So nothing is being done to address the fake injuries?

[Vol in Buckeye Land]

That's about the only thing that can be done. I don't think you can penalize the teams for "faking" injuries because the 1st time it's proven an injury wasn't fake and the lawsuits come flying in it will be bad.

Mandate that a player who causes an injury timeout can’t reenter the game during that possession due to mandatory “medical evaluation.” It will curb the problem and if anything be a benefit to players who are in fact injured.

 

[Boca Vol]

Mandate that a player who causes an injury timeout can’t reenter the game during that possession due to mandatory “medical evaluation.” It will curb the problem and if anything be a benefit to players who are in fact injured.

It will have to be along that line, IMO. Not a penalty but a mandatory medical precaution.

 

[GUNTERSVOL]

An ESPN journalist recently did a survey from across college football (coaches, players, ADs, etc), looking at what big changes they expect in the next few years. Wrote a long article on what he found. It's pretty good. I'll link it down below.

One part of the article was about what possible rule changes the 200 or so people poll favored and/or expected. The three most popular on-field rule changes mentioned were:
1. Giving replay officials more discretion on whether a player called for targeting should be ejected. (about two-thirds supported this change)
2. Allowing helmet speakers for QBs to ease communication with coaches. (about two-thirds here, too)
3. Making a player whose injury stops the clock sit out for the rest off the series (almost half supported this)

So that's pretty strong support. It will only grow as games continue to be over-long. Hopefully in the next year or so, it will have enough momentum to become a reality.


What is the future of college football? Over 200 coaches, players and administrators respond

Whatever measures they impose have to be simple and easily administrated without interpretation of circumstances. Rest of series is problematic in that does it end on a punt that does not end in a change of possession, i.e. bobbled catch. If the injury happens on 3 down does he really only sit one play? He might be the guy that wants to be situationally changed out anyway. So he gets out as planned. If you make it say 5 plays, is that only on one side of the ball, or does his teams offensive plays after change of possession count too. Who keeps up with valid plays?

As I have shared before...... I think the easiest simplest way is to make the clock stopping injured player sit out X minutes, 4 or 5 would be good, but pick one. One official has sticky labels in his pocket, and takes the players helmet, does the math, logs the time on the sticker and gives it to the team's medical staff to hold till the time has expired. They are already sitting over there near that little tent anyway and need to approve his reentry. Maybe give each team one freebie each half or quarter. This can be overcome by taking a team timeout while he is on the field, and the label is removed, just like avoiding a time runoff. No fuss, no muss, no questions regardless of offense of defense and costs less than a nickel.

 

[guido4198]

Whatever decision is made regarding the status of the "injured" player an Injury Timeout should not allow for substitution of ANY player besides the "injured" one, sideline meetings, etc.

 

[Volmac2022]

Forgive me. I’m playing catch-up as I missed most of the SEC media day coverage. I heard on the radio that essentially nothing is being done to address the fake injuries. Is this true? Is the commissioner seriously ok with watching SEC football turn into soccer? Tell me this isn’t true.

It’s beyond frustrating watching defenses fake injuries to slow Hooker and Co. down.

Probably not but I'd say if we have depth issues then do fake injuries all game while we have our defense on the field to help them rest as much as possible.

 

[GUNTERSVOL]

Whatever decision is made regarding the status of the "injured" player an Injury Timeout should not allow for substitution of ANY player besides the "injured" one, sideline meetings, etc.

Yep, for sure this should be a frozen in time period as far as subs. If the offense does not sub, then the defense CANNOT sub, just like the injury did not impact the timing of the play. Would be easy to implement a rule that during an injury timeout each team should huddle near the numbers on the opposite side of the field from their bench and as deep as needed to not impede medical attention to the injured. No cheating to get close enough to the bench for free coaching.

 

[camp_steveo]

As soon as Tennessee plays another team whose main strategy is to run offensive plays as quickly as possible you will see the Tennessee defense faking injuries and you will totally support it. And when that happens you'll be saying well everybody's been doing it to us so it's OK for us to do it now. Turnabout is fair play you will say. It's part of the game and it's part of the strategy just like the hurry up offense is part of the game and part of the strategy.

nice straw man

 

[Clayton]

nice straw man

It's an absolute fact just wait and see

 

[Clayton]

There is no rule limiting the number of plays a team runs, how quick they line up, etc.. In fact, there is a play clock to keep the game moving.

