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Gus fired up about new headset rule


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Fired up: Gus Malzahn calls 20-headset rule 'a joke'

Brandon Marcello 

Gus Malzahn is not a fan of the NCAA stepping in and limiting the amount of headsets teams can utilize on game days.

In fact, he's as heated about the new rule as he was about the possibility of limiting the effectiveness of hurry-up offenses when pace-of-play was an issue discussed nationally early in his tenure at Auburn.

"The 20-headset rule is a joke," Malzahn told reporters at the SEC spring meetings in Sandestin, Florida. "There's no doubt about it. That's got the ability to hurt our game. That's a really big deal."

 

The NCAA voted to limit the number of headsets on game days to 20, which will allow only 15 coaches and four players access to headsets. Malzahn believes the rule was initiated because of the sudden urge to limit staff sizes, which some believe have gotten out of hand, especially in the SEC, where dozens of analysts on support staffs have become all the rage.

"Any rule put in place because of something else is not good, so that's something we're going have to deal with — the quality of the game, coaching," Malzahn said. "That's what I'm concerned about."

The sixth-year Auburn coach said the headset limitations will affect the way he coaches and could affect teams signaling plays from the sidelines. Auburn utilizes a card-based and hand-signal system to communicate plays to the quarterback, which requires constant communication between the coaches, players, graduate assistants and the play-signalers throughout the game.

"I don't care if you have 50 off-the-field guys or two off-the-field guys," Malzahn said. "Most teams in college football are going to have off-the-field guys on headsets, at least charting (plays) or doing something like that. Then you talk about the signaling aspect, there are a lot of teams nowadays that are signaling from the sideline. It affects the game."

 

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Four graduate assistants will be allowed to wear headsets during the game. Auburn typically places offensive coordinator Chip Lindsey and defensive coordinator Kevin Steele in the press box on game days, leading to more need for headsets for personnel on the sideline to help communicate plays to assistants and players. Several players wear headsets to help with communication on the sideline, especially on offense.

Malzahn said he wasn't sure how many headsets the Tigers utilize on game days, but said "we had a lot."

The veteran SEC coach also took a shot at the NCAA rule makers.

"We've got a lot of people that are not football coaches making decisions for football," he said. "I think if we had more football coaches involved in the decision making, it would be better for our game."

The NCAA allowed the expansion of on-the-field staffs to 10 in January, which led to Auburn hiring Marcus Woodson away from Memphis to help coach defensive backs.

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17 minutes ago, corchjay said:

What's the basis of the rule?  

Saban & Malzahn both believe this is NCAA's way of trying to restrict number of coaches & assistants on a staff.

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Quote

"In the past, staff members could listen to play calls on headsets and chart plays accordingly. That information would then be relayed to coaches at halftime."

ESPN link

That's ludicrous. Everyone knows Malzahn doesn't make halftime adjustments.

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I don’t concern myself very much with rules as long as they are applied equally.  If it’s a disadvantage for one team obviously it’s a disadvantage for the other.  So doesn’t really matter to me.  

As many media timeouts that there are in SEC games if you can’t communicate what you need to communicate to coaches or players that’s on you as a coach.

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I mean I didn’t know that many people needed headsets in the first place. I would think that would cause more mass confusion.

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Make the negative a positive.  Become the best communicating staff in the country without head sets.  Should be capable of doing so, our staff is one of the highest paid staffs in the country 

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Start using flash cards from the field up to the booth!! ? ? ? 

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25 minutes ago, aucanucktiger said:

Article says 20 headsets will be allowed for 15 coaches & 4 players. Who can have the last headset?

 

The writer is Brandon Marcello, so we can't expect accuracy in math or other areas.

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They still make megaphones don't they?

I really hope this isn't THAT big a deal to Gus.

Like @corchjay said; the same rule applies to all so there's no advantage/disadvantage either way.

As for Saban's opinion?  They'll just blantantly use 52 of them anyway, Yahoo sports will run an expose with photos and proof, players will post photos on Twitter, the local Red Elephant electronics store will run ads online and in print showing delivery of 52 boxes to BDS, ESPN will run one quick little story as a footnote and the NCAA will be crickets.

NOTE: However, in 2019 Ole Miss will accidentally leave a broken headset in the booth before a game, a bammer spy will see it, alert Emmert directly that UM has 21 sets and the Ackbars will get the Death Penalty.

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I know a person that was an "equipment manager" while in school who wore a headset. He was one of a few that signaled plays to the players (there were roles of each...some real, some decoy).  Its that kind of thing that will be restricted.

Now coaches will have to do that (a distraction from watching and coaching their players) or players will have to do it (one more thing to distract them in the limited time coaches have with them). 

