PETE CARROLL'S ENCHANTED GRIDIRON GROTTO

Tuberville’s Press Conference

On Chaz Ramsey’s block on Glenn Dorsey

“I would like to say this about the chop block. It was one of those things that happened. We do not teach it, won’t teach it, won’t tolerate it. One of the things all the coaches in our league have talked about is chop blocks and roughing the quarterbacks. That should have been a 15-yard penalty. Glenn Dorsey is one of the best players I’ve seen. He’s a great football player. Two freshmen were trying like the dickens to block him. There was no malice at all, trying to hurt somebody. It should have been called. There is no place for that in college football. Enough said on that. We’ll go ahead.”

I would say that in the dozens of big games AU has played under CTT, that the benefit of the doubt is in order here. This is the first bad play I’ve seen from the O-line and that I can remember. AU does not teach that, and an examination of past games will back that up.

As for the ref who was looking at it, it was likely not called a penalty because a delay must be seen in order for it to be a penalty.

NCAA Rulebook
Article 3. A chop block is:
a: an obviously delayed block at the thigh or below against an opponent (Except the runner) who is in contact with a teammate of the blocker, as in the act of disengaging from the first blocker or has just disengaged from the first blocker but is still confrongint him. When in question, the contact is at the thigh ior below.

b: A high-low, low-high or low-low combination block by two nonadjacent lineman with or without delay between contacts occurring in the neutral zone.

c: A high-low, low-high, or low-low combination block by any two offensive players with or without delay between contacts when the initial contact clearly occurs beyound the neutral zone (i.e., all involved players are beyond the neutral zone).

So, in reviewing, it was not a chop block by rule, due to the lack of the delay. It was an ugly play, but all the lineman were cutting the D-line in order to open up passing plays. This happens dozens of times in any game by every team.

I’m not sure if there’s some kind of ironic humor to it, but the score of the UF-UK game was 45-37. By the way, Tebow had an RAT above 200 for the game, compared to Woodson’s in the 170’s

That chop block was not intentional and I am tired of hearing about it. Things happen fast in the trenches during a college game especially when you are an 18 year old true freshman (like both of the linemen engaged on Dorsey).

Remember, having the #6 team in the country losing to a school that almost eliminated athletics means the SEC’s deep and ultracompetitive. When an Ohio State loses to a Northwestern, though, it means the Big 11’s mediocre.

Double standards — alive and well in SEC country since… oh, pick a date.

#1

It was fkin garbage is what it was. Ramsey was pissed because he was getting his lunch handed to him by Dorsey all night.

albino, are you retarded?

Albino Tornado—

We’d love to argue with that. Alas, we can’t. Umm…we lose with more zest?

This was missing from Orson’s post….

“East Hartford is rapidly becoming the center of the bad officiating, errrr, college football world. Big East refs blew not one, not two, but THREE key calls in the UConn/Louisville game. We all know about the fair catch fiasco. The refs also missed a Louisville fumble and a punt that apparently hit a Cardinal returner, which would have been UConn ball at the 1. No matter, UConn QB Tyler Lorenzen has no time for that shit, RB Andre Dixon is single-handedly making it okay for white people in CT to say “Shake them dreds” and Coach Edsall, well, I hear people pray to him in Connecticut. UConn is the last unbeaten in the Big East. My Edsall, they’re #1!!!"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ci7VNnod81Y

4

One indicator of the SEC’s superiority is that USCe, probably the 4th or 5th best team in the conference, was ranked #6 in the nation.

And what does this have to do with the post?

NewAZTiger,

Looked delayed enough to me. I also suspect it was intentional, though only the players and coaches know for sure. As to whether or not they teach that, I have no idea. I do know that I don’t trust Tuberville at all.

Albino, Orson: And in the ACC, it’s because no one can play quarterback!

That image of Pete Carroll will haunt me in my nightmares. It’s like if Walt Disney and Buffalo Bill from “Silence of the Lambs” raised a child as their own.

