WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON OUT THERE?
Mixing plays is a Guideline, not a rule, and players, especially new players mostly, look to that as what it is, a guideline, not enforceable. I tried to get this moved to a rule recently without luck. As a rule, it can be enforceable. If there are complaints made, then those abusers should be confronted. If there are multiple complaints filed against one player, then strikes should be handed out. Three strikes and you are out.
Also, the league needs to get back our 10-man staff/rules committee. Through attrition and whatever, the league is down to only 4 or 5, excluding admin. Better “league policing” was done with a full staff.
Now, having said that, have we gotten to the point of taking a few players who didn’t maybe call the right defense at a time when they might expect pass to defend the so-called corner route? Now don’t get your shorts in a wad and take that personally. You guys know how I play so you know I can’t defend crapola.
But are we going to restrict a good majority of some players’ playbooks (remember, any TE, WR, or RB, that end up running toward the corner) to a “number” because somebody might have a team with lousy DBs like me and can’t defend the corner route even if they call the right defense?
Now, are we going to restrict some drags that end up going toward the corner, slants that go toward the corner, RBs out of the backfield going toward the corner, all WRs that go toward the corner, all TE patterns that go toward the corner?
And, WOW, all of that above does not even take into account all the option routes where the receiver could CHOOSE to run a corner route himself. So if you are at your limit of corner routes, then those plays you will probably not want to run because you would be in violation of the rule.
Better check your playbooks, guys, because a lot of your pass plays will come under this restriction according to the way the so-called corner route is defined, and all because a few raised the stink and kept stirring it until we now get to this. There is a lot of divisiveness about this that I don’t see how a rule can be justified without losing a good majority of our “loyal” league players as the Commish’s stated.
Keep in mind that the resulting rule will either be one corner route run a set number of times, or a combination of ALL of the “defined” corner routes which equate to that set number of pass plays
So, what is next, a rule for the Out pattern? The Post pattern? A Fade route? The Screen? The Streak? Yeah, let’s restrict the streak route because my DBs always get left in the dust by players like Moss, Owens, Harrison, just to name a few. Why not? If we curtail that big old lumbering TE running a corner route, why can’t we restrict streaks of that high 90s WR?
Personally, using the logic of corner route restriction, the streak should be restricted because my DBs can’t cover those guys. Hey, why don’t we just restrict ALL pass plays to a numbered amount?
Oh, wait, we already have something in place, I believe, a “guideline” that says to mix up plays.
Do we have that “many” players in the league that are abusing the so-called corner route (the slot WR talked about so much) as a few have said? From the posts of different players who have taken part in the three “corner threads,” (17), there doesn’t seem to be many of those that REALLY have issues with the corner route itself, just overly calling the play.
On one poll, nine say “do nothing” and only two say “set a numbered limit of use in a game,” yet in the other poll 12 say “set the limit more than five.”
I would have liked to have seen additional choices of maybe seven or nine just to see what the feeling is.
Do I run a corner route? I can’t remember a time that I have ever lined up in Trips and thrown to a WR in the slot running a corner route. I may have to now that a couple of you have told me about it, but it won’t work for me, lol. Yes, I have run corner routes, but mostly with a TE, but if your DBs, even the slowest, can’t defend slow-footed Dilger, then you have a problem.
Oh, and let’s not forget another way we can stop the corner route abuse: We bring back the D-line spread shift so we can “make sure the QB can’t roll out, and it will keep him in the pocket.” Why don’t we just make a freaking rule that restricts the QB from bootlegging or rolling-out? LOL.
Madden made the D much, much better this time, in fact, too much better. Now, we want to make a rule where we have to count, yes, count how many times we run a so-called corner route and further dilute the O effectiveness. And, yes, if you run one above the limit and win, you can bet your ass that you will be complained about. If you reverse that scenario but you lose, the winner is not going to complain.
And oh my God forbid that a player calls two corner routes back to back, even though he calls it to the opposite side of the field, possibly to a different player from any location, or uses a player option where the player in the game decides he’s going to the corner. Is that abuse? It’s all in the eye of the beholder.
I know that there is a little cynicism in some of what I write, but I, too, as well as many of you, have this league at heart and have worked so hard to see that we retain a solid “loyal” core in the SAPML, a league that stands alone and can voice opinions without fear of rectal-torical verbiage from others. From what I read between the lines in the three threads and polls may be saying that we must tread slow on restricting plays if they are not glitches in the software, and especially if those same plays can be countered with a simple playbook defense.
Every time someone says, “I can’t cover that play,” are we going to make a rule that restricts its use? Do I think that something should be done? Yes, but not about the corner route, but enforcement of the Rules and Guides, and Guides should be made part of the rules also.
Maybe one day we will wake up and find that the reason for all this fuss is, “possible operator negligence,” LOL!
I reserve the right to edit this post as to spelling, changing my mind, etc, etc.