Mayer: Some High School Football Offenses Must Evolve

I often hear the term "it's a different game" when referring to a higher level being compared to a lower level within the same sport. For instance, when hitters advance to high school baseball they often see off-speed pitches on a consistent basis like never before. Basketball players have to deal with more advanced zone defenses and complex set plays in college. As tennis players move up they must incorporate different serves and deal with opponents who can cover more court and hit at much greater speeds.

It's not actually a different game, but simply the evolution of the sport as the players advance physically and mentally. The stakes are raised and the games advance in a myriad of ways.

Football is not an outlier. Schemes become increasingly complex as players progress and the speed of the game ramps up dramatically. What I have found most interesting about high school football is the extreme differences in evolution between classes (at least in Indiana).

While the 4A and 5A teams often exhibit complex offensive schemes and are not afraid to pass, the trend has not trickled down to many of the 1A and 2A teams. Obviously this is a serious generlization. In no way can you put all teams under an umbrella of progressive or "ancient" game planning. In fact, I started thinking about this subject after doing a segment on Goin2TheEndzone, breaking down the Sullivan offense. The Golden Arrows are a 2A school.

Sullivan has a fascinating offense. They are not afraid to spread the field with multiple receivers and throw it deep. They also have a solid running game and use many fakes at the line of scrimmage involving wide receivers. It's not surprising to see the Golden Arrows use multiple receiver end arounds and receiver double reverses in a game.

At the same time, I've covered games where a lower class team seems to be playing football out of the 1950's. The team lines up again and again in the I-formation or some kind of a jumbo set with multiple backs (whether they are running backs, full backs, or tight ends in the backfield) and run up the middle. Every so often you see them dare to call a stretch run.

I understand why these teams don't use extremely complicated offenses with constant moving parts and pass plays that go thirty plus yards. The same goes for zone defenses that require defenders to adjust at the last minute and cover offensive players that are often bigger or faster. The athletes at the lower levels are usually not as physically gifted, that's a simple fact of life.

Still, I feel that taking the risk of implementing some kind of complexities in the offense, whether it's more sweeps, reverses, or play action passes would be worth it. When a defense knows the play will be a run up the middle 75% of the time, it becomes a game of field position and which team doesn't turn the ball over. I say take some chances and trust your players. It may be a bit of an adjustment  for players who regularly use less then ten plays a game. However, players are smarter then ever being raised in an age where professional and collegiate football schemes are being broken down for everyone to study.

Mayer: Ratings and Money > Integrity to Goodell

Courtesy Deadspin

The NFL referee lockout has officially reached a breaking point. Games are being changed by missed calls and non calls that should be made. I have never seen so many blatant false starts missed which may be the single easiest penalty for officials. There is a fundamental misconception of many rules, most glaringly pass interference.

There are now issues developing that go beyond simple poor rulings. It took the preseason and first week to gauge the knowledge level of the replacement referees. Now players and coaches are taking that information and bending the rules like never before as well as testing the limits of what the officials can see on the field. Excessive holding has been a constant issue which makes sense because it usually happens in some form on every play. However,  players understand the newbies are not used to the speed of the game and do not know what to look for.

The NFL has been so incredibly outspoken about player safety in the last year, but have not addressed how inexperienced officials are allowing illegal hits to be called. Helmet to helmet as well as hits to defenseless receivers are going unnoticed. Isn't it a bit hypocritical to so dramatically change the rules of football to protect players, but then hire people who are not fully capable of enforcing that rule set?

Anyone who saw Golden Tate's dirty shot in the Seahawks game against the Cowboys can attest that players will continue to take advantage and games will come with increasing risk. The amount of fighting after the play and cheap shots has become absurd. Let's not look past coaches who are in the ear of the officials for the entire game. This is not unusual, but normal referees have learned how to properly deal with and often ignore pestering coaches. Replacement officials seem to be much more effected.

