April 7, 2016
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SPORTSCENTRAL
Hosts Steve Johnson and Sid Edwards are slated to be joined tonight by Track and Powerlifting coach Brandon O’Neal and some of his athletes… along with Boys Bowling coaches Scott Credueur and Phil Godley.
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Thursday, April 7: 5pm—6pm: SportsCentral
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Saturday, April 9: 9AM—10AM: All Things Football with Scott Holtzman
Monday, April 11: 8AM—10AM: The Locker Room with John Goodman and Jim Gazzolo
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THE WIZARDRY OF OS
Assistant Basketball Coach and Head Swimming Coach at Central High School
LSU threw the ball efficiently in a spring football practice controlled scrimmage!! What does it mean for 2016?
Little to nothing, but that doesn’t mean it is not significant. The statement was not headline grabbing, but it was as true as any that a coach will make in public. Cam Cameron stated in an interview recently that LSU does not call plays they don’t execute in practice. Well, I hope not, and you as a Tiger fan should hope not as well.
Think about it. If a pitcher only throws a changeup for a strike in a one out of every four pitches in a bullpen session, should the catcher or coach call for changeups? No!! One excellent high school baseball coach I worked with in the past used to tell his pitchers that they don’t “have” a type of pitch unless they could throw it for a strike 2 out of every 3 pitches in the bullpen.
Applying this philosophy to LSU’s offense, the Tigers will not call pass plays that they did not execute well in practice. It makes sense. The shame is that they have not been able to correct the issues in practice. The good news is that the Tigers are spending more time in practice working on these issues according to Coach Cameron.
The bad news is that being effective in spring practice against the scout team that is learning a brand new defense does not have a strong correlation to how the offense will perform in the season opener at Wisconsin or against Alabama. Nevertheless, while positive spring practice results do not guarantee success, it is a necessary first step to improving LSU passing game and the overall effectiveness of the offense.
I can’t let the week go by without saying something about the NCAA championship game Monday night. I am sorry if you missed the game. Those were two evenly matched teams played at a very high level and the winner was decided by one team making just one more great play over the other team. In my book, that is how championships are meant to be won.
Having said that, it was not a miracle shot as many headlines claim. There was tremendous execution of the play. Great poise by the shooter to execute a shot he has put in great time to be able to execute under those conditions. These reasons are exactly why it was not a miracle shot. A miracle is something that happens despite awful odds that it would happen. I guarantee you Villanova has practiced that play. I guarantee you Jenkins has put the time in the gym working on his shot and his range.
I celebrate Villanova’s execution, hard work, and teamwork with a championship on the line and throughout the tournament. One more time though, that was not a miracle. LSU over Kentucky on November 9, 2002 (my sister’s wedding day)
THAT was a miracle.
HEY REF
Pads are at the ready. Spider webs have been wiped off. Lockers have been cleaned one last time. Films are being studied. Plays are being refined. Equipment has been taken out of storage. Yes, that time of year is once again upon us.
Players are starting to get “the itch”. Doctors are bracing for the influx of young men needing physicals. The smell of fresh cut grass hangs over all practice fields. It is the time of year when every player, coach and fan begins to dream of a championship season.
It’s the supposed time of year when a young man’s whatever turns, etc., etc. In other words: SPRING HAS SPRUNG! Can it actually be that time of year again? Not really but so much attention is given the NFL Draft and all the moves by teams trying to improve from last year campaign that it feels as though we’re just a commercial away from a full 12 month football season in the U. S.
This is football season beginning anew. Here in Louisiana every high school program has a trip to New Orleans “penciled in” come the first part of December. Many future college and professional players will return in the next few years continuing their own professional careers.
Seems everyone that’ll be fighting for a championship ring has a routine to follow to insure a successful campaign. Fans should also be clearing their heads of “what went wrong” and replace it with “what can be done”. Coaches and teams work all year long on ironing out the kinks and so should the fans.
