Mike Leach is not a fan of a big offseason college football rule change.
"The panel approved a new rule relevant to blind-side blocking techniques," the NCAA Playing Rules Oversight Panel announced in April. "Players will not be allowed to deliver a blind-side block by attacking an opponent with forcible contact. It will be a personal foul with a 15-yard penalty. If the block also includes the elements of targeting, it will be a blind-side block with targeting."
If targeting is called, as part of a separate new rule, instant-replay officials will review the play to "confirm the targeting foul when all elements of targeting are present." If any piece of the targeting foul can't be confirmed with the review, the official is instructed to overturn the foul. There is no longer an option to let the call "stand" after a review.
"We did not dictate a technique that had to be used, it just can’t be attacking with forcible contact,” NCAA secretary-rules editor and SEC and Sun Belt coordinator of officials Steve Shaw said. “That allows a coach, if he wants to teach a block with extended hands, if he wants to teach a screen block — special team coaches have all kinds of name for screen blocks — that will give the coaches a lot of flexibility but it will eliminate this blow-up-type play with blind-side blocks.”
Mike Leach sees some problems.
"I’m not a big fan," the eighth-year Cougars' coach said on a conference call this week, "because there’s a point where a receiver — you don’t know where a ball-carrier’s going to go and then you’re downfield and then a guy immediately changes direction, a defender immediately changes direction.
"Then if he reacts, in order to block it and with our head in front in stuff and not blocking a guy from behind, I’ve always felt like that pretty well covers it and so I think we’re kind of beating a dead horse on it. Then also I’m not terribly excited about guys going out there and referees trying to somehow limit someone’s blind-side. I think our rules in place were already plenty satisfactory."
Last month on the High Motor podcast, Leach expressed frustration with "committees upon committees upon committees" making too many rules, many of which, he says, aren't good for college football.