The increase in late flags being thrown and penalties being taken back after the fact must be at an all time high. The amount of time it has taken for challenges to be looked at has been astronomical, at times creating long unnecessary delays. Overall, game times are already averaging ten minutes longer then normal. These replacement referees do not have control of the game which is the most important duty of the officials.

The most infuriating part of this lockout saga is the amount of money that is being fought over. The NFL has become a superpower in every sense. If they gave into every single one of the referees demands and doubled the money, it would not have a significant economic effect on the league. I agree with many of the changes Roger Goodell has made to the game. However, this looks like a power play more then anything. The commissioner knows how the NFL consumes our lives and despite being upset, fans will keep watching. The NFL will still make insane amounts of money and to the league that is all that matters.

UPDATE: In one of the most controversial plays in NFL history, on Monday Night Football with the nation watching, a last minute hail mary from the Seahawks Russell Wilson was ruled complete and beat the Green Bay Packers. The ball was clearly intercepted by Green Bay safety M.D. Jennings. After many horrible calls and confusion throughout the NFL season, the replacement referees single-handedly reversed the appropriate outcome of a game. 

Note: I am a very loyal Green Bay Packers fan. (Also it is an odd coincidence that I had previously mentioned Golden Tate in this post on Wednesday. Maybe a subconscious premonition?)

I'm not one of those people that has slow mornings. I'm usually up and at it as soon as I wake up and already have a list in my head of things to do. Most of the time it involves reading or writing about sports and pushing myself to my apartment complex's gym. I don't doddle. Today, I just wanted to go back to sleep. I wasn't tired, I simply wanted to go back to dreaming and not have to the face the reality that a win was stripped, stolen, snatched away from my beloved Packers. There has been so much outrage over one of the worst calls you will ever see in sports, but I'm more sad then angry.

I can't stop thinking about the ramifications of the blown call. What if the Packers miss the playoffs by a game? What if they miss a home playoff game or home field advantage because a replacement referee was not adequately prepared to do his job? I already want to know what happens in the parallel universe where the call was correctly ruled an interception and Green Bay sits atop the NFC North with a 2-1 record. This call could be no big deal, or could have monumental ramifications, we just don't know yet. 

The sting of the atrocious game winning "touchdinception" and subsequent result would not hurt as much if it did not happen to my favorite team. However, it's disheartening to see a sport that preaches integrity, refuse to correct an easily fixable problem that is significantly effecting the play on the field. I said it before, the NFL could concede to every demand and it would be pennies to the owners. The amount of greed being shown by the owners and desire for power that Roger Goodell is exhibiting is disgusting. 

It should be said that the problem goes way beyond this specific play (I have not even mentioned the blatant offensive pass interference not called on Golden Tate, which the NFL has admitted, as well as the illegal block in the back at the line of scrimmage) but what the fans, players, and coaches have dealt with all season. The game is not under control. Aside from the obvious incorrect calls, the way football is played is being altered. Players are taking cheap shots, coaches are trying to take advantage, and games are dragging along as mass confusion becomes the headline. 

I can only hope that something positive comes out of this horrific injustice. In a perfect World this will be the play and game that force Goodell and the owners to bring back the men who know how to properly officiate. Within a couple of hours after the game we saw a backlash from players, fans, and media that is arguably unequal in the history of sports. Social media has a lot to do with that as everyone is able to have their opinions heard (including some Packers players that were unable to control their emotions). I will never forgive Roger Goodell. If the Packers win the rest of their games and become champions, it won't change a thing. The man in charge has clearly shown that the integrity of this sport is simply not as important as money. 

That last sentence is meaningful to me. "The man in charge has clearly shown that the integrity of this sport is simply not as important as money." I have always believed that sport is a reflection of society, that it's more then a game. Now, I'm not naive. I understand that money drives all sports and the NFL is king when it comes to finances. However, "with great power comes great responsibility." I would like to hope that a group of such powerful and absurdly wealthy people would be willing to concede a tiny amount in order to benefit millions of fellow countrymen. And therein lies the problem. What's wrong with the NFL and this lockout is what's wrong with our country.

