Saban elaborates on his position on speed of play...

crimsonaudio said:

Not me, I can't stand the 'basketball on grass' type of play. The chess match, the strategy that football is centered on is why it's the only sport that interests me anymore, and the gimmicky HUNH only works as it removes that aspect from the game.

If the HUNH is the future of football, I'll end up watching it less and less - even if Bama runs it.

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I agree with you. I'm paranoid that football will capitulate to the hurry up offenses, and I've seen evidence that it will do just that (officials apparently more concerned with keeping up with the pace of the offense than anything else). If that happens, perhaps future generations will appreciate and enjoy it, but it's not something I'd enjoy nearly as much. Watching the A&M game live was not like oh wow, this is great. It was like, the players don't have time to get off the field, I don't have time to look around at the scoreboard, and this is a gimmick.

KrAzY3 said:

I agree with you. I'm paranoid that football will capitulate to the hurry up offenses, and I've seen evidence that it will do just that (officials apparently more concerned with keeping up with the pace of the offense than anything else). If that happens, perhaps future generations will appreciate and enjoy it, but it's not something I'd enjoy nearly as much. Watching the A&M game live was not like oh wow, this is great. It was like, the players don't have time to get off the field, I don't have time to look around at the scoreboard, and this is a gimmick.

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This! When they went up 14-0, I was so angry. Not because we were losing, but because the HUNH is a gimmick and it takes away from our ability to be multiple on defense. It simply isn't fair. The offense can pretty much do whatever it wants, while the defense is forced to react without the ability to sub. It's maddening.

TideMan09 said:

I honestly think so as well Earle..There's a reason a true HUNH offense hasn't won the NC as of yet..When you win in the trenches & control the LOS, you win NC's, it's the best combination & the best way to win Championships..Bama has proving that time & time again on the path of becoming the most dominate football program in college football..And it's more fun to watch if ya ask me..(

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PacadermaTideUs said:

The HUNH is asymmetric warfare. It's a way that less talented offenses can level the playing field against more talented (which these days, usually also mean bigger) defenses. The answer to HUNH is smaller, quicker, well-conditioned defensive players who don't tire as quickly. The drawback to that is smaller, quicker defensive players become susceptible to the power running game. So everything runs in cycles.

Add an official to cope with the officiating lapses that come along with HUNH. Don't blow the ball ready for play until all officials are set. Get those officiating lapses under control, let the officials control the pace of the game, and the game will eventually evolve away from HUNH.

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I understand where you guys are coming from, but the type of offense the Barn ran last year was HUNH, but it also was "power running" and "LOS controling." The reason the Barn didn't win the NC was not because of their offense last year, but because they were below average on defense.

Now, I'm not saying that the Barn has the perfect model of the HUNH. I think it might be hard to duplicate the type of OL they had last year...year in and year out. The verdict is still out on what Gus will do. Many think he'll become more pass oriented with Sean White coming in at qb. Concerning the Barn, right now there's just not enough material to know for sure what the future holds.

But I do agree with th overall sentiment expressed here about the HUNH, but that is mainly becuase we appreciate great defense and want to control the clock with our traditional, power offense.

Maybe they should do something about basketball too - I always hate it when some player decides to get everyone down to the opposing team's basket to get a basket before the defense can get there. I don't understand how you can call that fair!

colbysullivan said:

This! When they went up 14-0, I was so angry. Not because we were losing, but because the HUNH is a gimmick and it takes away from our ability to be multiple on defense. It simply isn't fair. The offense can pretty much do whatever it wants, while the defense is forced to react without the ability to sub. It's maddening.

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I understand why you feel that way. I felt the same way several times the last couple of years! However, to say "it's not fair" sounds like we are whining. It actually is fair and within the current rules.

Perhaps we could argue that it is not within the spirit of the game based on the history of the game. Perhaps we could argue that it is an advantage for the offense to not allow the defense to sub. But right now it is within what is fair.

But I don't like it!

Coach Saban had his own HUNH version in recruiting. The other coaches "whined, said it wasn't fair" and instated a rule to prevent that. It's known as The Saban Rule.
I don't let what others say about us influence my stance if I think it is right.

BamaMoon said:

I understand why you feel that way. I felt the same way several times the last couple of years! However, to say "it's not fair" sounds like we are whining. It actually is fair and within the current rules.

Perhaps we could argue that it is not within the spirit of the game based on the history of the game. Perhaps we could argue that it is an advantage for the offense to not allow the defense to sub. But right now it is within what is fair.

But I don't like it!

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That's a better way to put it. My point was I don't believe the HUNH is within the spirit of the rules.

Bazza said:

Maybe they should do something about basketball too - I always hate it when some player decides to get everyone down to the opposing team's basket to get a basket before the defense can get there. I don't understand how you can call that fair!

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Football and basketball are two VERY different sports...I understand what your intent was, but this comparison is just not a fair one to make.

TIDE-HSV said:

I agree. Part of the motive behind the offense is to make it difficult for the officials to do their jobs. CGM has as much as admitted it. That is not within the spirit of the rules at all...

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Earle, do you have a link to that? Would be useful to have that to throw at Aubs on a couple of other boards...

crimsonaudio said:

No, I really understand what you're saying. I'm simply saying that even if it were Bama's only chance to win, I'd not want to watch us win in that manner. I get what you mean regarding saying that to barn fans, I'm simply saying that even in their shoes I'd still not want to see it.

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My interest in football in general has waned greatly over the past 2 seasons, especially last season, for this reason exactly. I watched maybe 15 minutes of all the bowl games combined except ours and the NC game.

If this is how everyone wants football to be played, offenses scoring on every single possession and scores in the 70-63 range, why not simply play flag football or eliminate defense altogether and play against air? It makes as much sense...

BamaMoon said:

I understand why you feel that way. I felt the same way several times the last couple of years! However, to say "it's not fair" sounds like we are whining. It actually is fair and within the current rules.

Perhaps we could argue that it is not within the spirit of the game based on the history of the game. Perhaps we could argue that it is an advantage for the offense to not allow the defense to sub. But right now it is within what is fair.

But I don't like it!

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I agree that calling the hurry up unfair in and of itself is a bit much. It's a gimmick, an exploit, but as long as it's allowed it's fair. There are loopholes that need to be addressed though, one of these is allowing a football player to exit the game if he wishes (there's no moral defense for forcing a kid to stay out there against his will), and the other is this psychological 2 minute drill that causes priorities to become misplaced.

There is an unfair part, and that's the rules that are simply not being followed. False starts, holding, illegal men downfield, etc... those aspects are not fair at all because the violations are being obscured by this type of offense. But, I think one has to keep the two complaints separate. No matter what you do in regard to the former, the latter needs to be addressed.

I agree with the sentiments of many on this thread: If college football teams from 2014 onward are going to be forced to run HUNH offenses in order to stay competitive, then I will need to find a new sport to enjoy. My appreciation for football stems from the chess match between coaches with personnel, formations, etc., and I actually prefer slow paces of play. In fact, I prefer paces of play slower than we see with teams like Bama and Stanford.

It is not a matter of fairness. I just do not like to watch 85 plays per game, scores of 56-52, with the winner being the last team with possession. That is not the style of game I enjoy. I guess I will find an NFL team to follow if it really does come to this.

Don't go that far!