Post by FredFan7 on Feb 20, 2020 13:37:42 GMT -5
Article from The Athletic.
By Scott Dochterman, the Athletic
IOWA CITY, Iowa — Constant tinkering of college football’s rules has contributed to the sport’s officiating inconsistencies and has the potential to erode confidence in the overall product, Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz said.
In an exclusive interview with The Athletic, Ferentz believes officials are better trained and better equipped than ever before. However, the on-field arbiters are asked to review too many points of emphasis and judge too much of the action during the game, he said.
“We’ve made the game harder to interpret and officiate,” Ferentz said. “I think the quality of our officials has never been better. I mean, these guys work hard, at least in our conference. They work hard; they’re good guys. I think when we ask them to make too many judgments, I think that’s hard.
“It’s like anything you do. You go back and look and say, ‘Are we being as efficient and effective as we can with what we’re asking people to do? Are we trying to be as simple as you can so a guy doesn’t have to make it a calculus equation to throw a flag?’ I think that’s a good starting point.”
Ferentz recently completed his 21st season as head coach at Iowa and is the longest-tenured coach in the Football Bowl Subdivision. Ferentz is tied for fifth with 162 career wins as a Big Ten head coach and his 97 conference victories rank fourth all-time. He also served nine years as an Iowa assistant from 1981 through 1989.
In recent years, Ferentz has criticized many of the sport’s rule changes as counterproductive because it stresses the officiating focus. He cited a radio interview with an NFL coach that provided context to what he considered a burgeoning issue.
“Year after year, we tweak these rules,” Ferentz said. “Over five years, eight years, 10 years, there’s a real compound effect on this stuff. And it ties in with one of those NFL coaches, someone in the last two months said he’s not sure what pass interference is anymore. I mean, the guy is an NFL coach, and that’s what he does for a living and he doesn’t know? I think that’s very telling to me. I think I’ve seen that or we’ve seen that at the college level right now.”
The average number of penalties each season has not changed much over the last decade. Last year, the Big Ten average was 69.7 team penalties per season. In 2014, the first season with an eighth on-field official and 14 teams, it was 68. In 2012 with 12 Big Ten teams, it was 70. When the Big Ten had 11 teams in 2009, the average was 69.
What has changed is the average number of penalty yards per team. In 2009, it was 577.8. In 2014, it was 596.9. Last fall, it was 624.3.
Like any coach, Ferentz has issues with specific interpretations. In his case, it’s with cut blocks. He hopes to build awareness to make the rule clearer so clean blocks are not interpreted incorrectly. Iowa annually ranks among college football’s least-penalized teams, and 2019 was no different. At just 32.4 yards per game, the Hawkeyes finished No. 3 nationally in penalty yards.
As for replay, Ferentz believes it either needs tightening or elimination.
“If I had to just choose right now, if they said, ‘OK, we’re going to keep it like it’s been for the last couple years or dump it,’ I’d vote for dumping it,” Ferentz said. “I’d rather go that route. Because to me, there are so many calls that have been overanalyzed in my opinion.
“I think a lot of us would agree probably what they need to do is go back to the original premise. If it’s not clearly a reversible call, then the call on the field stands. Let’s not slice it, dice it, dissect it. If it takes four minutes to figure it out, that’s probably too long. If it’s obviously an erroneous call, let’s correct it and move on to the game. The game would speed up and more importantly, I think we’d quit overanalyzing. I think you see that at both levels right now.”
There were 24 replays during Iowa games in 2019. There were 11 reversals and 13 confirmations after reviews. In the Iowa-Penn State game, five plays were reviewed. In only one game, Iowa-Rutgers, was replay not used.
Two reversals — one for Iowa, one against — stand out for the length of review and a questionable reversal. One took place in the Iowa-Penn State game. Nittany Lions tight end Pat Freiermuth appeared to have caught a 16-yard pass over the middle for a touchdown late in the third quarter. It was ruled a touchdown but after a review and without conclusive evidence to the contrary, the ball was placed inside the 1-yard line.
At Nebraska, Iowa quarterback Nate Stanley appeared to have connected with wide receiver Nico Ragaini on a 38-yard pass in the final 30 seconds. Ragaini caught the ball over his shoulder with his left hand, then placed it into his right arm with both feet down. Ragaini hit the ground with the ball in his possession, rolled over and it popped out. Originally, it was ruled a catch. It was overturned following a long replay.
If replay stays intact, Ferentz prefers a shift away from the in-stadium official.
“I’m not so sure we’re not better off right now putting the replay in a central location,” Ferentz said. “The NFL does that. I’m not saying that’s best. But if not there, then I would suggest the man on the field, the referee, he has veto power because he’s the guy officiating the game. He is the referee, and to wear a white hat, you’ve got to earn it. So, let’s put it on that guy, so at least he’s not getting hung out to dry by a call that he may not agree with. I think that’s kind of silly in my opinion.
“If it’s out of a central location — and that’s a different discussion — but take some of the subjectivity out of it at least. We’ve got too many cooks in the kitchen probably.”