Courtesy Sports Illustrated

Pensky: Honoring the Edge, My Favorite Colt

  Peyton Manning gets most of the credit for the Colts decade-plus run of excellence, but don't kid yourself, Edgerrin James was perhaps the second most important piece to the franchise turning the corner. In fact, I believe, if the Colts had a better defense when James was healthy, the franchise would have more than one Super Bowl victory.

   As the Colts prepare to induct James into their prestigious Ring of Honor this Sunday during their game against Jacksonville, I find myself reflecting on both what James did statistically, and what he brought to the Colts from a personality standpoint.

   Let's make no mistake about it, the numbers James put up in an injury shortened career were pretty staggering:

--Franchise best 9, 286 yards rushing

--Franchise best 2, 188 rushing attempts

--Franchise best 49 100-yard rushing games

--Franchise best 5 1,000-yard rushing seasons

--Ranks 11th All-Time in the NFL with 12, 246 yards rushing

--Only player to lead the NFL in rushing his first 2 years in the NFL

   He was so important to the Colts that the year he first suffered a season-ending knee injury (2001), turned out to be the only year the Colts missed the playoffs from 1999 to 2010. He was so important to the Colts that even while he was finishing his career with the Arizona Cardinals, Colts owner Jim Irsay sent James a Super Bowl ring, after the Colts beat the Bears in 2007. 

   And yet even with all of these numbers, and with his humongous role on the field, it was his personality that I have missed the most. James seemed flamboyant with the famous dreadlocks. But the truth is, he was one of the most honest athletes I have ever been around. He showed up to training camp in Terre Haute one summer in a taxi cab, and with camera's rolling, got out of the cab, giggled and said, "this is what happens when you lose your license." 

   The very next summer, he showed up in a yellow school bus, with a hoard of underprivileged children who were his special guests.

   During one interview session in Terre Haute, a nervous reporter asked James how he would "prefare" (instead of prepare) for the coming game, and James smiled and said "Man you gotta get it right!" He then proceeded to give the reporter an incredibly well thought out response. He liked to have a laugh, but it was all in good fun.

   Another summer as the team prepared to play a pre-season game in Japan, James admitted that a friend of his had told him to get a message, and ask for a happy ending. He smirked when he said that, like a 10 year old child would who had just said something he probably shouldn't have. 

   James loved a challenge off the field as much as on it. He would welcome strangers to his dorm room at Rose-Hulman during training camp if they were competitive Madden video game players (James played Madden as the Jets, never as the Colts). And he was routinely spotted playing pool at BW3's throughout camp in Terre Haute, never one to stay in his room for fear of being recognized. 

   There was an true innocence to his personality that led to honesty, and likability. He said what he thought, he was always true to himself, and true to who he was as a person and athlete. I have missed that ever since he left.

   Congrats to James, truly my favorite Indianapolis Colt of all-time!

Pugh: Rivalry Renewed

Notre Dame, USC, Miami...college football is a better product when certain teams are playing at a high level. Tennessee is one of the those teams. The Vols can take a step towards getting back to prominence this weekend when the Florida Gators come to town.

Courtesy: GoVolsXtra

From 1992 to 2004, Florida vs Tennessee was one of the marquee matchups every season. A big September game that had implications for the winner of the SEC East. The schools have a combined 4 National Championships in the last 15 years. In recent memory, Florida has dominated by winning 7 straight with a combined score of 213-106. Not only that, but the Gators won 2 National Titles in those 7 years, while the Vols have been through 3 different head coaches and struggled to stay about .500. That could change this weekend.

For the first time since 2007, #23 Tennessee and #18 Florida both enter Saturday's showdown in the top 25. ESPN's College Gameday will be in town for the first time since 2004. The Florida vs Tennessee game is the second highest Gameday showdown, only Florida vs Florida State has been featured more.

