What a week of college football and there is not a single game going on. We have Michael Sam making headlines for being the “first” gay football player to come out publicly and now looks to make it in the NFL, becoming the first openly gay player on a roster. You have the NCAA making new rules to make college football boring and teams such as Oregon no longer unique, and of course the usual gossip flying around since there are no games to keep us busy.
1) Missouri’s Michael Sam, “Co-Defensive Player of the Year” in the SEC, has openly come out. It was only a matter of time, according to many people, that a football player would come out and make headlines. There is a lot of information out there on this story because of the magnitude of his announcement.
The question people now ask is . . . where will he be drafted because of this revelation? Will he still be considered a top pick — or go undrafted. According to some NFL players and NFL GMs, he might not be drafted at all and they say it is because of talent . . . not because he is gay. Wherever he ends up will probably get some extra attention from the media. Will coaches and players like the extra attention? Will it be welcomed in the NFL locker rooms in this “gladiator” sport? Time will tell how it all plays out. Your thoughts?
2) The NCAA just got done having its annual meeting in which they talk about the rules and what they want to change or add. I like what they are doing with the targeting penalties and that they will spend more time to consider overruling the 15-yard penalty, if they review the play and see something to overturn the call.
The biggest rule change being talked about is the substitution rule and the possibly of making teams wait before they could snap the ball. Basically they are taking a jab at the no huddle offenses. I think this rule change is COMPLETE CRAP. Pardon my French, but the no-huddle offense is the future of offenses.
One of the things that made me love Oregon is its no-huddle scheme. Chip Kelly used to take that offense and try to score in 45 seconds or less. Most coaches would take a knee or run the ball up the middle with less than a minute to go in the half. NOT CHIP KELLY. He attacked and used every second of that clock and I LOVED IT!
I remember Oregon was already killing UCLA and up 35-0. The Ducks then got the ball back with about 58 seconds to go in the half. Chip Kelly came out and was throwing the ball around, and I think they scored on that drive in less than 40 seconds.
I have stayed up until 2 a.m. here on the East Coast watching Oregon play, just to see its offense make things look so easy and fun like they did that night! PLEASE JUST LEAVE IT ALONE, NCAA!! Heck, right now they need to make a rule to keep my Gator’s offense off the field . . . those guys can’t even block the right people at times.
Everyone is calling this the NICK SABAN rule . . . since he loves to take his sweet time running the ball up the middle and just working the clock. Maybe Saban is still having nightmares from that Auburn game and is looking for any way possible to beat that offense.
Teams such as Oregon, Baylor, Auburn, Oklahoma State, and Clemson have sounded off their displeasure with the possible rule change. People come to the game to cheer on their teams and see some points scored. This rule change they are looking to put into effect may well set the game back 30 years. I hope this proposal gets buried!
3) Texas will still be paying Mack Brown about $3 million over the next four years since he “quit” early. Brown is smiling all the way to the bank with this news. You have to feel bad for Charlie Strong, though. Now the pressure for him to win is even bigger. Strong seems to be saying all the right things, but “actions speak louder than words!”
If Strong can go 9-3, at worst, in his first year, then Texas fans can be hopeful for the future. If he finishes 8-4 . . . Texas fans might just say, “Why did we get rid of Mack Brown?” I am interested to see how Texas does in the fall. They are such a well known brand there in Texas and around the whole country, that they should be able to win big on a regular basis.
Oh, this off season is gonna be a long one. We have had some big announcements with the Michael Sam disclosure, while the NCAA is trying to destroy Oregon’s offense. Let’s hope the NCAA just lets it be and makes rules to speed the game up even more. Now we can just sit and wait for spring ball to get here.
NATIONAL NEWS:
1. No huddle attacked
2. Saban speaks with Obama
3. Spurrier calls out B1G
4. Iron Bowl rivalry is growing
5. College football mailbag
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Jeff Hostetler may not have won a Super Bowl with the Giants ( though his uncle of the same name did). He has been an obsessed college football fan living in Florida ever since the Gators beat FSU in the Sugar Bowl to earn the UF’s first national championship.
Ever since Jeff has immersed himself in everything possible related to college football. He enjoys watching, writing, playing, and otherwise obsessing over all things football. A graduate of the University of Florida, he brings a perspective to FishDuck free of our extreme green & yellow homerism glasses to look at the current landscape of collegiate athletics.