Kinda like having the pilots also serve food and drinks...possible...but is a distraction from what may be more important.

Oh, and woe be to the one that screws up a signal...causing a burned timeout or worse...a busted play.

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11 minutes ago, ClarkGriswold said:

I know a person that was an "equipment manager" while in school who wore a headset. He was one of a few that signaled plays to the players (there were roles of each...some real, some decoy).  Its that kind of thing that will be restricted.

Now coaches will have to do that (a distraction from watching and coaching their players) or players will have to do it (one more thing to distract them in the limited time coaches have with them). 

Kinda like having the pilots also serve food and drinks...possible...but is a distraction from what may be more important.

Oh, and woe be to the one that screws up a signal...causing a burned timeout or worse...a busted play.

20 headsets should be more than enough for that. I don’t know why the equipment manager would need a headset anyhow . That is just too much. 

Not really following the pilot analogy either, but I digress. Pilot’s job is to fly the plane, just like the coaches job isn’t to strategize and game plan. Equipment managers shouldn’t be doing those things tbh just like a wouldn’t expect a stewardess to be acting like a pilot. 

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TBH, in a fast-paced game where signals and flashcards are used, I'd have to think the use of headsets for rapid communication from the booth to the sideline and to the field of play would require a large contingent of people and they need headsets to communicate with each other. 

The offense communication is one thing, then you have to add defense, special teams into the mix as well.  I'd guess the number of headsets used just in the box exceed 20 when both the OC/DC are in the box coaching.  Like CGM said, limiting the number to 20 is "ridiculous" and like  CNS said, "who is driving these decisions?"

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31 minutes ago, DAG said:

20 headsets should be more than enough for that. I don’t know why the equipment manager would need a headset anyhow . That is just too much. 

Not really following the pilot analogy either, but I digress. Pilot’s job is to fly the plane, just like the coaches job isn’t to strategize and game plan. Equipment managers shouldn’t be doing those things tbh just like a wouldn’t expect a stewardess to be acting like a pilot. 

Fine, that's your opinion and you are entitled to it, although it has no impact in reality. I was just telling how it has been done at Auburn under Gus' tenure.

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4 minutes ago, ClarkGriswold said:

Fine, that's your opinion and you are entitled to it, although it has no impact in reality. I was just telling how it has been done at Auburn under Gus' tenure.

Well, the reality is the NCAA has said there is a max of 20 headsets to be used. Lucky for Gus the equipment manager can use one of the five available that doesn’t go to the coaches. Otherwise he needs to buck up.

To me it sounds like the equipment manager may in actuality be a coach or someone with analytical skills hired under that role and that is exactly why I believe indirectly the NCAA has put this in place. For big budget schools to stop having an advantage in doing things like that.

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All I know is the staff better start working on this the minute CGM gets back home - there will be a learning curve at the very core of operations.  The last thing I want to see is poor communication in the opener vs Washington, a burned time out or delay of game penalty.

 

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11 minutes ago, keesler said:

All I know is the staff better start working on this the minute CGM gets back home - there will be a learning curve at the very core of operations.  The last thing I want to see is poor communication in the opener vs Washington, a burned time out or delay of game penalty.

Actually terrifying to think about Gus overreacting to this and coming up with some ridiculous scheme to compensate. 

Image result for chandler cox whirlybird gif

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Just now, McLoofus said:

Actually terrifying to think about Gus overreacting to this and coming up with some ridiculous scheme to compensate. 

Image result for chandler cox whirlybird gif

To me what’s scary is the fact that he has clearly had a bunch of people doing analytics and charting throughout the game, assumingly to pick up tendencies , adjust on the fly and call the most efficient play. However , we have been helter skelter in that department , so clearly that needs to be revisited and maybe this will help with that. Possibly there is too much communication going on.

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44 minutes ago, DAG said:

Well, the reality is the NCAA has said there is a max of 20 headsets to be used. Lucky for Gus the equipment manager can use one of the five available that doesn’t go to the coaches. Otherwise he needs to buck up.

To me it sounds like the equipment manager may in actuality be a coach or someone with analytical skills hired under that role and that is exactly why I believe indirectly the NCAA has put this in place. For big budget schools to stop having an advantage in doing things like that.

So NOW we know what Al Borges' title was last year.

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12 hours ago, toddc said:

Start using flash cards from the field up to the booth!! ? ? ? 

Even I and my junior-high classmates had the "stuff" to learn sufficient American Sign to converse in class.

Any limits on binoculars?

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27 minutes ago, McLoofus said:

Actually terrifying to think about Gus overreacting to this and coming up with some ridiculous scheme to compensate. 

Image result for chandler cox whirlybird gif

So.... Knowing this, maybe the dearth of headsets will turn into a GOOD thing.

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