Tech’s wins and loses, then why are you so shallow to come on any blog you can to vent your hatred for UGA? GTBob, I read your blogs in the voice of Hannibal Lecter. Is that accurate?
DawginLex
July 18th, 2012
12:30 pm
kingdaddy
Not that part. The good news I told you was coming. The suspensions
Nothing official from UGA but multiple sites are reporting it
Dawg Tired
July 18th, 2012
12:31 pm
I hope we have ordered the belts with the flags on them in time for the upcoming season.
Shady gator math
July 18th, 2012
12:34 pm
“ESPN talking heads this morning predicted a 7-5 season for Florida”
They also predicted a lot of things that didn’t/don’t come true.
Hang around a while. | Get The Picture
July 18th, 2012
12:35 pm
[...] Towers haz a funny. And finally, “coaches’ sideline behavior” will be closely [...]
Spanky
July 18th, 2012
12:37 pm
DawginLex, what about the suspensions???
Spike 80DF
July 18th, 2012
12:37 pm
sounds more like the coaches behavior rule is aimed at the Ole Ball Sac throwing his visor like a 9 year old…….
88Dawg
July 18th, 2012
12:38 pm
The Grantham/Franklin confrontation was too focused on Grantham vs. Franklin. If I recall, the AJC had a video clip of the cheap shot by the Vandy player after the whistle had blown. Basically, the Vandy O lineman “clipped” our D lineman from behind and the play was over.
IMO Franklin is a loose cannon and will say/do anything to bring attention to himself and Vandy. Grantham had every right to be upset and I have no problem with his response to Franklin. Franklin tried to turn the table after the fact but the fact is – his player was at fault.
DawginLex
July 18th, 2012
12:39 pm
Multiple outlets reporting that Commings will be the only player suspended for Mizzou.
I bet that would change the ESPN picks for that game
Q
July 18th, 2012
12:39 pm
Jeez, lets just play soccer nancies.
DawginLex
July 18th, 2012
12:40 pm
88Dawg
Franklin said something directly to Shawn williams who had been trash talking the whole game. Grantham defended his player.
ARdawg
July 18th, 2012
12:43 pm
All coaches that need them should be required to wear a bra
I dropped my fried twinkie
July 18th, 2012
12:43 pm
DiLex….That would be a JOKE. Too many UGa players in trouble to just have 1 suspended.
Dawg Tired
July 18th, 2012
12:44 pm
Franklin instigated that whole deal with Grantham. Did Grantham over react? Probably, but he was provoked into it. He should not have taken the bait imo, but that would have been fairly difficult for most of us.
Spike 80DF
July 18th, 2012
12:44 pm
any links for those reports DawginLex?
I dropped my fried twinkie
July 18th, 2012
12:45 pm
DiLex wouldn’t surprise me considering the SEC and UGa didn’t suspend all the players that rushed the field during the fight with Auburn(as SEC rules state) in 2010.
Dawglasville
July 18th, 2012
12:45 pm
Spanks – I think CPJ is a genius for running his niche offense. He doesn’t have to compete for the same kids and it is a beast for teams to prepare for (unless you have a month like a bowl game). Unfortunately there are no niche defenses. He has to recruit with everyone else and find a def. coach to get the job done. Those are two areas he has failed. Your offfense is great. Your defense and special teams suck. Those are facts. If you guys are happy then I am happy. Go back to bashing my guy.
Dawg Tired
July 18th, 2012
12:46 pm
@ARdawg – I think we should add the new bra rule to the end of the new no contact allowed rule.
ARdawg
July 18th, 2012
12:46 pm
Breaking NCAA rules and breaking team rules are two completely different kettles of fish
I dropped my fried twinkie
July 18th, 2012
12:47 pm
Dawg Tired
July 18th, 2012
12:44 pm
Franklin instigated that whole deal with Grantham.
______________________________________
WRONG AGAIN. UGa players started it before the kickoff in the pregame talking crap to Vandy players. It continued the entire game. UGa players even started running their mouths to the Vandy sidelines.
Muschamp and Saban
July 18th, 2012
12:47 pm
The only coaches in SEC that act like asswagons on the sideline are Muschamp and Saban. The new monitoring is probably aimed at those idiots.
Muschamp: Keep Georgia-Florida in Jax; ‘Coach Dooley never complained about it’ | UGA sports blog
July 18th, 2012
12:49 pm
[...] Coaches’ sideline behavior a point of emphasis for SEC officials [...]
ARdawg
July 18th, 2012
12:53 pm
Dawg Tired
I agree
kingdaddy
July 18th, 2012
12:53 pm
Lex
you’re right, that will make a huge difference. I had just skimmed over it. I can’t see us losing with a full Defense. This could signal a change in Richt’s demeanor. This in itself is major news. Is CMR showing a little unpredictability???
DawginLex
July 18th, 2012
12:55 pm
I saw it on Russ Mitchell’s twitter. Bill King mentions it in his blog but there is nothing from UGA
The policy allows for the appeals to be heard and suspensions overturned.
ARdawg
July 18th, 2012
12:55 pm
I’ve never seen Saban out of line on the sidelines. Quite contrary, fired up at his players for bonehead mistakes isn’t showing their butt.
Spanky (giggle)
July 18th, 2012
12:57 pm
“@ARdawg – I think we should add the new bra rule to the end of the new no contact allowed rule.”
What would Grantham think about that?
ARdawg
July 18th, 2012
12:57 pm
Penalties for team rules violations can be handed out at Richt’s leisure. NCAA rule infractions are defined
kingdaddy
July 18th, 2012
12:57 pm
Now if it will trickle down to Coach Bobo’s Offense…the unpredictability…
bham dawg
July 18th, 2012
12:58 pm
@I dropped my fried twinkie… so you are telling me that kids talk crap before, during, and after football games? I just can’t believe this. You obviously have never played a down of football because the trash talking starts in pee wee. This is a man’s game and trash talking is part of it.
Muschamp and Saban
July 18th, 2012
12:59 pm
Saban is a classless liar…Anyone who thinks differently is delusional.
c
July 18th, 2012
1:00 pm
GT Bob, please continue to post. Your inferiority complex always makes me LOL
kingdaddy
July 18th, 2012
1:01 pm
Does this mean the next time lil stevie throws his visor and clipboard, he gets the death-penalty???
I dropped my fried twinkie
July 18th, 2012
1:04 pm
bham….it happens yes. The unsportsmanlike comes into play when it is against players, coaches and sideline players you are not lined up against on the field. A DB talking crap to the WR he is covering is different than the same DB facing the other teams sideline talking crap to coaches and assembled players. the Taunting Rule was created for that purpose as well.
Bammer
July 18th, 2012
1:04 pm
Saban! Saban! Saban! Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!!!!!!!!!
Ya’ll are the biggest bunch of butthurt titty babies. Maybe ya’ll can back into your SEC East title again this year and go jump in a big tickle pile to celebrate. Winning the SEC East is better then a made-up National Championship right?
Mississippi State: Ole Miss is one thing, rest of the West another | UGA sports blog
July 18th, 2012
1:06 pm
[...] Coaches’ sideline behavior a point of emphasis for SEC officials [...]