Is replay the answer?

Posted on March 11, 2019 by Jim Tunney Ed.D

2019 NFL Competition Committee On The TunneySide of Sports March 11, 2019 #734 Is replay the answer?

After further review… The National Football League’s Competition Committee met recently to review its current rules and study the possibility of adopting new ones. They meet annually as well as communicate during the season on fine-tuning the rules to make the game safer and more enjoyable for the fans. Further, the basic tenet has always been to create and maintain a level playing field.

The Competition Committee is comprised of general managers, coaches, players, and officiating staff. Al Riveron, Vice-president of NFL officiating, and his staff compile plays and incidents of situations that may need attention. As the game evolves constant attention is necessary to adjust the rules. There are numerous examples. Here’s one (albeit of some vintage): In 1978 I was assigned by the NFL officiating department to give a pre-season “rules talk” to the Seattle Seahawks. Jack Patera was the head coach. I had explained how offensive blocking was permitted and how officials would call fouls on offenders.

Coach Patera was adamant that players could no longer successfully block with just their shoulders while keeping their hands in at their chest. Defensive players are too big, too strong and too fast for an offensive lineman to protect the quarterback without using his hands to push, he claimed. From the beginning of football, allowing an offensive lineman to push defenders was unheard-of. “That’s just not the way blocking was to be,” claimed the purists. You can see what it is today and why it had to be changed to allow offensive blockers to effectively do their job.

The 2019 NFL Competition Committee is facing another significant challenge as those blocking techniques were 40 years ago. The non-call of defensive pass interference in the NFC Championship game between the Los Angeles Rams and the New Orleans Saints has created a firestorm of “how-could-we-let-this-happen.” The obvious answer is: Football is a game played by humans and humans will make mistakes. However, with the expansion of the use of video replay is there a way that we could use replay to correct egregious errors? Hmm?

Using replay creates issues for that committee: 1) do we use replay to determine fouls called or not called and which ones? 2) do we use replay any time during the game? 3) do we use replay only on playoff games? 4) should we allow coaches an opportunity to challenge a non-call? 5) should all challenges be reviewed in the New York command center? (Note: most reviewers in the command center are not former or current officials – is that necessary?

Will you log-in your comments or ideas on how to improve NFL officiating?

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 To contact Jim, go to JimTunney.com or email Jim@JimTunney.com. Jim’s books are full of inspiration and interesting stories. Please visit his online store to learn more. Another 101 Best of TunneySide of Sports Be sure to get Jim’s book ‘Another 101 Best of TunneySide of Sports’ by clicking this link or using the email above to contact Jim directly. These TunneySides take issues from real-life situations and relate them as inspiration for the betterment of others. Jim is available for speaking engagements on leadership and T*E*A*M Building. His books are available for $20 which includes shipping and tax. The Tunney Bobblehead is available for $30. Please visit JimTunney.com. Thank you!

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Turning pain to fame!

Posted on March 4, 2019 by Jim Tunney Ed.D

griffinOn The TunneySide of Sports March 4, 2019 #733 Up Next… Turning Pain to Fame!

After further review… When Tangie and Terry Griffin found out that she was pregnant with twin boys, they were excited. Tangie is a medical data (nurse) analyst, while Terry works as a truck operator. However, their exuberance was short-lived when they were told the ultrasound revealed a fibrous strand of the amniotic membrane had wrapped around one of the two babies left wrists. If left alone, it would keep his left hand from developing. The doctors said they could try to remove that band, but in doing so it might wrap around the neck of the twins.

The Griffins, with all the advice they could gather, decided not to try the operation. But then discussed “How do we deal with a son with a deformed left hand or no hand at all.” Indeed, during pregnancy, these are ominous decisions for parents. They decided to treat him no differently than any of their other children and “never let him consider that condition to be a hindrance.” On July 20, 1995 Shaquill Griffin was born followed 120 seconds later by his twin, Shaquem Griffin, their son with the amniotic band syndrome. That disorder affected his left finger/hand causing severe pain wherever it was touched.

The pain became so unbearable for young Shaquem that he attempted to cut off his hand with a kitchen knife only to be saved by his attentive mother. Surgical amputation, at the tender age of four, was the only answer. Even so as a youth, Shaquem was a determined and talented young athlete playing football alongside his twin brother, Shaquill. Shaquem excelled in baseball, track and football at Lakewood High School in St. Petersburg, Florida. Both boys had great high school stats and were offered football scholarships at University of Central Florida.