We’d really, really like to believe it was unintentional. Then we watch the video again. Then we go back, pause, and think, “well, it was the heat of the moment, and there’s a lot of flesh flying around…”

And then we watch it again. Tuberville’s right to condemn it, but to suggest that it wasn’t intentional doesn’t pass the eyeball test. That’s coordinated, a judgment we can’t imagine the SEC won’t agree with when on video review today.

Orson, coming off our chat on the radio last night, I posted my totally unrealistic plan for national title at sauriansagacity.com

It wouldn’t be preppy boy — it’d be “you mutha fucking yankee boy, git ur ass outta here before I do it for you you sum bitch.”

Ariel was hot. Thanks for ruining it for me forever.

Hearing LSU fans complain about dirty play in the trenches is like having a Bammer call you delusional.

At the profound risk of sounding like a Notre Dame fan, Glen Mason left some broken teacups of chunky diarrhea in the proverbial talent cupboard. Brewster hasn’t had a ton to work with so far.

Note that because I am not a Notre Dame fan, this excuse will not be heard in 2008, let alone in 2009.

#1

This “cutting of the D-line” by offensive lineman on offensive passing plays was suspiciously absent from the UT-Alabama game. Despite each team rolling up 250+ yards of passing offense, and there only being 1 sack in the entire game, I guess they don’t know how to block properly.

Or, they didn’t know how to take out the opposing team’s best lineman by taking out his knees while he’s being blocked by a teammate, however you want to look at it.

I don’t see BC getting out of Blacksburg, undefeated.

UVa has to be the worst 6-1 team, ever. The manner in which they keep winning is beyond amazing.

Also:

Goddamn you all when do I get to start reading about Arizona State?

20

You can start here:
http://www.everydayshouldbesaturday.com/?p=3656

Coop, the 2005 UCLA Bruins are very interested in your ideas and wonder if you have a newsletter they might receive on a monthly basis.

Coop-
UVa is the worst SEVEN and one team you’ve ever seen. We’ll take it.

Albino-

If somebody here actually makes that argument, then you can counter it. Otherwise, keep your strawman to yourself.

For the average WfVU fan, there is no acceptable outcome from the Thursday Night game. The average WfVU fan is hoping for some sort of industrial accident.

If Tech wins, which they should, everyone will forget that BC is way over-rated and Tech still has no offense.

If BC wins, everyone will think that they really are awesome, and forget that VaTech has no offense.

The over-under on the term “Beamer Ball” is set at 135. With four pictures of the lunch pale since they are playing the teeth-clenched blue-bloods from Chestnut Hill.

Orson,

NDSU moved into 1-AA a few years ago. They’re #1 in the the FCS. That doesn’t excuse the loss, or change the fact that Glen Mason still sucks.

Boston College vs. Virginia in the ACC Championship game? Please bump the move from Jacksoville ahead of schedule.

Oh, Carroll was challenging the spot? Makes sense now.

I thought he was arguing that the receiver picked up his dribble.

Pete Carroll is Number TWO!!!!!!!!!!, Dept.

Cowherd was going on and on this morning about the so-called “Las Vegas Poll”. The poll lists the top college teams by a poll of various Las Vegas sports books. Amazingly, Carroll’s Trojans are ranked number 2, tied with tOSU. Seems a bunch of injured players are coming back. Here are Vegas’ top three:

   1. LSU
   2 (tie). USC-west
   2 (tie). Ohio State

South Florida and Boston College are not respected in the Vegas poll, by the way, which makes a lot of sense.

I just hope there is enough time left in the season to wipe the pretenders off the top of the bs-BCS and other polls.

((Too bad USCeast is gone. Spurrier had the best line this weekend. After the loss, Spurrier said, that he had to go back to basics with his players, since trading them was not possible…funny stuff in bad situation.))

Ummm….definitely a chop block. Center takes a second, sees no one is blitzing or coming near his area, falls directly into the back of dorsey’s knee. pretty blatant. Don’t know if it was taught or blah blah blah…but it looked blatant.

