FB: Ohio Athletic Conference

[reality check]

Has anyone ever seen purplesuit and theberg40 in the same room?

Just saying.

[HScoach]

Has anyone ever seen purplesuit and theberg40 in the same room?

Just saying.

If they do, toss a grenade and close the door.

[rscl70]

If you're headed for Mount Union this evening, be sure to stop by the M Club cookout!

[Dr. Acula]

Game of the day in New Concord it looks like.  Musky outgains Ott 355 to 261, but misses a 41 yarder with a minute to go and falls 12-10.  Ott RBs rushed for just 56 yards on 25 carries.  Not exactly one for the highlight reel for the Cards, but it counts the same as Berg and JCU's drubbings. 

[runyr]

Mount Union vs Wilmington radio broadcast:
The good news is no chirping during commercials. 

[Dr. Acula]

Wilm gets the ball first yet it's already 14-0 Raiders 3 minutes in.  Not good.

[HScoach]

Stupid equipment from the 1940's.......

[Dr. Acula]

Uh oh....Mitchell is in. First two carries are 15+ yds each.

[Dr. Acula]

After Mitchell got his turn (3 carries, 50 yds) it's Minnich's turn. 50 yds on 5 carries.  Woods started but doesn't have a carry yet.  Served as a decoy for Burke on a couple runs.

28-0 early 2nd.

[Dr. Acula]

Hey HScoach I don't know what you guys did but the chirp is gone!

[HScoach]

Hey HScoach I don't know what you guys did but the chirp is gone!

Guess drop kicking it worked.

[mr_mom]

Hey HScoach I don't know what you guys did but the chirp is gone!

Guess drop kicking it worked.

Drop-kick? How much is that worth?

[ohiofan1954]

It is going to be a fun doubleheader in Columbus next Saturday.

[hazzben]

Scott got flagged 15 yards for the above hit. Am I just wearing purple glasses or was that a bad call? I see it now like I saw it live, good hit. I didn't think he raised his hands or that it was a helmet to helmet hit. I think the officiating at ONU was an embarrassment to he OAC.

A little late to the conversation. But here's my 2¢ anyway

1. Good, legal hit. The goal of a tackle is to A) bring the defender down B) cause a fumble (or incompletion) in the process. He accomplishes the first goal and almost the second.

2. Strap your helmet on. My brother is a Riddell sales rep, he hates this junk. NO reason a hit like this should result in a helmet flying. Either the helmet doesn't fit, isn't strapped properly...or its a Schutt 

It will also be more fun to watch.  I don't know about others but to me the tackling in todays college and pro games is pretty gotdamawful, nobody wraps up anymore.  Maybe then we will see tackling like this

Oh the irony!  If I could make that eye roll bold I would. Did you watch the video you just linked to! Butkus was the King of the lowered shoulder tackle and forearm shiver. He also knew how to wrap up. Like all great defensive tacklers, he knew that different situations call for different kinds of hits.

The 'historical hagiography' of comments like this drive me nuts. 'Back in the day' guys actually knew how to wrap up! Yeah, like Jack Lambert, Ronnie Lott and Mel Blount? When you watch ESPN Classic or NFL Films, you see all kinds of great tackles, performed all sorts of ways.

And I actually think the targeting rule is making the game more dangerous for defensive players (can you tell I'm a former linebacker  ).

Track with me for a second. The argument goes, go low, keep your head up, don't make contact above the shoulders of the offensive player with any part of your body.

1. You don't tackle objects standing still. The offensive player is running, jumping, diving, lowering his own shoulders and head. There are definitely some overly aggressive, dirty hits. But a lot of the hits getting flagged are ones where the defender is making a play and his target moves lower as he performs the tackle (a natural action/instinct for the ball carrier). The result is unintended contact with the head.

2. To which people say, that's why you have to go low. Ok, answer me this...how is it physically possible for a 6'2" FS or 6'3" OLB to tackle a runner 'low' - when no good offensive player runs with the ball standing straight up and down - and still keep his head up. The 5'10" running back is running behind his pads and actually much lower than this. And when contact comes, he likely gets lower. Even if the defender goes to 'wrap up' he will inevitably lead with his head. NB: unless he's tackling butt first (here's looking at you Jets Guard and Mark Sanchez) his head will always be in front of his shoulder pads.

So he tries to 'do it right' and get his head on the front side of the ball carrier. Sounds great in theory, but what makes the game great and difficult is that the offensive player isn't happy about trying to be tackled, he's changing speed and direction and lowering his own shoulders (again, being a human being his head will also lower with this action). The 'perfect' location of a defender's head is much harder than it sounds.

But now he's afraid of 'helmet to helmet' or 'shoulder to helmet' or 'hand to helmet' or 'breathe to helmet' contact, so he goes lower than normal. And the runner goes low...because low man wins 'don'cha know.' End result, the defensive player avoids contact with anything above the shoulders, and in doing so is physically incapable of keeping his 'head up' because at 6' he's trying to get his shoulders below a crouching ball carrier. This is dangerous and how many (most??) spinal cord injuries occur.

Case in point, I'm watching Texas A&M play Ole Miss tonight. Manziel scrambles, tucks and runs. Safety for Ole Miss comes up to make a hit and instead of 'targeting' as a teammate was penalized for in this same game, he 'goes low' and attempts to wrap up. The defender couldn't possibly 'keep his head up,' his neck is wrenched in contact with Manziel's thighs and he was just carted off the field. But hey, at least he didn't target the QB and get suspended ... 

[edward de vere]

9,472,358 kudos to Hazzben.

1.)  I don't know d*** about the intricacies of football but this sounds like an extremely cogent argument.

2.  Attaboy on hagiography.

3.  Attaboy on NB.

(P.S.  Still trying to figure out why hitting Manziel  in the chest was a penalty, and, temporarily, an ejection. . . .)