A-11 Offense Banned in HS
per Dr. Saturday, the A-11 offense has been banned in high schools.
http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/football/blog/dr_saturday/post/Weekend-Out…-?urn=ncaaf,141441
February 14th, 2009 at 2:31 PM ^
Yeah, I figured once word spread (no pun intended) about that offense, it wouldn't last too much longer. Would've been interesting to see a college team try to run and execute that offense though.
February 14th, 2009 at 2:40 PM ^
Never would have worked at the college level because the rules about motion are already in place to prevent that kind of ridiculousness.
February 14th, 2009 at 2:48 PM ^
I get pissed whenever I see someone call this offense "unethical." The rules are the rules, and it was legal. it was also damned innovative. I don't mind that the rules were changed to prevent it - okay, if that's not how they want football to be played, that's fine, and I kind of get that - but to call these innovative coaches "unethical" or imply they were cheating 9as in articles I have seen) is just bullshit.
February 14th, 2009 at 3:27 PM ^
Because of a loophole meant for punting...
February 14th, 2009 at 3:31 PM ^
The forward pass is only legal because of a loophole regarding the line of scrimmage.
February 14th, 2009 at 3:36 PM ^
I agree. There is nothing particularly "wrong" with the offense - in fact, it was pretty innovative. To decry coaches for finding a loophole and exploiting it by creating an unpredictable offense, especially when other coaches exploiting loopholes far worse in terms of recruiting, PEDs, etc., is stupid. It was a good idea that worked, but it felt kind of like the Wildcat in the NFL - it would work for a year or two before people figure out how to stop it, and then it either continues to evolve or it goes the way of most fads and becomes nothing more than the odd trick play.
Watching the highlights of the offense on youtube, you get a sense that it only works if your QB is pretty accurate, intelligent, and able to make a play work with his arms or feet. I'd love to see someone try it at an elite high school level or in college, as I think it would be kind of like the spread offense - it would work with the right type of QB and players, but could also be bogged down (in spectacular fashion) if the pieces weren't there.
I'm fine with the HS association disallowing it, but it wasn't an affront to the sport.
EDIT: This wasn't the type of offense "anyone" could run - you needed good WRs and a QB who has the accuracy and reaction to hit a guy coming out of his route at unpredictable locations. Sure it was based on a loophole, but it was a legitimate offense that, as some of the clips showed, could be shut down if you had the line of D-line that can create pressure with a 3 or 4-man front.
February 14th, 2009 at 5:57 PM ^
I don't like the term "loophole," at least in situations like sports where the governing bodies don't include commentary to the rules like, "Be aware that this rule is intended to only allow for kicking situations." Absent such a weird situation, the rules are just the rules, the confines under which the competition were held. Within those confines, any innovation is great.
February 14th, 2009 at 6:42 PM ^
Loophole... gimmick... genius...
A win is a win... win... win...
As for all you bastards who say that uniforms and numbers have nothing to do with the game itself... tell that to the poor kids who got rolled by the A-11.
February 14th, 2009 at 8:34 PM ^
The entire culture of high school is predicated on taking the easiest and laziest way out, thus producing as little work as possible. This ruling is no exception. This is just another typical example of high schools stifling creativity.
Wasn't the reason rules about how many people have to be on the line created to keep the "flying wedge" from hurting tooo many people? The associations have gotten far, far away from the original spirit of the rules.
I think all eligibility and motion rules should be abolished. Let them line up any way they want as long as they are not offside, and let everyone be eligible to catch a forward pass. This would open up offenses and make it harder for teams to win purely on talent.
As for the original fear of lesser teams getting hurt, the flying wedge would not work today, anyway. Nobody would get hurt any more than they already do.
And there is a possibility that people would hurt less because offenses would be less predictable and it would be harder to really line someone up at the "perfect angle" to hammer them.
This, though, would take power away from refs and administrators. They certainly wouldn't settle for that.