TSSAA adopts mercy rule

#2
#2
Did anyone catch the last line?There's big changes for bowling next year. Coaches can now make up to 2 substitutions per game. Seriously though that's a great rule. Some of these schools just dont have the players to make the scores respectable.
 
#3
#3
i've never liked the mercy rule. the game should always be played in its entirity no matter what the score.
 
#4
#4
duckman398686 said:
i've never liked the mercy rule. the game should always be played in its entirity no matter what the score.
Click to expand...

Did you read the article? It says nothing about not playing a game to its entirety. All it says is that the clock rules will change once a deficit reaches 35 points. They do it in Georgia and it helps a lot.
 
#5
#5
GAVol said:
Did you read the article? It says nothing about not playing a game to its entirety. All it says is that the clock rules will change once a deficit reaches 35 points. They do it in Georgia and it helps a lot.
Click to expand...

yes i read the article. and a full game in its entirity IMO is one with regular clock running time in each quarter or half. even if a team is down by 35, some teams may still be trying to get something going. a hurried up clock rule can only make this harder for the losing team. just my two cents.
 
#6
#6
All they have to do is score to get it under a 35 point deficit and the clock rules revert back to normal . . . but I'll agree to disagree on this one.

I can honestly say that I've never seen a high school team down by 35 in the 4th quarter that I thought had any remote chance of doing anything other than getting somebody hurt.
 
#7
#7
I'm not necessarily against the rule, but it seems to me that it would be just as embarrassing to the kids to have the clock running continuously to keep them from getting blown out as the actual blowout would be.
 
#8
#8
I was at a game once when it was 70-0 at halftime in football. The losing team was physically outmatched and got beat around all over the place. I think it is a good rule because the scrubs came in the 2nd half and the score wound up to be 84-6.
 
#9
#9
bad rule, I never liked that rule. I've been on both ends of this. My soph year we got spanked by my cousins team (White County) cousin was Brent Jolly we got raped by 47 at home in basketball. Over the next two years we were good made it to state tourney both years and it wasn't uncommon for us to put a whoopin on someone by at least 40. We beat one team 101-47 at home. never forget that game cause it was the first time we hit 100. sad thing is coach took the starters out of the third quarter so we got to watch the other guys play a lot, which is good for them.
 
#10
#10
In 1994, Gallatin was up 40-0 at halftime on Brainerd in the first round of the playoffs, and wound up losing 42-40. Brainerd couldn't have pulled off that comeback with the new mercy rule.
 
#11
#11
MyBloodRunnethOrange said:
In 1994, Gallatin was up 40-0 at halftime on Brainerd in the first round of the playoffs, and wound up losing 42-40. Brainerd couldn't have pulled off that comeback with the new mercy rule.
Click to expand...

Perhaps the mercy rule should only extend to th 4th quarter instead of the entire 2nd half.
 
#12
#12
This rule is more proof that any organization with 'AA as the last two letters of its acronym should be presumed to be governed by fools.
 
#13
#13
It has it's pros and cons. Maybe an optional version. If a team is playing up getting blistered and to save injuries a coach can have the hurry up clock turned on, etc., etc. If they think they have a chance, and want to take that chance, leave it off. Opposing coaches could challenge to have it on if they are on the upside and want to be merciful. Just thoughts. I would be in favor of the rule as far as them being young athletes and permanent injuries are not worth the risk in a game that promotes injury. {Mental & physical fatigue, etc). Otherwise my philosophy is "I didn't put your team on the field."
 
#14
#14
i always loved beatin the stank out of a team, i wanted to see how bad we could beat them. i hated it that it would be an early nite for me and the rest of the starters, but if you smell blood you go for the kill, and we would, and then some.
 
#15
#15
We in Connecticut were state that started all this hogwash. We had a coach who went from school to school, making huge winners out of schools that were 2-3 win schools before he came. Although there is some lack of sportsmanship in running the score to 88-0, having your QB down the ball to go 3 and out to avoid the coach being suspended the next week is stupid, but that's whats become of it.

Playing your ass off, despite knowing you can't realistically win, doesn't happen anymore. My High School didn't have football when i went, but they formed one in 2001. Maybe, they've won 6 games since then. But they play hard, and often lose 24-6 or something along those lines. They know they are outclassed, but to those boys, losing to Middletown or Xavier 36-18 is as good as a win. Learning how to deal with defeat is great for mental development, kids today are too quick to throw in the towel, and now we legislate throwing in the towel.

Whatever happened to Jim Valvano's "Never Give Up"?
 
#16
#16
JTrainDavis said:
We in Connecticut were state that started all this hogwash. We had a coach who went from school to school, making huge winners out of schools that were 2-3 win schools before he came. Although there is some lack of sportsmanship in running the score to 88-0, having your QB down the ball to go 3 and out to avoid the coach being suspended the next week is stupid, but that's whats become of it.

Playing your ass off, despite knowing you can't realistically win, doesn't happen anymore. My High School didn't have football when i went, but they formed one in 2001. Maybe, they've won 6 games since then. But they play hard, and often lose 24-6 or something along those lines. They know they are outclassed, but to those boys, losing to Middletown or Xavier 36-18 is as good as a win. Learning how to deal with defeat is great for mental development, kids today are too quick to throw in the towel, and now we legislate throwing in the towel.

