View from the East Thursday, August 15, 2013 By Al Myatt

Headhunters beware

By Al Myatt
©2013 Bonesville.net
All rights reserved.

One ingredient in the formula for success of East Carolina football coach Ruffin McNeill is for the Pirates to play penalty free. That comes under Ruff's general heading of don't beat yourself and also includes avoiding turnovers.

There are new rules in the college game which have been introduced in consideration for player safety. The penalty for targeting an opponent's head and initiating contact with the crown of the helmet is a 15-yard step-off plus ejection from the game.

Similarly, a launch — a player who leaves his feet to attack an opponent with an upward and forward thrust to an opponent's head or neck area — also can lead to ejection.

The new rules mean players must use their heads in a figurative sort of way and not use their helmets in a literal sense. It means the Pirates have an extra point of emphasis when its comes to playing smart in 2013.

"The main thing is you just can't lead with your head, especially if you're rushing the quarterback," said ECU defensive coordinator and secondary coach Rick Smith. "You have to be real careful hitting him anywhere in the head."

Players can't hit opponents in the head with their helmet, forearm, fist, hand, shoulder or elbow without risking banishment to the sideline. A play in question is subject to video review.

If a player is ejected in the second half or overtime, he could be forced to sit out the first half of the next game.

Rogers Redding said the ultimate intent is to make the game safer. Redding is the national coordinator of College Football Officiating (CFO).

"We want to protect the game and to help reduce critical injuries with this message: play the game hard but stay away from serious fouls," Redding said in a release through the National Football Foundation. "By making changes, we are signaling that the safety of the student-athlete stands at the very top of our list of priorities. The clear intent is to change player behavior."

ECU's preseason camp has attempted to educate players in regard to the new rules and their consequences.

"We're just trying to teach the players that are rushing the quarterback to keep their eyes on the quarterback," Smith said. "If you make contact, make contact with your head up and your eyes up and make contact somewhere in the chest area and don't lead with your head."

When the Pirates scrimmaged Saturday, the officials allowed some interaction designed to provide a better understanding of the new rules.

"They addressed the rules before the scrimmage, and then after the scrimmage the officials stayed around and Coach McNeill sat the team down on a knee and they got to ask questions," Smith said. "The officials explained the new rules."

There will be a continuing education effort before ECU hosts Old Dominion in the season opener at 7 p.m. on Aug. 31.

"The conference officiating crew that comes to our last scrimmage will also meet with them in the team room and answer any questions that the players and coaches have about old rules and new rules," Smith said. "They'll go over the new rules. There's a film presentation also. They'll show them exactly what targeting is. (There will) be film of the way to do it and the way not to do it. There will be a visual review also."

A hit by Derek Blacknall of the Pirates at Southern Miss in 2010 comes to mind as the way not to do it. Blacknall had to sit out the following week and that was before the current safety legislation was in place.

ECU tied Central Michigan and Arizona State for tenth nationally in fewest penalties committed per game with 4.23 in 2012. The NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision leader was Air Force with 3.38 penalties per game for an average of 26.23 yards per game.

The worst offender last season was UCLA. The Bruins were 120th and last in the FBS with 9.29 flags per game for an average of 91.5 yards per contest. The Bruins were called for 130 walkoffs for a total of 1,281 yards. That's 232 more yards than Vintavious Cooper of the Pirates rushed for in 2012. Despite all its misdeeds, UCLA still went 9-5.

McNeill prescribes to the theory that crime doesn't pay and that's how he wants his alma mater to play.

"Coach McNeill is very conscious of the rules," Smith said. " ... As we go to new drills, he always stresses, 'Don't hit with the crown of your hat. Don't hit the receivers in the head with your helmet. Don't hit the quarterback in the head with your helmet.' Sometimes it can't be helped. It's a judgment call. The receiver is going to catch the ball and he lowers his head. Sometimes it can't be helped. Most officials do a pretty good job.

"If it just happens and it's an accident, they don't usually call it. You can tell when a guy is beelining and targeting a guy. ... It's a hard call but (the officials) are there to try and protect the players."

There may be a lot of action for an official to interpret in a split second as to whether or not an infraction has occurred, but the game in general has put an emphasis on protecting players from debilitating hits to the head. Ironically, the piece of equipment designed to protect the head, the helmet, has become a weapon in the evolution of the game.

"The game has changed," Smith said. "It used to be there were two backs in the backfield and a tight end. The game was more confined to an area. Now offenses are spreading you out all over the field with a lot more speed on the field. Everything happens a lot faster. People are throwing the ball more. The game is so much faster than it used to be that there are going to be mistakes made."

The video review provision allows officials another opportunity to get calls right, especially when it involves a penalty as severe as ejection.

For more on rule changes for the upcoming season, check out this link on the National Football Foundation Web site.

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PAGE UPDATED 08/16/13 05:29 AM.