To assume that the chop block was intentional just because you don’t like Ramsey’s coach or team is fucking idiotic. Likewise with assuming that he did it because Dorsey manhandled him earlier in the game.

There is no way that chopblock was unintentional, Lawrence. It doesn’t matter whether or not it was a product of coaching or self-pity.

But it’s true. There are no QBs in the ACC not named Matt Ryan.

for all you panty waist boys who forget this game is about pain and violence…

lemme see…. you have a choice…. 1. catch a pass, and have R. Nelson headed at you at 20 miles an hour and hit you headfirst, 2. have Q Groves come at you while you are trying to throw a pass and nearly decapitate you, or 3. have two 300-lb linemen try to hi-lo you, which may not harm you at all if your feet just slip a little… quick, your choice please

the pain in the knees may last a while, but not remembering what your mother looks like can last a lifetime

so get the hem of your slip back outta yer panties ladies

It was a chop block. It was done by an 18 year old, as #3 pointed out. The appearances do look intentional. Did you ever do anything stupid when you were 18? As much as I hate to give the guy credit, CTT at least stepped up to say he was sorry. Probably to minimize any SEC action.

As for North Dakota State, their coach, Craig Bohl, just so happens to be an alum of Nebraska: he was born in Lincoln, played for Tom Osborne, and coached there from 95 – ’02. (CFN) Can you say promotion upcoming?

You people act like you’ve never seen a chop block before. It happens all the time (intentional or not). Even if it was intentional, there is no way in hell they were trying to hurt him. I’m sure ramsey (who plays guard by the way, not center) did not mean to hit Dorsey on the side of the knee like that. Do you LSU fans remember your DL that fucking karate chopped Andre Woodson in the head last week? Should he be suspended? It’s a violent game and shit happens in the heat of battle. Do you really think that an Auburn coach said, “go out there, hit him in the side of the knee and break his leg?”

Coop – as now_a_hoo said to me on Saturday night, one is enough. For what its worth, the entirety of ’Hoodom is perplexed. An Al Groh team? 7-1? Are you sure?

Orson, not making any claims as to the intentional/not intentional nature of the chop, have you seen or read something that suggests Nall ordered it? Or assuming (fairly, if you’re convinced it’s intentional) that it’s the o-line coach’s call? Not arguing, just wondering if I missed something on soem sideline shot that might indicate that.

SKLM:
USCe just doesn’t have an offensive line that can play worth a shit from week to week, and that’s what’s keeping them from contending on a national level. That and a home loss to Vandy.

NewAz,

Nice try at propping up a despicable act. Chopping has been a staple of Hugh Nall offenses. Saying that “AU doesn’t teach that” is bullshit since you guys are known for this type of play amongst the SEC coaching fraternity. The technique is used frequently by Dunlap and Pugh (go back and review some of your own game film). I guess that Ramsey and Ziemba are now in on the act. Auburn’s been called for it plenty of times, and that;‘s just when the ref’s catch it.

Yes, the “cut” is legal. Even so there are a hell of a lot of coaches that refuse to use it. Tubby and Nall aren’t in that group.

At Auburn, you are graded on how many “crabs” you achieve as an offensive lineman. That’s when a defensive lineman is scrambling on all fours because the offensive lineman across from you lunges at your knees with his shoulder pad.

I’ve also heard a lot of your ilk claim that it was a “freshman mistake”. More bullshit. They teach you that this is dirty football from pee-wee through high school.

I’ve seen Ramsey’s Dad on the internet claiming that his son is not a “dirty player”. Well, guess what pops, dirty plays equal dirty player. Not only did he chop Dorsey, he then rolled under to complete the maiming. Disgusting.

This kid needs to be benched for a while, and Tubs and Nall should publicly announce that they are going to discontinue this practice.

Orson, not making any claims as to the intentional/not intentional nature of the chop, have you seen or read something that suggests Nall ordered it? Or assuming (fairly, if you’re convinced it’s intentional) that it’s the o-line coach’s call? Not arguing, just wondering if I missed something on some sideline shot that might indicate that.

