Player safety: NCAA should go all-in to protect defenseless players

They’ll tell you it’s about player safety. The reality is, it’s about reacting to the latest—and greatest—squeaky wheel.
Because if the new targeting rule really were about player safety, then the NCAA rules committee certainly would also address blocking below the waist—a practice that leads to countless significant ankle and knee injuries every year.

Players who deliver hits above the shoulders will be automatically ejected this year. That's a start to improving player safety. (AP Photo)

If the new targeting rule really were about protecting players, the NCAA rules committee would have addressed tempo of play, and how up-tempo offenses impact safety at the point of attack when players aren’t set in the most dangerous area of the field.
So what’s the best way for the rules committee to make a public splash? Ejection of players.
“It’s a little severe right now,” said South Carolina coach Steve Spurrier.
And a little bit of an overreaction. Last year, there were 99 targeting penalties in the Football Bowl Subdivision in more than 1,500 games—or about 1 every 15 games.
The new rule, at the official’s discretion, will eject a player for any intentional, above the shoulder hit. If a player is ejected in the second half of the game, he will also miss the first half of the following game.
Here’s the problem: Instead of further eliminating an officials' impact on the outcome of the game, the rules committee inserted them further into the fray.
“If it’s intentional or somebody is really trying to hurt somebody, I can see that,” Spurrier said. “But sometimes, with two guys going for the ball, you’re going to have some helmet-to-helmet stuff.”
Or as LSU coach Les Miles says, “There’s a gray area that’s going to get more gray.”
Concussions have become a serious issue in the sport, and above the shoulder hits should absolutely be eliminated. But if you’re going to take a stand for player safety, go all in instead of picking and choosing to grease the squeaky wheel.

AT THE TOP

In the NFL, the stars are the players. In college football, the stars are the coaches.
In the NFL, players aren’t developed as much as they are refined. In college football, development is as important as procurement (see: recruiting).
To that end, we give you Texas A&M coach Kevin Sumlin. He and his staff took a redshirt freshman who was third on the depth chart going into spring drills, and turned him into the first freshman Heisman Trophy winner.
That success leads to this: Kyle Allen, one of the top pro style quarterbacks in the 2014 recruiting class, verbally committed to Texas A&M earlier this week over Notre Dame, Ohio State, UCLA and Oklahoma State. The Aggies currently are No.1 in the Rivals.com 2014 rankings, and even though it’s still early in the process, it’s clear the impact Sumlin has made in College Station.
Want to know why universities eat fat contracts when firing coaches? In college football, you’re always a coach away from playing for championships with the right man in charge.

WHATEVER WORKS

So Texas announced the first two games of coach Mack Brown’s crossroads season will be aired on the Longhorn Network.
The same network that has been an unmitigated disaster. The same network that still has distribution problems within the state of Texas.
The same network that will now use the power of the SEC to increase subscriptions. Don’t think for a moment that wasn’t part of the conversation.
The SEC is hot; Ole Miss is hot. The Rebels brought more than 30,000 fans to Birmingham, Ala., last year for a meaningless bowl game.
Frankly, it’s a genius idea by Texas and cable partner ESPN to put UT's game against the Rebels on the LHN. The problem on the field: Neither team will get as much poll juice from a win as they would playing on ESPN national.
For most poll voters, the game will be limited to post-game highlights. It’ll feel like the 1980s all over again, complete with NCAA television sanctions that allowed only post-game highlights.

TO HIT OR NOT TO HIT

Larry Scott has quickly become the most forward-thinking— and acting—commissioner in the game.
He landed two significant television markets in realignment (Denver, Salt Lake City) and expanded the Pac-12’s geographic footprint, and he secured a record-breaking television deal (including the new Pac-12 Network) the conference couldn’t have dreamed of last decade.
His next move is more controversial—and could eventually hurt the product on the field in the Pac-12. Scott will announce in July the Pac-12’s new rules for hitting in fall camp. The object: Minimize head injuries in the game.
While it’s a smart concept, there are drawbacks. Exhibit A: USC, 2012.
The Trojans were the preseason No.1 team in the nation, and finished with six losses. Some of those issues, coach Lane Kiffin said, revolved around his decision to pull back on hitting in fall camp because of USC’s limited scholarship numbers.
USC’s defense wasn’t as aggressive and physical as Kiffin wanted, and had problems with tackling all season. Meanwhile, the offensive line had problems protecting quarterback Matt Barkley, who eventually sustained a shoulder injury that ended his season one game early.