Another O’Bannon retreat

The NCAA throws in the towel on use of a standard form.

Athletes who signed the release had granted permission for the NCAA or an associated third party, such as a school or conference, to use his or her name or picture to promote NCAA championships or other events without being compensated. The NCAA’s removal of that component from what is known as the Student-Athlete Statement, which includes a series of other releases on disclosure of personal information and eligibility, is yet another indication that the NCAA is trying to distance itself from legal entanglements that have arisen as a result of growing questions about who owns college athletes’ names and likenesses.

NCAA spokesperson Stacey Osburn was not immediately available for comment.

That last sentence tells you all you need to know.  (It probably needs to become a Lexicon entry.)

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“The playoff wasn’t done for the money, it was done for the fans.”

Bill Hancock is so full of shit.

I’ve tried subtlety.

Steve Shaw repeated a message at SEC Media Days that you should keep filed in the back of your mind to avoid some frustration this fall.  He’s got the new targeting protocols gamed out.  It’s up to you to keep up with him.

Now the 15-yard penalty will be wiped out on simply targeting calls if they are overturned but not if roughing the passer is also called.

Shaw said fans need to listen up for an official’s call on the field.

“It’s a subtle part of his announcement,” Shaw said. “If you hear him announce personal foul/roughing the passer with targeting regardless of the review the 15-yard penalty (will be assessed).”

Actually, that’s a message for the replay official. We’ll be just along for the ride. If an official on the field thinks something smells like targeting and makes a dual-penalty call like that, he’s making sure that a 15-yard hit is coming, regardless of what the replay might indicate.  Call it making the crime fit the penalty, if you’d like.  But I doubt we’ll be calling it subtle.

The mystery of Nick and Lane

So, I found myself watching a good bit of ESPN coverage of SEC Media Days – Jeebus, are we in for a long year on that front – and listened to a debate between Kanell and Palmer about Lane Kiffin’s future at Alabama.  (Hint:  both think Junior won’t have his bags unpacked in Tuscaloosa all that long.)

All of which made me wonder what Nick Saban was thinking when he hired Kiffin in the first place. I understand why the Laner jumped at the opportunity to burnish his credentials, plus perhaps add “finally, team player” to his resume. But what does the practical Saban get out of the arrangement?  Alabama’s got all the promotional attention it needs.  As Spurrier reminded us this week, Saban recruits like a sumbitch and hardly needs any help on that front. Is Kiffin really the offensive genius he wants us all to believe he is?  Nothing in his history at USC suggests that’s really the case; much of his reputation was the result of having phenomenal talent at his disposal as a coordinator.  Certainly his last two years as head coach presiding over a shrinking talent base don’t indicate that.

So if the man is gone in a year or two, following his ambitions, what will Saban have gained?  No snark intended here. Saban is as sharp as they come, so there must be something he sees.  I just don’t get what that might be.

 

Sense of humor

Mark Richt had some notable comments at SEC Media Days – more on that later – but it was something he said before he took off for Hoover that really caught my eye.

As for the productivity of the defense, Richt added a little humor to the night.

“I think, statistically, it will be very easy to do better than we did last year,” he said as the crowd laughed in appreciation of his ability to bring positive light to the team’s subpar 2013 defensive effort.

In the space of a few months, Richt has managed to go from solemnly assuring everyone that Grantham deserved the chance to return to engaging in a touch of mockery over the mess Grantham left.  For Richt, that’s a helluva conversion. Somebody sounds like he’s growing ever more confident in his decision to hire Jeremy Pruitt.

Let’s hope we enjoy the quip as much after this season.

Back in the saddle again

Banged up, but back home.

I really appreciated your best wishes, both in the comments and emails I received.  Group hug, everyone.

I was able to follow stuff during the week, so football posts will follow.