2011 Rules Changes

[MaxyJR1]

NCAA Link

 

[RodentRampage]

The committee also reiterated a rule change made last year but not effective until the 2011 season when unsportsmanlike conduct penalties will be treated as either live-ball or dead-ball fouls. Previously, all fouls of this kind were treated as dead-ball fouls.

The change means, for example, that if a player makes a taunting gesture to an opponent on the way to scoring a touchdown, the flag would nullify the score and penalize the offending team 15 yards from the spot of the foul.

I don't like this rule one bit. It is too subjective to have this much game-changing power placed in the hands of the officials.

 

[HopHead]

I don't like this rule one bit. It is too subjective to have this much game-changing power placed in the hands of the officials.

I totally agree and I'm totally an "act like you've been there before" kind of guy. I appreciate the spirit of what they are trying to do but I fear that a rule like this cannot be enforced consistently by all officials. If a player is going in for a long TD with no defenders really near him and starts high stepping at the 5, is that taunting (who is he taunting)? What if he just holds the ball up in the air for the last couple of steps to fire up the crowd?

By the reaction of the coaches after a team is assessed a 15 yard penalty on the kickoff with the old rule, I think that penalty was plenty strong. Maybe they should treat it like getting a card in soccer. First time it happens, it is enforced on the kickoff and the second time in the same game by the same player, it is a spot foul. But even that seems to give the officials to much ability to arbitrarily take points off the board.

 

[MaxyJR1]

I totally agree and I'm totally an "act like you've been there before" kind of guy. I appreciate the spirit of what they are trying to do but I fear that a rule like this cannot be enforced consistently by all officials. If a player is going in for a long TD with no defenders really near him and starts high stepping at the 5, is that taunting (who is he taunting)? What if he just holds the ball up in the air for the last couple of steps to fire up the crowd?

By the reaction of the coaches after a team is assessed a 15 yard penalty on the kickoff with the old rule, I think that penalty was plenty strong. Maybe they should treat it like getting a card in soccer. First time it happens, it is enforced on the kickoff and the second time in the same game by the same player, it is a spot foul. But even that seems to give the officials to much ability to arbitrarily take points off the board.

I think that taunting and showboating need to be penalized differently. If they taunt, spot of the foul. If they showboat, 15 on the kick-off or extra point.

How will this be interpreted, "The change means, for example, that if a player makes a taunting gesture to an opponent on the way to scoring a touchdown, the flag would nullify the score and penalize the offending team 15 yards from the spot of the foul."

 

[highwayman]

I interpret this as "the runner taunting an opposing player who's trailing behind," probably with the ball, call. It doesn't appear to change the "after score" excessive celebration penalty, which is assessed on the kick-off.

Hopefully, high stepping is still allowed, as it is just a variation of the training players receive. You need to high step to avoid diving tackles...

Don't celebrate on the way in, and things stay the same...

 

[CrocShots]

Thank you for posting something that is nice and useful for us to discuss.

this is an interesting topic because it would nullify TD's if people did flips into the end zone and stuff like Dieon Sanders did. I like the rule, but you've got to let some people have some fun, especially if it's a big moment in the game and I hope the officials don't hurt a team a la Kansas st. Syracuse this year.

 

[corcoran1]

I think there are some kids who will take the butt chewing they get to have the fun of taunting before the touchdown, so if I thought this could be consistently enforced I would like it because the show boater loses the touchdown. I think that would stop it, but I think you are right, it will be screwed up, almost for sure.

 

[highwayman]

Thank you for posting something that is nice and useful for us to discuss.

this is an interesting topic because it would nullify TD's if people did flips into the end zone and stuff like Dieon Sanders did. I like the rule, but you've got to let some people have some fun, especially if it's a big moment in the game and I hope the officials don't hurt a team a la Kansas st. Syracuse this year.

Actually, no. I read it as still a 15 on the kick-off for that. The TD is called off if it's taunting while running down the field:

"The change means, for example, that if a player makes a taunting gesture to an opponent on the way to scoring a touchdown, the flag would nullify the score and penalize the offending team 15 yards from the spot of the foul.

Penalties for dead-ball misconduct fouls (for example, unsportsmanlike behavior after the player crosses the goal line) continue to be assessed on the ensuing kickoff or the extra point/two point conversion attempt."