Logic and Football

All none football fans might as well just skip this post.

I’m sitting here anticipating another big Buckeye loss to USC tonight. Yep, I’ve become that pessimistic. If we somehow win, I’ll be super excited and surprised. If we lose, I’ll see it coming and won’t be overly disappointed. So, here I am in my basement, watching Michigan v. Notre Dame and thinking football.

So here are my thoughts on a rule in football. I think the dumbest rule change I’ve seen in a few years was last year when the NFL and college both changed all face-masking penalties to a mandatory personal foul 15 yard penalty. Both leagues said that they changed the rule in order to protect players, but I think this is the most illogical thing they could have done. Sure, it sounds good, but let’s think about this for a minute.

Before last year there were two separate penalties for face-masking. A five yard penalty was given for minor infractions, and a fifteen yard penalty was given for more severe infractions. The referees had to make a judgment call. Now the minor infractions are done away with. From what I understand, the minor penalties were given for face-masking infractions that met two criteria: 1. The grabbing of the facemask was accidental/incidental (sometimes a defender accidentally makes contact with the runner’s facemask in the course of tackling him) and 2. The defender released the facemask as soon as he makes contact. So, if a defender accidentally grabbed a facemask in the course of tackling a runner but let go of the facemask immediately, his team was given a 5 yard penalty instead of a 15 yard penalty.

Doing away with the 5 yard penalty does not protect players. I would argue that it actually endangers them more. Here’s why. By definition, criteria #1 cannot be avoided since it is accidental. Increasing the penalty for something that occurs unintentionally should have no effect on how often the accidental contact occurs, and thus, not make the game any safer for the one whose facemask is grabbed. And now that all facemask penalties are given the major 15 yard penalty there is no reason for a defender to quickly let go of a facemask, even if he grabs in accidentally. He might as well finish tackling the runner by trying to rip his head off. Once one touches the facemask, why let go? Therefore the rule change actually gives a player more reason to hold onto the facemask for longer, putting more players in danger.

Perhaps the only other argument to change the rule is to take the judgment call away from the refs, but 90% of the calls the refs make are judgment calls.

Michigan just beat Notre Dame….bummer…not that Notre Dame lost, just that Michigan won. That makes my day even worse if the Buckeyes lose. Oh well, still got the Steelers.