The newly proposed rule change to allow defenses 10 seconds to sub after every snap really struck a chord with a lot of coaches, especially within the no huddle coaching community, last night.
Rich Rodriguez took to Twitter to vent some of his frustration, and to be honest, I have to agree with everything that he put out there.
Rodriguez and Hugh Freeze both added that if it is infact a safety issue, show coaches some data to support it. And if that is the case, Rodriguez makes the case that no huddle teams should be getting hurt more in practice? That's obviously not the case.
Mike Leach also brought up a good point in an ESPN article published last night, saying that football has always been a game of creativity and strategy, and the best coaches throughout history have always found a way to adjust.
"First off, I doubt it will pass, second, it’s ridiculous. All this tinkering is ridiculous." Leach explained.
"I think it deteriorates the game. It’s always been a game of creativity and strategy. So anytime someone doesn’t want to go back to the drawing board or re-work their solutions to problems, then what they do is to beg for a rule. I think it’s disgusting.”
Then, Leach provided a suggestion for coaches who are in favor of the rule change.
“My suggestion is rather than spending a bunch of time coming up with a bunch of really stupid rules, spend that time coaching harder. Worry about your own team and try to make your product better rather than trying to change the game so you don’t have to do anything.”
This will be a hot button topic all offseason, and considering the widespread impact it could have on the game, we'll continue to keep you updated on the various stances and opinions. As it sits right now, I'm standing firmly behind Rich Rod, Leach and the rest of the no huddle community and don't see that changing.
A lot more quality content on the subject from Rich Rod, Freeze, Leach (and others) in ESPN's column, which can be read here, and we've included a few more quotes from coaches on the subject below.