Courtesy: al.com

Will Muschamp secured his first big win as Gators head coach last week at Texas A&M. Derek Dooley is still searching for that signature win with the Vols. Not only could this weekend be a signature win, but it could cool down the hot seat that he's currently sitting on. His record is 13-14 at Tennessee, with his only conference wins coming against Vandy, Kentucky, and Ole Miss. His biggest wins came against Cincy and NC State, 2 teams from weaker football conferences. A loss to Florida would not necessarily mean Dooley's days are numbered, but it would certainly rattle the confidence cages.

Courtesy: utsports.com

The experts have favored Tennessee to win Saturday. The Vols come in with a potent passing attack led by Tyler Bray, Justin Hunter, and Cordarrelle Patterson. On the other side, the Gators have plenty of confidence after winning on the road last week. Their offense may not put up the big passing numbers, but Jeff Driskel continues to improve, and has one of the best running backs in the SEC, Mike Gillislee, to guide him.

Regardless of what happens, it's great for college football to have the Florida-Tennessee rivalry alive and well again. Will dominance continue for the Gators or can Tennessee take a step in the right direction? Saturday will be fun to watch.

Mayer: It's more then a game

Courtesy: The New York Times

 It's just a game. I've always hated that term. To many of us, it's more then a game and those who don't understand need only look at the healing of this country after September 11, 2001.

There are countless reasons that people are drawn to sports. I believe sport can bring people together like nothing else. In the face of turmoil or celebration sports help us unite; putting race, religion, political preference, and all biases aside.

While sport has it's own issues with bigotry, it can act as a major step in the healing process or an outlet for people from different places and cultures to fight for a common goal.

After the attack on the World Trade Center, the citizens of the United States needed a way to show resiliency and strength. American flags were waving from every car and benefits were being held in secret locations to raise money, but the threat of another attack still loomed over the country long after the attack.

The New York Yankees reached the World Series in 2001 and one of the greatest moments you will ever see in sports happened before the start of game three.

President George W. Bush stepped onto the field and prepared to throw the ceremonial first pitch. No matter the security and prior protection arrangements, the leader of the Free World was putting himself at risk in a stadium of over 50,000 people in an effort to show strength.

The outlet he used was baseball, the American Pastime. A sport that means so much to so many people in so many ways. When Bush took the mound it didn't matter if you were a Yankees fan. It didn't matter if you were a Republican, what your religion was, or the color of your skin. We were in it together and despite our differences we would fight to pull through.

It's more then a game. We grow up with sport, it helps motivate and inspire us; through the good times and bad.

bostinno.com

 

A Colts fan at Soldier Field

We had the best seat in the house for arial shots... The very top row of the stadium.

WTWO's own morning producer, Ashley Curtis, headed up to Chicago for the opening week game between the Colts and Bears. Here are a couple of photos and thoughts. 

Being a Colts fan in a Bears world Sunday, I was actually worried about all the harassment I'd endure. Sure enough I met some really nice Bears fans who just enjoyed a nice round of friendly 'smack talk.' 

My all-Bears group and I pulled into the tailgating lot and it wasn't until the place started to get crowded that anyone actually parked next to us. Of course everyone joked it was because no one wanted to park next to that ONE Colts fan in the area. 

The tailgating lot was such a great atmosphere. People are serious about their pre-game festivities. The air was filled with waving Bears flags, the smell of early morning grilling and the sounds of fans singing "Bear Down Chicago Bears," but not actually knowing any of the rest of the lyrics. 

Walking to the stadium is when I heard most of the heckling. I appeared to be the only fan of my Reggie Wayne jersey along the way. It was fun to run into the occasional Colts fan though. We'd high five and everyone would boo.

Of course the booing didn't last long once Jay Cutler was sacked and the Colts got a pick six, but as the game went on, it was clearly in the Bears' favor. I was hoping it would be a closer game, but I'm not bitter about the loss. 

I wish Andrew Luck could have gone out and shined over the Bears defense, but it was only his first game. Once he gets into a routine with the team, he will dominate and we won't see as many overthrows and interceptions (hopefully).
Indianapolis has a pretty new team that just needs to settle down and play like they all know how.