Whatever happened to Jim Valvano's "Never Give Up"?
Click to expand...

good post. i agree. it takes the competetive edge out of the games to an extent. its almost like saying, "Well you've lost, just try and not get hurt the rest of the way. To help we'll speed the clock up for you." Seroiously, if this is where sports are headed, i'd hate to see what they look like 100 years from now.
 
#17
#17
GVF said:
It has it's pros and cons. Maybe an optional version. If a team is playing up getting blistered and to save injuries a coach can have the hurry up clock turned on, etc., etc. If they think they have a chance, and want to take that chance, leave it off. Opposing coaches could challenge to have it on if they are on the upside and want to be merciful. Just thoughts. I would be in favor of the rule as far as them being young athletes and permanent injuries are not worth the risk in a game that promotes injury. {Mental & physical fatigue, etc). Otherwise my philosophy is "I didn't put your team on the field."
Click to expand...
I could agree with that totally. Let the ref consult with the coach who is on the losing end, and if he wants to speed up the clock then by all means do it.
 
#18
#18
They used some form of the Mercy rule two years ago when Alcoa played Gatlinburg-Pittman in the 1st round of the playloffs and was up on them 70-0 at half. They make it 8 minute quarters and limited what Alcoa was able to do offensively. I think they could only run the ball or something. Alcoa had their scrubs in playing limited with short quarters and still won 91-7
 
#19
#19
Bad rule- I've been on both ends as well and it is a learning tool for both sides. Plus you get younger guys experience. You play 10 regular season football games, why cut games short when you have so few games?
 
#20
#20
JZVOL said:
Bad rule- I've been on both ends as well and it is a learning tool for both sides. Plus you get younger guys experience. You play 10 regular season football games, why cut games short when you have so few games?
Click to expand...

We're talking young highschool athletes here, not SEC football. For the record, I do believe in playing with what you brought, and you do your best. On the flip side however is a very demoralizing and injury prone atmosphere in such ridiculous blowouts. Especially, if a small school has played up, knowing they are giving you batting practice. In high school, there is a huge physical and depth difference between the class divisions. Not so much between the top 2 classes as the bottom 3. Although I am in favor of playing the game outright in most respects, as a coach should know better if he can play up w/o a beating, but I'm not in favor of risking young kids to severe injury. I've played in blowout hardball games on both sides, and the awareness level diminishes greatly for the underdog, and the others keep going for blood. Although that is sports, sometimes there needs to be a line available to draw. That is why I would vote, as expressed earlier, for a modified optional version settled on in consultation between hte refs and coaches, with head ref having final call.
 
#21
#21
MyBloodRunnethOrange said:
I could agree with that totally. Let the ref consult with the coach who is on the losing end, and if he wants to speed up the clock then by all means do it.
Click to expand...

That's the way they do it in the private school league that I help out in. It's always at the discretion of the losing coach.
 
#22
#22
GVF said:
We're talking young highschool athletes here, not SEC football. For the record, I do believe in playing with what you brought, and you do your best. On the flip side however is a very demoralizing and injury prone atmosphere in such ridiculous blowouts. Especially, if a small school has played up, knowing they are giving you batting practice. In high school, there is a huge physical and depth difference between the class divisions. Not so much between the top 2 classes as the bottom 3. Although I am in favor of playing the game outright in most respects, as a coach should know better if he can play up w/o a beating, but I'm not in favor of risking young kids to severe injury. I've played in blowout hardball games on both sides, and the awareness level diminishes greatly for the underdog, and the others keep going for blood. Although that is sports, sometimes there needs to be a line available to draw. That is why I would vote, as expressed earlier, for a modified optional version settled on in consultation between hte refs and coaches, with head ref having final call.
Click to expand...


If that is the concern then there should be a limit to what division you can play. In Tenn. we had five classes for football and the lowest we ever played was a 4A school. If there is concern for kids getting hurt then make a rule where you can only play up one division. So a 5A school could only play 4A and so on. I played in a game where we got beat by 40 in high school and if my coach decided to pull some mercy rule crap I would go nuts. I played qb and had a terrible line and got the crap beat out of me but I was still trying to win and if my coach told them to speed up the clock it would be a big slap in the face on top of getting blown out.
 
#23
#23
JZVOL said:
In Tenn. we had five classes for football and the lowest we ever played was a 4A school. If there is concern for kids getting hurt then make a rule where you can only play up one division. So a 5A school could only play 4A and so on.
Click to expand...

But smaller school like Alcoa (2A) can hang with bigger schools. Last year Alcoa lost to 4A champ Maryville and 3A champ Fulton, and were competive in both games. They beat the private league runner-up McCallie (who likely recruit), But for the most part, a 2A school would get waxed by any 4A or 5A school.

I remember there used to be a rule, which Elizabethton always used, that allowed schools to play up a classification. Does this still exist, and if so, why is Alcoa playing in 2A when their average playoff game score, including their state title win, was 46-5?
 
#24
#24
It depends on the 5a or 4a school because I play for CAK and we've played 4a playoff level teams and beaten them. We've also scrimmaged many 5a and 4a schools. Schools shouldnt schedule teams outside of their region they cant handle so they shouldnt limit who can play on what level.. I dont like the mercy rule at all.
 
#25
#25
I'm against the rule. The players are young men by the time they are old enough to play varsity sports in high school, they need to know how to handle that kind of defeat.

However, I suppose I can agree with what GVF said, in giving the losing coach the option to have the clock running contiuously once he's down by 35 in the 2nd half.
 
New posts
You must log in or register to reply here.

VN Store



Back
Top