However, the rules only allow for 3 timeouts per half. Artificially creating more through faking an injury or cramp is getting around that rule and artificially stopping the game.

In one instance there is operation within the rules, in the other the intent is to actively skirt them.

I don't think it is apples to apples to say both are part of game strategy. JMO.

You are right but now there are no rules about injuries. Won't it be interesting if they actually instead of addressing the fake injuries which they can't really prove even though we know they're fake but instead addressed how quickly the offense can line up? That is also something that has been discussed as a remedy.

 

[wmcovol]

Think ESPN likes us. We have a good audience. They just want the game to last 3 and a half hours so they can get their advertising in. Let’s not be short sighted. It’s their advertising along with CBS that give us those lovely millions each year.

TV doesn’t need games to run OT to get the commercials in. They can do that on every COP.

 

[Visiting Dawg]

Forgive me. I’m playing catch-up as I missed most of the SEC media day coverage. I heard on the radio that essentially nothing is being done to address the fake injuries. Is this true? Is the commissioner seriously ok with watching SEC football turn into soccer? Tell me this isn’t true.

It’s beyond frustrating watching defenses fake injuries to slow Hooker and Co. down.

I could see enacting punishment for a kid going down becoming a liability issue. Kids get dinged up regularly and even get their eggs scrambled from time to time and you don't want to enact a rule that forces a compromised player to stick it out and then get seriously injured.

So, if you are going to run a system designed to gas the opponent's big boys, you'll probably have to accept that big boys cramp up as they fatigue. Heck, if I'm coaching against a team that is trying to go fast, I'm going to tell every kid on my D to stay down if they think they need to be checked out by a trainer. If the O isn't going to give defenders time to walk it off, there is no need to do the O a favor and play the next down.

 

[Wireless1]

I could see enacting punishment for a kid going down becoming a liability issue. Kids get dinged up regularly and even get their eggs scrambled from time to time and you don't want to enact a rule that forces a compromised player to stick it out and then get seriously injured.

So, if you are going to run a system designed to gas the opponent's big boys, you'll probably have to accept that big boys cramp up as they fatigue. Heck, if I'm coaching against a team that is trying to go fast, I'm going to tell every kid on my D to stay down if they think they need to be checked out by a trainer. If the O isn't going to give defenders time to walk it off, there is no need to do the O a favor and play the next down.

I’d expect this from a fan of a team that is built around size and speed over stamina. Teams are give 3TO per half that been usually used on offense, a smart coach will discover they can be used strategically on defense too,

 

[VOLS INC.]

I’d expect this from a fan of a team that is built around size and speed over stamina. Teams are give 3TO per half that been usually used on offense, a smart coach will discover they can be used strategically on defense too,

Exactly. Teams aren’t doing this against UGA.

This is an issue. Period. Players looking to the sidelines, alert and ready to go. Coach gives a signal and then…Boom!!! Falls to ground out of nowhere and yells “Oh my ankle!!!” Trainers come out. Everyone puts on a show. Player comes back in the next play.

 

[VolFreakJosh]

Yep, and we are just going to have to adjust because there is a clear counter to mega-fast tempo that is not going away. I suspect Heupel has spent the off-season making adjustments. If we are expecting people not to fake on us this year, when we go ultra fast, frankly that's on us.

Sorry but I disagree.

It’s bad for the game and it makes the opposing team look like a bunch of pu**ies whenever they magically fall on the ground and start holding their ankle.

Heupel shouldn’t have to adjust to anything just because the defense can’t stop his offense.

 

[unfrozencvmanvol]

Sorry but I disagree.

It’s bad for the game and it makes the opposing team look like a bunch of pu**ies whenever they magically fall on the ground and start holding their ankle.

Heupel shouldn’t have to adjust to anything just because the defense can’t stop his offense.

It's not against the rules, so we need to either adjust or content ourselves with complaints rather than wins.

 

[unfrozencvmanvol]

I’d expect this from a fan of a team that is built around size and speed over stamina. Teams are give 3TO per half that been usually used on offense, a smart coach will discover they can be used strategically on defense too,

UGA is the only team that beat us last year that didn't rely much on fainting strategically. We can expect to see it this year, and it's not illegal, so we can adjust or lose.