As a redshirt UCF freshman Shaquem fell below standards. However, Coach Scott Frost opened the door for Shaquem who, in his junior year, was the Atlantic Athletic Conference defensive player of the year as well as AAC All-Conference first-team in 2017. While his brother, Shaquill a year ahead, was drafted 90th by the Seattle Seahawks in the 2017 NFL draft, Shaquem spent his senior year at UCF. He was then drafted 141st by the Seahawks in 2018 signing a $2.8 million four-year contract. Both spent the 2018 NFL season as Seahawks linebackers.

Shaquem is now spending his off-season in hospitals and care centers helping youngsters who have disabilities believe in their futures.

Will you believe you can turn your disabilities or setbacks into positives?

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 To contact Jim, go to JimTunney.com or email Jim@JimTunney.com. Jim’s books are full of inspiration and interesting stories. Please visit his online store to learn more. Another 101 Best of TunneySide of Sports Be sure to get Jim’s book ‘Another 101 Best of TunneySide of Sports’ by clicking this link or using the email above to contact Jim directly. These TunneySides take issues from real-life situations and relate them as inspiration for the betterment of others. Jim is available for speaking engagements on leadership and T*E*A*M Building. His books are available for $20 which includes shipping and tax. The Tunney Bobblehead is available for $30. Please visit JimTunney.com. Thank you!

Posted in Sports, Tunney Side of Sports Columns | Leave a comment

The Value of Fair Play

Posted on February 25, 2019 by Jim Tunney Ed.D

On the TunneySide of Sports February 25, 2019 #732 Up next...The value of fair play.On The TunneySide of Sports February 25, 2019 #732 Up Next… The Value of Fair Play

After further review… The United States Golf Association (USGA) has lightened up some of its rules that began January 1, 2019. Many purists have concerns, but the “duffers” – those who play a once-a-week game have breathed a breath of fresh air. One of golf’s main tenets is that you call your own fouls/violations – sorta like we did in our playground games.

You’ll like this:

One day while golfing with colleagues I discovered yet another example of honesty being the best policy. I knew two of the men in our foursome and was just getting to know the fourth –-I’ll call him Ace. By the end of the third hole, I had learned his story, an object lesson for all.

Ace and his business partner had owned a property-and-casualty insurance agency. They had put in many years so that their agency grew into a respected mid-sized firm. It then attracted the attention of one of the big conglomerates. After some negotiations, Ace and his partner decided to sell to that conglomerate but agreed to stay on as consultants by doing some selling. The paperwork was completed in a flash and everyone was pleased.

After a couple of years, Ace and his partner felt they weren’t active enough and decided they wanted to go back to run a brisker business like they had before. The conglomerate said they couldn’t and claimed they agreed never again work outside the conglomerate. Ace said, “Show me where we agreed to any such thing.” The other side said it had been an oral agreement. Ace knew there had never been such a discussion, much less an agreement. A court case ensued.

In court, the judge agreed an oral contract is as good as a written one, if it could be established there was such. The judge’s issue was who to believe and he said in effect, “It’s basically a question of who do I believe, and I have to go with my gut. My gut tells me to trust experience.” The experience that’s relevant here is that a number of years ago Ace played in a golf state championship. On the 18th hole, he hooked his drive into the rough. He was up and out in one, made his putt and everyone thought he had won the tournament, except that Ace admitted he had grounded his club in the hazard and thus declared a two-shot penalty on himself.

No one had seen this violation. Ace could have slinked through and taken the win, but he didn’t. He told the truth when he didn’t have to. So, the judge said that he believed Ace was telling the truth now. Case closed. Honesty is one “rule” the USGA didn’t change.

Will you abide by the value of being honest in whatever you do?

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 To contact Jim, go to JimTunney.com or email Jim@JimTunney.com. Jim’s books are full of inspiration and interesting stories. Please visit his online store to learn more. Another 101 Best of TunneySide of Sports Be sure to get Jim’s book ‘Another 101 Best of TunneySide of Sports’ by clicking this link or using the email above to contact Jim directly. These TunneySides take issues from real-life situations and relate them as inspiration for the betterment of others. Jim is available for speaking engagements on leadership and T*E*A*M Building. His books are available for $20 which includes shipping and tax. The Tunney Bobblehead is available for $30. Please visit JimTunney.com. Thank you!

Posted in Sports, Tunney Side of Sports Columns | Tagged | Leave a comment