Now rather than later should be the true fan’s cheer. “Now” as in learning the rules should be all consuming. Just as voters need to be well informed so should all fans no matter the sport. There are slight differences in rule interoperations and enforcement of penalties. If you are a true fan then you should challenge yourself to learn the proper rulings of the game/games you are a fan.
Visit any university and most of them will be hosting intra-squad games and full contact scrimmages which then of course lead to the grand final; Spring Game. This is the best it gets, starting with a clean slate, all teams back to 0 – 0 and we’re all in first place!! But this year I’d like to put some early attention to two rules all football fans need to be aware of pertain to pass interference and spearing. In its simplest definition the rulebook states that goes something like - if a player HINDERS another player’s right to secure a loose ball then it is a penalty, yatta – yatta
The key words are “hinders” and “right” and “LOOSE”.
Whenever a forward pass crosses the line of scrimmage ALL defensive players and all offensive players that EITHER line up in an eligible position and/or have the proper numbering are eligible to go downfield and secure the loose ball.
No matter which side a player lined up on; all opposing players cannot intentionally interfere with another player’s right to catch a loose ball. There will be times when two opposing players will go after the pass and one will bump the other. It’s solely the official’s responsibility to rule (interpret) a player’s intention.
Many times fans will see players trip over one another while attempting to catch a pass. Many times this action is not intentional. I’ve had times when a player will be “burnt” by another and all the defensive player can do is trip the receiver. And as we all know the defensive coach will argue it was accidental but when you hear “I ain’t lettin’ you get one tonight” it’s pretty concrete what the defensive player is saying. And yes we hear that and more on basically; every down and/or play.
The action I find very alarming and one that should be called “spearing”. Spearing is defined as “leading with the crown of the helmet, to intentionally drive into an opposing player; to punish an opponent”. I cannot begin to explain how officials, players and coaches differ in their definition/comprehension of this most horrendous of fouls.
In its simplest interpretation (High School and College), spearing is ANYTIME one player, leading with the helmet, contacts an opposing player below the shoulder pads and it’s spearing if the contact is directed above the shoulders which ofcourse includes the head! Whenever a new or young official asks me I try to teach them “each and every time a player is seen lowering his head, THROW THE FLAG! If ever you might be wrong on calling a foul, this is the time to be wrong”.
Now officials must understand there can’t be and there is no room for debate on calling either of these fouls. We as officials must not sway one way or the other when we see a player lead with the helmet to make contact on an opposing player. I NEVER DEBATE THIS FOUL! Call it every time you see it. I’ve thrown more players out of a game for this infraction than all other fouls combined.
Many times I’ve seen a player attempt to hurt an opposing player with a hard shot in the back and then not be able to get off the ground. That loud “click” is one you never forget once you hear it. It’s always followed by a load, high shriek sound that signals someone won’t be able to walk off the field without the help of someone from the sidelines.
Football is a severe contact game that has no room for anyone wanting to intentionally hurt an opponent. One night a linebacker kept taunting the other team with “come my way, I’ll F**K you up!”. Well, after repeated warnings, there was a massive pileup on the far sidelines. I had to mark the ball and stayed on the field. The ambulance was called upon to load an injured player. As we were getting the teams back into their respective huddles one of the offensive players stood next to me and said “Hey, ref, you won’t have to worry about that guy anymore tonight, I F**KED him up”!
I got the tape of the game and looked to see what had happened. This one player had made two late hits and one was severe enough for fifteen yards. Five or six plays later, I could see him just standing next to the pile, out of bounds when a flash goes by and hits him on the side of his legs, bending one into an “L” shape. He suffered a dislocated knee and a broken leg.
Images such as that one haunt officials FOR THE REST OF THEIR CAREERS. There’s no room for such behavior. Officials should never allow “cheap” play. Coaches should never teach this type of action. It’s sad but it’s taught day in and day out in today’s game. I tell the young guys “Let them boo you! Our prime mission is for the safety of all players. If you can keep just one injury from happening that night; you did your job”.
Till next week… …
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