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.

35 Comments

Filed under SEC Football

35 responses to “I’ve tried subtlety.

  1. AusDawg85

    This should be interesting when Penn Wagers calls Wilson for targeting/roughing the passer when he hits a WR across the middle again. Note Shaw didn’t say it had to be a QB hit.

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  2. I’ve said from the day of this announcement, that’s exactly what the officials are going to do. There will be no targeting calls unless there’s something else to go along with it. We will hear at some time this year, “Personal foul – unnecessary roughness, #XX, defense, 15 yards and automatic 1st down. Personal foul – targeting, #XX has been ejected. The previous play is under further review.” This call wouldn’t have changed one thing about the Ramik Wilson play last year.

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  3. This time last year I called the ‘penalty-anyway’ clause of the rule “insane”, which it was. And predicted that it would cost somebody a game, and it would probably be Georgia.

    I rarely do predictions of any kind, but this was an easy call because of the insanity, and since Georgia almost always ends up getting screwed, whether by rules, officials, the system, or the League.

    Steve Shaw had a great opportunity the other day to offer the League’s remorse about the outcome of the call against Ramik. Neither he nor the League made the rule, but there was no other instance where it cost a SEC Team a game. It would have felt very good, and created a lot of good will.

    But either the remorse isn’t there, or Shaw just missed the opportunity. I hope this rule doesn’t screw anybody too bad. If we keep our eyes up and stay in the “target zone” of the QB, above the knees and below the chin, we might be OK.

    I don’t mind a REAL penalty. But knowing how it is, it’s the ones that aren’t real that scare me.
    ~~~

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    • Hank

      If one plans something, waits for an opportunity, and has the plan carried out remorse rarely enters the mind. Even if the plan is acted out in a fabricated manner.

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    • I felt the EXACTLY the same way you did at this time last year Ivey, and sure enough they changed one component of it after costing us a game. Whatever. Just screw you SEC officiating.

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      • I wish we’d have spent some that technology money – designated to increase the volume and capacity of the painful, ear-throbbing, mind-numbing music (junk noise) – on some high-speed HD cameras, about 8 of them, to cover close-up the action on the field.

        In other words, all the angles and great close-up shots necessary to use as a defensive measure against the officiating bias we’ve been experiencing for some time now. Higher quality evidence as close-up, HD proof that is conclusive, where we can hold the officials feet to the fire.

        At some point, it seems to me, we have to start fighting back. Otherwise, they’re just going to keep doing it to us.

        We don’t have anything to lose, certainly not favor or the benefit of the doubt in the way the League treats us (and I DO remember the day when we did have the benefit, if not the favor of, the SEC office.
        ~~~

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        • Ivey, I agree with you. I wonder if McGarity knows he has one hammer to deal with this: Leave the conference over bias. I guarantee the ACC would roll out a Bulldog red carpet if we expressed interest. UGA dominates the largest media market in the Southeast. If Morehead and McGarity went over to Birmingham to meet with $live and $haw with a video and then said if we’re back here next year on this topic, it’s with a decision to exit the SEC with the Atlanta TV market in tow, I wonder if the SEC would decide to revisit the “Playing While Georgia” penalties.

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          • Leaving the SEC is not an option, IMO. Georgia Tech made that mistake in 1966 and look what it cost them. Tech had about the same clout back then that we have now.

            But there are plenty of other things we could do. My imagination runneth over. The League does not want to be embarrassed, especially not now.
            ~~~

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            • Mayor

              The Dawgs don’t actually have to leave. McGarity and Morehead just had to threaten to leave and Slime would fall in line. Atlanta is the biggest media market in the SEC. Slime can’t take the chance that Georgia would leave. Plus, it’s not like what we want is unreasonable–just get rid of the biased reffing.

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              • Dog in Fla

                “threaten to leave and Slime would fall in line.”

                There is no way that won’t work!

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              • That’s exactly what I mean, Mayor. A threat from UGA (along with UF) to leave the SEC would bring $live and his bunch into line. I agree that all we ask for is unbiased officiating. The flag on Richt last year at Auburn changed everything for me. We should have had the ball and the momentum. Instead, Auburn retains the ball and gets 15 yards gift-wrapped to them.

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            • What’s different is Tech decided to go independent, which was a huge mistake. I’m saying the ACC would be turning cartwheels to get UGA and our share of the Atlanta market for its TV package.