By Scott Dochterman, the Athletic
IOWA CITY, Iowa — Constant tinkering of college football’s rules has contributed to the sport’s officiating inconsistencies and has the potential to erode confidence in the overall product, Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz said.
In an exclusive interview with The Athletic, Ferentz believes officials are better trained and better equipped than ever before. However, the on-field arbiters are asked to review too many points of emphasis and judge too much of the action during the game, he said.
“We’ve made the game harder to interpret and officiate,” Ferentz said. “I think the quality of our officials has never been better. I mean, these guys work hard, at least in our conference. They work hard; they’re good guys. I think when we ask them to make too many judgments, I think that’s hard.
“It’s like anything you do. You go back and look and say, ‘Are we being as efficient and effective as we can with what we’re asking people to do? Are we trying to be as simple as you can so a guy doesn’t have to make it a calculus equation to throw a flag?’ I think that’s a good starting point.”
Ferentz recently completed his 21st season as head coach at Iowa and is the longest-tenured coach in the Football Bowl Subdivision. Ferentz is tied for fifth with 162 career wins as a Big Ten head coach and his 97 conference victories rank fourth all-time. He also served nine years as an Iowa assistant from 1981 through 1989.
In recent years, Ferentz has criticized many of the sport’s rule changes as counterproductive because it stresses the officiating focus. He cited a radio interview with an NFL coach that provided context to what he considered a burgeoning issue.
“Year after year, we tweak these rules,” Ferentz said. “Over five years, eight years, 10 years, there’s a real compound effect on this stuff. And it ties in with one of those NFL coaches, someone in the last two months said he’s not sure what pass interference is anymore. I mean, the guy is an NFL coach, and that’s what he does for a living and he doesn’t know? I think that’s very telling to me. I think I’ve seen that or we’ve seen that at the college level right now.”
The average number of penalties each season has not changed much over the last decade. Last year, the Big Ten average was 69.7 team penalties per season. In 2014, the first season with an eighth on-field official and 14 teams, it was 68. In 2012 with 12 Big Ten teams, it was 70. When the Big Ten had 11 teams in 2009, the average was 69.
What has changed is the average number of penalty yards per team. In 2009, it was 577.8. In 2014, it was 596.9. Last fall, it was 624.3.
Like any coach, Ferentz has issues with specific interpretations. In his case, it’s with cut blocks. He hopes to build awareness to make the rule clearer so clean blocks are not interpreted incorrectly. Iowa annually ranks among college football’s least-penalized teams, and 2019 was no different. At just 32.4 yards per game, the Hawkeyes finished No. 3 nationally in penalty yards.
As for replay, Ferentz believes it either needs tightening or elimination.
“If I had to just choose right now, if they said, ‘OK, we’re going to keep it like it’s been for the last couple years or dump it,’ I’d vote for dumping it,” Ferentz said. “I’d rather go that route. Because to me, there are so many calls that have been overanalyzed in my opinion.
“I think a lot of us would agree probably what they need to do is go back to the original premise. If it’s not clearly a reversible call, then the call on the field stands. Let’s not slice it, dice it, dissect it. If it takes four minutes to figure it out, that’s probably too long. If it’s obviously an erroneous call, let’s correct it and move on to the game. The game would speed up and more importantly, I think we’d quit overanalyzing. I think you see that at both levels right now.”
There were 24 replays during Iowa games in 2019. There were 11 reversals and 13 confirmations after reviews. In the Iowa-Penn State game, five plays were reviewed. In only one game, Iowa-Rutgers, was replay not used.
Two reversals — one for Iowa, one against — stand out for the length of review and a questionable reversal. One took place in the Iowa-Penn State game. Nittany Lions tight end Pat Freiermuth appeared to have caught a 16-yard pass over the middle for a touchdown late in the third quarter. It was ruled a touchdown but after a review and without conclusive evidence to the contrary, the ball was placed inside the 1-yard line.
At Nebraska, Iowa quarterback Nate Stanley appeared to have connected with wide receiver Nico Ragaini on a 38-yard pass in the final 30 seconds. Ragaini caught the ball over his shoulder with his left hand, then placed it into his right arm with both feet down. Ragaini hit the ground with the ball in his possession, rolled over and it popped out. Originally, it was ruled a catch. It was overturned following a long replay.
If replay stays intact, Ferentz prefers a shift away from the in-stadium official.
“I’m not so sure we’re not better off right now putting the replay in a central location,” Ferentz said. “The NFL does that. I’m not saying that’s best. But if not there, then I would suggest the man on the field, the referee, he has veto power because he’s the guy officiating the game. He is the referee, and to wear a white hat, you’ve got to earn it. So, let’s put it on that guy, so at least he’s not getting hung out to dry by a call that he may not agree with. I think that’s kind of silly in my opinion.
“If it’s out of a central location — and that’s a different discussion — but take some of the subjectivity out of it at least. We’ve got too many cooks in the kitchen probably.”