The Cool Chicken

I don't get fan mail, I get hate mail. Usually I ignore it, but this one from what I am can only assume is an LSU fan, is worth looking at.

This guy is very polite and does not hurl insults and I can understand where he is coming from. He is sad that I called out LSU and the officials from the Carolina game. Still, his explanations leave a lot to be desired and since his email was so "unlike other LSU fans" I chose to post it here and respond.

I reviewed your video of the game against LSU, and I do not agree with your assessment of poor sportsmanship and poor officiating.

Lessons 1 (facemask), 5 (Block to the back) and 1-B (tackling/facemask) were clear fouls.
But the refs threw the penalty flags, all resulting in first downs and yardage gains for USC.
Soooo…… What’s the problem?
Penalties happen to all teams.

This is true; penalties do happen to all teams. However, the issue is not whether or not the flag was thrown; it is the aggravated nature of the penalty itself. Both face masks were more than unintentional. The first face mask was especially disconcerting because after the LSU player grabbed the face mask, he left his feet and put all of his weight in to pulling down on the face mask. It looked like a guy swinging on a trapeze. The second face mask was equally bad because the guy ripped the helmet off and then celebrated along with a couple of other LSU players.

Blocks in the back:
One block in the back happens a lot, 4? On one play? Not often!

I find it amusing that just because the penalties resulted in a first down, you feel it is a fair trade. This is not about first downs and winning or losing. It is about protecting the players. You should understand that after LSU freaked out about the chop block against Dorsey.

Less 2 – Sportsmanship.
I was unclear what you were after on this one at first.
Surely, you understand a bit of celebration after a goal-line stop?
Then I saw the push to the head in slow motion. To be honest, I can’t be sure if that was intentional or not. But it sure doesn’t look that bad in real-time. Slow motion can be deceiving.

You can't be sure if it was intentional? The LSU player looked Cory Boyd in the face and then pushed his helmet to the ground. Celebration after a goal line stop is one thing, pushing a guy to the ground as he is trying to get up is another. Slow motion is not deceiving, it is the exact opposite, it is revealing. That is why they use it to help determine replays on challenged calls.

Lesson 3 –Acting.
If a receiving team signals fair catch on a punt, it is the duty of the kicking team to give the player clear access to catch the ball.
It isn’t as if the LSU player ran into the USC player.
Although he did wave his arms in a somewhat wide swath, he is within his rights to do that.
The USC player was too close, and the flag was appropriate.
I could just as easily see someone making a video showing the USC players do not give opponents a clear field in which to catch the ball when a fair catch is signaled.

Again, my complaint here is that the LSU player reached out and touched the Carolina player. The Carolina player did not run in to the LSU returner.

Lesson 4 – 12th man
Looks like a fumble that was then recovered by LSU?
If there is a problem here, your video does not clearly demonstrate the questionable call by the officials.

This one is about common sense. Unfortunately, the game video did not show the rest of the play. However, look at the ball, the LSU players and the Carolina players. The LSU player (running back) credited with recovering the fumble would have had to dislocate his arm to get to the ball. There were no other LSU players around. Only garnet.

Lesson 6 – Injuries.
This did not look flagrant to me, unless you effectively freeze the frame with ultra-slow motion.
I believe the injury actually happened earlier in the play. The blow at the end was not severe.

Are you kidding? The guy was 5 yards away from the play when it was ruled dead. The gained momentum and speared Captain in the head. How is that not flagrant? This one is one that (up until this point) even LSU fans refuse to argue about.

Lesson 7 – Fans rock.
Well, there was a prankster on a college campus.
What a hell of a surprise.
Look, in your video, you went not just for the football team, but the SEC officials.
As Pink Floyd said “Leave them kids alone”.

That was meant to be funny, but as I have said before, I can't show it, if it doesn't happen.

Lesson 8A – In refs we trust
Looked like a good spot to me – freeze that frame when his knee hits the ground.
The ref did not move the ball with the other officials standing over his shoulder!
I think you are in LaLa land on this one.

You would think that! I mean how do you get away with moving the ball on such an important play? I don't know but the video clearly shows the ref making the other ref move his hand off of the ball and then he moves the ball backwards. It is clear as day.

Lesson 9 No harm, no foul.
See Lesson 7.

See my response.

Lesson 10
I don’t see interference here. Sorry, but I don’t.

No apology needed. You are not the one who committed the interference.

I am please that USC is such a good team this year, adding to the depth of the SEC.
But let’s play some football, not slam the reputation of our conference opponents at every turn.

I am glad as well. I would never have made the video if LSU had not played dirty. Why is that you take me to task for point it out and not the ones who actually committed the infractions?