Jeff Monken is a little defensive about all the cut blocking talk.
Several of Georgia’s defenders spent the week leading up to the game complaining about GSU’s style of blocking, and what appeared to be a legal play took the Eagles out of a first-and-goal situation.
“On that play, (UGA nose tackle) John (Jenkins) came towards me and I scooped him, just like it’s legal in the rule book,” McBurnett said. “I haven’t seen the play or anything, but if the ref called it, you’ve got to live with it.”
Monken said it was exactly like a play he reviewed with the officials before the game, on video taken from Georgia Tech’s game against Georgia in 2011. He said the refs agreed that the play they reviewed on tape was legal.
Monken was surprised how much attention was paid by the media to GSU’s blocking during the days leading up to the contest.
“I’ve never heard so much talk about blocking below the waist, and cut blocks, and oh my God,” Monken said. “We coach our guys to play legally. Blocking below the waist is legal. I don’t think it’s any more dangerous than tackling below the waist. In fact, tackling below the waist might be more dangerous.”
Yes, yes, yes, cut blocking is legal, as we’ve been told time and time again. But allow me to have the nerve to suggest that any technique that motivates a coach to educate the officials on just where the edge of the envelope lies is probably a technique that isn’t in college football’s best interest to allow. It’s really something the NCAA needs to take a hard look at if player safety concerns aren’t just a bunch of talk. Because it’s too easy to cross that edge, even if you play with the best of intentions.
Get The Picture 
Moncken might be defensive, but you can bet Paul The Johnson isn’t.
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Yeah. Get ready for a lot of cut blocks from a team whose avowed purpose now is to ruin our season. That implies more than a game loss.
I say go tit for tat. Any ahole who does a cut block becomes an irritant in a game. Notice that I didn’t say “should be targeted”.
Perhaps it won’t come to that since they will be playing FSU for their Div in the ACC after Miami opted out. Then again, they are Tech.
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Yes. Small is how they roll.
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Monken is whiny just like his protege. I hate the triple option and their cut blocks. I just hope we don’t lose any d-lineman like we did last year with D. Tyson against GT.
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I can’t believe, after seeing some of the crap Jenkins put up with Saturday, that a man his size didn’t get hurt. He’s the guy on that line I’m most concerned about against the nerds.
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David, would Moncken be the protege and Johnson the mentor?
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Since we play Tech in Sanford, doesn’t that mean we get ACC officials? That is a little worrisome since they are used to overlooking Tech’s illegal cut blocks.
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I’d be curious to see a breakdown for year over year.. but I actually think having ACC refs would help us. Thought process being that they actually see the spread more than once a year and know what to look for.
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I agree, ACC teams have been complaining for years and the refs in that conference are more experienced in enforcing the rule. I trust them more than SEC refs trained under a nerd’s leadership (Gaston/Redding). I thought the call was on a block against Geathers, not Jenkins. Recall seeing a replay that showed it clearly.
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It was clearly a penalty. One GaSou linemen was going so high it looked like a slo-mo clothesline, and the other went towards his knees.
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Monken said. “We coach our guys to play legally.”
Thanks coach. Good know. At Georgia we coach against holding, illegal procedure, unnecessary roughness, piling on, clipping, crack back blocks, facemask, etc. and because of that it never happens. Right.
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This whole thing smells like Johnson calling in a favor to his former assistant to me in order to get the “UGA whining about cut blocking” meme going again. Everything right down to the tackling below the waist being more dangerous is something Johnson falls back in all the time.
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The replay showed it was a chop block. Geathers was engaged with the center, and the guard blocked him low. Ga Southern can question the timing of the call since it occurred more than just that time, but they can’t say it was a legal block.
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Blocking below the waist needs to be outlawed….period.
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High School rules allow for cut blocks immediately at the snap of the ball only. This should be the rule at all levels of FB.
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I wonder how these coaches would feel if it was their kids or grandkids out there getting chopped?
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