36 – Smoke & f’in mirrors. UConn outplayed them. Maryland outplayed them. But UVA won. You can’t quibble with results…I just have no earthly idea how they’re doing it. That last drive against Maryland was just oh so bizarre.

The reason the ref didn’t call it has to do with the reads the lineman make during a zone blocking scheme, which AU employs.

Ziemba, the right tackle, is to read outside rushers first, and if there are none, then engage the man in front of him. Ramsey, the Guard, is to read for other blitzers, then go to the outside man. At normal speed, this is exactly what happened, so it didn’t pass the delay test for the rule.

I don’t have Youtube at work, but if I recall correctly, the left side of the line also did some cut blocks. And there were lots of cut blocks from both sides during that game.

It was a cut block that went bad. It happens in football. Cut blocks are part of offensive line blocking, and defensive linemen get hi-lowed all the time. Hell, all linemen get hi-lowed all the time. It’s why they call it the trenches.

Similarly, helmet to helmet collisions are a part of football. It happens, because the head is on the front of a running tackler. There are penalties for it, but it is to protect both the tackler and the runner, but it still happens. Such is football.

Kevin Everett had a helmet to helmet that would normally be a 15 yard penalty and a post-game fine from the NFL. He can’t walk now, but to insinuate he did that to play dirty is an analogous situation to this play. Shit happens, and it looks worse in slow-mo.

We assume Nall because he’s in charge of the o-line and techniques employed. He’s accountable for this at the position level; Tuberville’s accountable at the public level.

In all fairness, Tuberville at least apologized for it. But we can’t believe a sideways roll into the knee like that isn’t intentional, especially when it comes directly at the most dangerous player on the d-line.

@ #16

i don’t get it.

Preppie boy can fight…..and whips VT.

He also gets better grades….

Tuberville doesn’t teach it. They learned to chop-block from Rev. Chette.

Barners, that was dirty as hell. Own it.

Bammers & Barners,

You must JACK THIS THREAD!!!!

And the behaviour of the AU fans, the moral equivalencies, the shifting of issues, the excuses, is EXACTY what I expect from them.

#42, it’s not as though there are a hundred folks on the line. Assuming it was unintentional, they had a 1 in 5 shot of it being Dorsey.

Just like 40% of sick days are taken on Mondays and Fridays. It seems bad until you consider the numbers, which hit you like a duh-train.

Orson,

Dorsey had a pulled hammy. His replacement played better than he did.

Re: #4

It’s amusing to see people making wild generalizations about entire conferences in one of the most upside-down seasons in my limited memory.

I’m guessing there will be blood in Blacksburg on Thursday, and it won’t be the natives. They are looking for new forms of entertainment in those hills, now that the local canine sport has been shut down. Torturing Yanks seems as good as any substitute.

Er, 1 in 4 chance of it being Dorsey. D-line, not O-line.

Arguing about a delay or not is bullshit. This is like the Supreme Court definition of porn – I know it when I see it. That’s a chop block, and it was dirty.

It’s funny that Tuberville acknowledges it was a chop block and should have drawn a 15-yard flag, but the Barners themselves don’t. He must not have gotten the talking points memo.

@Edsall is God:

UVa outgained the Twerps by 200, which ends up being almost 100% more offense. In what sense did they get outplayed?
In the sense that you’ve got sour grapes that they beat your Unstoppable Juggernaut UConn Connecticutt Huskies of UConn Who Suck?

While I’m being irritating and unfair, E. Okafor’s overrated.

54

Either that or he sent out the “should’ve been a penalty” memo, but the rank and file Barners just can’t read.

How has this thread not been jacked yet?

@ RIP Logan Young

What Auburn fan doesn’t acknowledge the chop block? Please point to someone on this thread who said it wasn’t a chop block. The question is the player’s intent. You obviously can’t read and comprehend, but that’s not surprising.

#57

I refer you to…let’s see…post #1, perhaps?

Or #41, calling it a “cut block that went bad”?