 

[VolFreakJosh]

It's not against the rules, so we need to either adjust or content ourselves with complaints rather than wins.

Just because it’s not against the rules, doesn’t make it right.

Again, Maybe the defense should try to stop us instead of pulling off cheap stunts.

 

[unfrozencvmanvol]

Just because it’s not against the rules, doesn’t make it right.

Again, Maybe the defense should try to stop us instead of pulling off cheap stunts.

True, but you've got to deal with the world as it is, not as it should be, and in this case for 2022 we've got to adjust or just realize we are going to be thwarted by this. I hope we opt for the former, righteous indignation is cold comfort after a loss.

 

[DeerPark12]

Forgive me. I’m playing catch-up as I missed most of the SEC media day coverage. I heard on the radio that essentially nothing is being done to address the fake injuries. Is this true? Is the commissioner seriously ok with watching SEC football turn into soccer? Tell me this isn’t true.

It’s beyond frustrating watching defenses fake injuries to slow Hooker and Co. down.

The commissioner has nothing to do with it.

The NCAA rules committee, made up of coaches and administrators elected to not change the in-game rules because they were concerned about a couple of elements as it related to player safety. They felt that if a player knew going down and requiring attention from the trainers would remove them from the rest of the drive, players would try to play injured and become further injured. There was great concern from the medical side that penalizing an injury of any type would be bad for the game.

I agree that something needs to be done because the system as it exists is terrible for the game. But the medical people are the reason it didn’t change, not the commissioner or Alabama or anybody else.

 

[overseasorange2]

In the interest of player safety, every player that goes down should be rushed to the hospital for a complete physical, including a lengthy, prostate exam. We want to make sure the players are safe.

 

[SATX VOL]

Golf balls, mustard, pickles and signage. Let’s blow this problem up on national tv!

 

[guido4198]

It's an absolute fact just wait and see

Absolute fact..?? I absolutely EXPECT our coach to use this to our advantage for as long as rules allow it. I don't like it, and I suspect Coach Heupel doesn't like it either but this is where Kiffin has taken college football.

You are right but now there are no rules about injuries. Won't it be interesting if they actually instead of addressing the fake injuries which they can't really prove even though we know they're fake but instead addressed how quickly the offense can line up? That is also something that has been discussed as a remedy.

Slow the offense on EVERY play by imposing a mandatory minimum time interval between snaps. I'm not sure that would allow for the multiple substitutions and sideline meetings currently enjoyed during an "injury timeout" so "flopping" will continue.

 

[BigOrangeTrain]

Not true.
The simple solution is to require all injuries be evaluated by medical prior to return to play. That would slow them down enough to stop the fakes.

That’s not going to happen. Ergo there is nothing that can be done. We just have to live with it.

 

[whobethis16]

The commissioner has nothing to do with it.

The NCAA rules committee, made up of coaches and administrators elected to not change the in-game rules because they were concerned about a couple of elements as it related to player safety. They felt that if a player knew going down and requiring attention from the trainers would remove them from the rest of the drive, players would try to play injured and become further injured. There was great concern from the medical side that penalizing an injury of any type would be bad for the game.

I agree that something needs to be done because the system as it exists is terrible for the game. But the medical people are the reason it didn’t change, not the commissioner or Alabama or anybody else.

You mean it's not some big conspiracy to keep Tennessee down??? You can't be serious.../s

 

[Visiting Dawg]

Exactly. Teams aren’t doing this against UGA.

This is an issue. Period. Players looking to the sidelines, alert and ready to go. Coach gives a signal and then…Boom!!! Falls to ground out of nowhere and yells “Oh my ankle!!!” Trainers come out. Everyone puts on a show. Player comes back in the next play.

UT literally did it vs UGA and did it as much against OM as OM did it to UT. Now, I don't like the deals where a kid looks to the sidelines and then goes down but by the same token, I don't want a kid that got rolled up on and may be able to walk it off to actually be injured and remain on the field.

I'll just leave this as an example. On one of UT's early TDs vs Purdue, the ball was snapped with 34 seconds on the play clock. There is simply no way the officials or coaches had time to scan the field and make sure the kids were ready so the only course of action for an opposing coach is to tell a kid to go down if he feels a strain.