I did however cheer for Matt Forte. His 80 yards and touchdown efforts gave me 19.1 points for my Fantasy team. (Helping me to a week one victory might I add.)

Overall it was a good experience. No matter what team you're a fan of, being a football fan is always an exciting time. I can't wait to see what both teams accomplish this season.

They had the Marching Illini perform. I'm always impressed by marching bands.

My attempt to get a picture of the Colts, but with minimal zoom I opted for a both team jumble picture

The play after Forte almost ran in a touchdown (and got me six points) but was pushed out at the one yard line

Mayer: All Hail the NFL

I've been thinking about the popularity of football and success of the NFL lately. At this point, it might be impossible to quantify how popular the sport has become. It is common place to read about NFL games owning the top ten most watched television programs each year and high schools spending 60 million bucks to build a state of the art field.

Courtesy sportsfans.org

What truly fascinates me is the growing love and popularity of the NFL despite an evolution that has produced a much different game. 

Football became popular for the same reason boxing became popular which is the same reason gladiator duels were one of the most sought after forms of entertainment in ancient Rome. A large portion of the population gets a thrill out of physical battles where serious injury and possible death are not out of the question. Call it barbaric or human nature, but it's true.

The NFL used to be about hard hits, picking up first downs through power running, and trying to out muscle and punish the opponent. Don't get me wrong, big hits and physicality are still a big reason football is popular and it is an important aspect in creating a successful team. Ray Lewis and Brian Urlacher effect players psyches and coaches game plans because of the punishing hits they give out and total disregard for their own well being.

While there are many other "warriors" similar to Lewis and Urlacher, they are no longer the driving force of the most popular sport in the United States. The game no longer revolves around a ground and pound mentality. The objective is no longer to wear out the opposition into submission. The NFL is a passing league, based on complicated blocking assignments, routes, changes at the line of scrimmage, and precise timing. In my eyes, the NFL in 2012 is closer to a ballet then a gladiator duel.

Courtesy broncosreport.com

There are numerous factors that have led to the evolution of football. Coaches have been able to expand play calling and be more aggressive using players that are smarter and more well trained in the art of the passing game. The famous seven on seven high school passing leagues are a perfect example of players learning and practicing a variety of routes, formations, and schemes that are being employed by professional and college teams. Even more to the point, many high school football teams are using complex spread offenses where the quarterback must be able to call audibles and change routes as if he was Peyton Manning.

With safety being a primary concern, the rules have taken away a great deal of the intimidation factor the defense once had. The quarterback is protected like never before and defensive stars may be called for unsportsmanlike conduct even when attempting to hit a receiver fairly. Personally, I am all for the changes that Roger Goodell has implemented. It is not acceptable to acknowledge the serious physical and mental anguish players go through after retirement without attempting to prevent it.

These rules have drastically changed the game. Coaches do not have to worry about sending recievers over the middle anymore, making four and five reciever sets more dangerous then ever. How is a lineback suppose to cover Wes Welker slanting across the middle when the speedy reciever has no fear of getting bowled over? Aaron Rodgers has become an artist at the backshoulder throw which has become easier to complete now that cornerbacks can't be as phsycial at the line.

Courtesy Sports Illustrated

There is something I can't figure out though. Are more people embracing this style of football or has the growing popularity of the NFL over the years created a snowball effect that can't be stopped? If everything was going in reverse, with the running game being more important and physicality on the field reaching an all time high, would the NFL still rule? I think it's probable, but who knows. The evolution will continue. Expect to see more teams using a no huddle more often in order to stop defenses from subbing in players (see more on this from Peter King's article in the NFL preview issue of Sports Illustrated).

It may be a different game. Ray Nitschke, Dick Butcus, and company might not recognize it, but this change is for the better. Players are more safe. The sport tests the athletes and coaches mental aptitude like never before. Running straight past someone may be easy for a man like Torrey Smith, who has incredible natural speed, but the elite playmakers do everything precisely; ask Greg Jennings. We don't know what is ahead and what football will look like in five years, but I bet you will be watching. I know I will.