Hey now…it’s not fair to say that Michigan was losing to lower competition first when UCLA has been doing it for years! Apologize now, or Karl Dorrell threatens to coach your football team.

57

Now come back with something about:
(a) Bear Bryant being dead for over 2 decades,,
(b) several of Bama’s 12 championships being dubious, or
© AU having won the past 5 Iron Bowls

#57

James Brooks and Brad Lester were really pissed when someone read your comment to them.

And by “someone,” I mean Professor Petee.

PW-

Must you poke them with that stick? Oh, you must?
Ok, just gimme a second to get my lawn chair set up.

Lawrence, where did you go?

I don’t care if it was intentional or not. The fact remains that LSU is one of the dirtiest programs in modern college ball, as far as play is concerned. They get what they have coming to them. This isn’t to say that I want ANY of these kids to get hurt. I don’t! But if they are going to play that way, they have to expect that the competition is going to play back.

Raznkjk from the planet Ejactor here… we were monitoring the interaction between the humans in white uniforms and the humans in blue uniforms on Saturday night… the mental thought recorder picked this up:

Dorsey: …. gotta get that muthafuckin Cox or that fukka gonna take a bite outta my signin pay….

Ramsey:…. let’see… pass play, gotta block block block block…. biscuits, yummmm….. sallymae, yummmm….. hope they have friend chicken for lunch tomorrow…..

so you see, nothing there about chop blocking

now…on the other hand… with 16 seconds left in the competition, here is the recording from the leader of the men in white shirts:

Miles:………taffy…………..love me some taffy ’bout now……….

that is all

Damn, NewAZ—it must be painful to attempt to rationalize such a clearly intentional play. That’s about as delusional as it gets.

I hear Ole Miss is accepting new fans.

Auburn is known for playing hardnosed football and while Tubby is generly disliked by opponents, not many say his teams are not superbly coached. That chop was carried out a little too well to be an accident. The guard takes two steps to the left then pushes off back to the right at knee level and continues to roll up Dorsey’s leg even after Dorsey’s laying on him.

Any Aubie that can’t admit that even after Tubby does needs to either check his priorities or just give up and join the delusional T-towners cross state. Some things you just don’t do. Someone should get thrown under the bus on this one.

Can we throw Dorsey under the bus?

That’s the last troll of this thread, I swear.

So, where’s y’alls vaunted SEC officiating now?

Ah, yes, #67 — it was retribution for LSU’s dirty play. A much cleaner and easier rationalization than NewAZ’s semantic gymnastics from the NCAA rulebook.

This problem would be solved if all blocking below the waist was made illegal. Throwing your body at someone’s knees is just plain shitty, even if you’re named Trent Green.

1. - if that happened, there would be a lot of 3-0 games. Watch the lines closely during most games. Lots of cut blocks throughout the game, especially on short routes.

my OL coach used to tell us to try to hit the d-lineman in the nuts on a short route so his hands will be down protecting his jewels instead of up batting the pass.

Yes indeed gentlmen, UVA is 7-1. We’ve outscored our opponents by a total of 32 points. Take Pitt & Duke away & we’ve been outscored by 9 points. Guess what matters? 7 WINS & 1 loss. This is, for those of you SEC folks that are bad with numbers, a better record than Florida, Auburn, Kentucky, South Carolina, Tennessee & Alabama. So until your teams have a better record… Go cry somewhere else!

Go Hoos!

Tell you what, Jamie — I’ll take Bama’s chances with UVA’s schedule. Wanna trade?

And I’m a UVA alum.

No Albino, it is when Ohio State gets blown out by Florida and the preseason favorite to win the conference goes down to App St. that the Big 11 becomes mediocre.

Jamie makes a cute football fan.

@ 72: Since when was our officiating vaunted?

I’d love to see some of these ‘facts’ on how LSU is the dirtiest team in college football.

In the spirit of reciprocation, I’ll share some facts on Auburn’s class. I recall:

Tubs and the boys smoking cigars on the field at Tiger Stadium.