              The bottom line is that we all should be sick and tired of the preferential treatment Auburn and Alabama receive from the suits in Birmingham and $teve $haw and his lackeys in SEC officiating.

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    • MinnesotaDawg

      Yes. Exactly my feelings about the way this has/will play out.

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    • Dog in Fla

      “This time last year I called the ‘penalty-anyway’ clause of the rule “insane”, which it was.”

      This time last year I called wasting away again in Margaritaville insane, which it was, so I’m doing it again this year

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  4. Derek

    I know that they don’t deserve a benefit of the doubt for any real time decision making but it sounds like the intent is that if the qb is hit late AND in the head (him thinks) he calls both. Should it not turn out to be targeting the roughing stands because the hit was late, but otherwise legal. Now we’ll probably see a qb with the ball in his hand get hit, they’ll call both just because you know …. stupid, and then the targeting gets overturned leaving a late hit call on a guy who had the ball in his hands.

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  5. 80dawg

    “Un-necessary roughness” is a BS call that has no place in football. It’s football by gosh. Roughing the passer, late hit on a defenseless player, and spearing with the helmet are reasonable penalties. Go watch some lingerie ball and you will see some hitting that may need more personal safety concerns (particularly with the limited pads & hockey style helmets).

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  6. South FL Dawg

    Er….what? What if they don’t call roughing the passer but the review shows it was? Did anybody explain why they would review a play but not use that to fix a mistake? Any rule geeks present?

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  7. David K

    And this applies to Georgia QB’s how? It seems like all of these rules to protect quarterbacks don’t apply to us anyways. Georgia seems to have to operate under the 1970’s roughing rules. How many times was Murray blasted late (Auburn) or driven into the ground (again, Auburn) in his career. I don’t recall many flags flying the past few years on our behalf. Now, a Dawg D-Lineman with his hands in the air to try to bat a pass and somehow manages to lightly brush the QB’s helmet… that’s another story.

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  8. I Wanna Red Cup

    Did you also notice that OBs in the pocket can no longer be hit below the knee. Is this the “Farley rule?” I think Shaw should just admit that every year he watches all the screw jobs done to UGA and then modifies the rule but fails to mention the screw job.

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    • Is this the “Farley rule”?

      That’s what I think. Just another in a long line. This follows the ‘Boss Bailey Rule’, the ‘Richt Rule’ (to slow down pace, and at least a half-dozen others since then that are a direct reaction to Georgia.

      Always, of course, we’re either the victim or are otherwise on the short end of the stick.
      ~~~

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  9. Moe Pritchett

    Who’s on first, What’s on second….

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  10. Hogbody Spradlin

    Does the word ‘dishonest’ come to mind.

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  11. Bulldog Joe

    Shaw did not mention the grandfather clause in the SEC targeting rule.

    “Quarterbacks on an SEC roster prior to January 1, 2011 are exempt.”

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  12. 69Dawg

    Steve Shaw has completed his conversion from a decent referee to a complete company man. Refereeing in the SEC is now just about covering your ass. The video review guy will never overturn a call by the referee. He will overturn calls by the other officials but never the crew chief. Georgia has been and will be screwed by Penn Wagers, Marc Curle and all the former crew members of those two incompetent referees. The fact that the SEC feels it must discipline the officials in secret just means that they will not discipline them at all. The worst part is the way the officials no call a lot on teams that are in national contention but screw the rest of us. If you really think Alabama doesn’t hold or Auburn does not hit late there is a bridge in Brooklyn I can offer you for a reasonable price.

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  13. I guess I’m confused.

    How many times were QB’s hit while the officials called targeting on a defensive player hitting a WR on the same play? I’m just trying to figure out if this is as big of deal as we might think it is. Targeting and roughing the passer aren’t mutually inclusive.

    Or are we talking about targeting the QB??

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    • He was using roughing the passer as the example in the press conference. I predict there will always be two flags thrown to protect the 15-yard penalty when targeting is called unless it’s so blatant that the official knows it will stand up to review. This could be a personal foul for “unnecessary roughness,” roughing the passer, or defensive pass interference. The only major penalty I can see targeting not being called on is a defensive face mask.

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  14. Spike

    After the hit Murray got in the SECCG and at the end of the Auburn game last year and no flags were thrown..I’ve concluded they are all full of $%#@!

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