Auburn stomping LSU’s eye of the tiger at midfield.

Auburn’s kicker coming out to warm up during the halftime show and getting in a shoving match with a band member.

That’s just for starters.

82

And didn’t Duval get kicked out of a game and give the peace sign to the camera as he exited the field? Ah, I miss those sweeeeet Rascal Flatts-esque frosted tips. PCB Spring Break ’96, baby!

Dorrell, Gailey and Tommy Bowden should hang out together and just talk about their uncanny and immortal abilities to avoid the executioner.

1. - Zone blocking is for running plays, not passes.

1. - Here’s some evidence.

We almost lost to NDSU last year to boot…

Its sad that at this point in the season, going to Rivals and reading the recruiting news has supplanted the actual games as the news in “Gopher Nation”. I get wasted each Saturday night in ‘memberance of the day’s debacle, and find myself in the arms of a lady or on Rivals drunk at 3 am looking for consolation.

And yes, we cheer a massive huzzah each time Brew gets a borderline 4-star partial qualifier, since Mason got us a grand total of 4 of those in 10 years.

That’s it Aubie. Just change the argument if you can’t win the previous one. Pathetic. You. Chaz, Nall, Tubby. All pathetic.

I take it that video struck a nerve. Chinese Bandit asked for it. I obliged.

I see the SEC office has said the block was not intentional.

Which BCS conference leads the list in number of loses to 1-AA teams this year? Does any other BCS conference even have a loss against 1-AA team this year?

You could put together a similar video package for any team in the country. But if you want to get video of out and out classlessness, you have to go straight to Auburn’s video library.

This has got to be the biggest stink about a chop block in the history of NCAA football.

It looks pretty ugly, and I almost every Auburn person has condemned it. However, Auburn is probably near the bottom of “dirty” teams in the SEC. Considering the people making the biggest stink are LSU and Alabama fans, there is a credibility issue here. (LSU played really cleanly against USC, right?)

If you want to say it was a cheap shot, go ahead, but don’t imply CTT or Hugh Nall, who are as close as they come in the SEC to being above reproach (Richt excepted), somehow put out a hit on Dorsey, in a crucial game, on national television.

You’ve never been to Blacksburg, have you?

Half the school is from Northern Virginia and Maryland, a bunch of them are from New Jersey. No one has a southern accent. Not even the people who grew up in that town.

And Vick did that dirtiness in Surry County, on the other side of the state.

1. - You need to learn a bit more about the offensive line.

Linky.

The play was a pass, and Auburn was in what is called zone protection. Throughout the game, in that protection, offensive linemen had been cut blocking LSU defenders, a perfectly legal and widely used technique, with a great deal of success. Freshman offensive tackle Lee Ziemba was responsible for the gap through which Dorsey tried to rush. If no one came through Ramsey’s gap, he was to double team with Ziemba. Both were supposed to cut block. Ziemba, instead, made a mistake. He took on Dorsey straight-up, unaware that Ramsey was coming to help out.

The result was that Ramsey hit him low as Ziemba stymied him high. It is clear that should have been called a personal foul, but it also clear that there was no intent to injure Dorsey. It was a matter of a freshman using the wrong technique at the wrong time, which is presumably why neither Auburn coach Tommy Tuberville nor the Southeastern Conference office took any disciplinary action.

“It was clearly an accident,” Green said. “We were in a protection where everybody was cutting. When the guard doesn’t have anybody to cut, he helps back on the tackle. That’s what Chaz was doing. He was helping back with Ziemba, who thought he was getting beat inside. He was trying to push the player down the line so (Brandon) Cox could roll out. It ended up happening that way.”

Green, without anger, pointed out that he was clubbed twice in the head by Dorsey, and the game tape bears that out. Just as Auburn should have been penalized on the block, LSU should have been penalized for the blows to the head. Neither happened.

“You just have to play ball and move on,” Green said. “It was an accident. We weren’t trying to deliberately hurt anybody. I thought it was a pretty clean game, for the most part.”