# Suck it Buffalo Bills coach!!! **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [October 9, 2007, 4:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/suck-it-buffalo-bills-coach/422038 "2007-10-09T04:07:09Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![catsix](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e19b73/32.png) [@catsix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/catsix)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2007, 1:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/suck-it-buffalo-bills-coach/422038/61 "2007-10-10T13:23:55Z")
> [@](#): > > **Cheesesteak** said: > Prior to this year, do you personally recall many icings resulting in re-kicks being necessary? I don’t. This year we’ve had 3 of them in 4 weeks. I remember it happening more than once in just Steelers games. I do remember more often the play _starts_, but a lot of the time they don’t get the kick off before realizing that the whistles are blowing and there’s a time out. It does happen though, and as long as the rules permit it, the coach is doing nothing wrong. It’s probably become _more popular_ since the icing of Vanderjagt in the Steelers victory over the Colts in 2005. > [@](#): > > **Trunk** said: > I remember Bill Cowher running that last second time-out call against Atlanta in the Falcon’s 41-38 dramatic win last season. Cowher also commented after he pulled the same icing on Mike Vanderjagt that he didn’t think it would work, but since he had the TO left, he thought he’d give it a try. That kick was wide right by a mile, and the game ended 21-18. > [@](#): > > **Diogenes the Cynic** said: > This time out from the sidelines bullshit is NOT a tradition because coaches have only been allowed to call time outs from the sidelines since 2004. It absolutely IS new to pull this shit and just because it’s legal doesn’t mean it’s not a douche move. Perhaps you should be lobbying for the NFL to drop the rule that allows coaches to call sideline time outs after the ball is ready for play, because I don’t see how following the rules the league has laid down makes it a ‘douche move’. > [@](#): > > **Sitnam** said: > Near the end of the game the defense has timeouts left, using them may get inside the kickers head which isn’t unsportsmanlike. I agree with you. There’s a lot of effort to get inside the opponent’s head during a football game, including the smack talking that starts before the game, to the finger waving from the sideline, to icing the kicker. It’s never been unsportsmanlike to try to gain a psychological edge over the opponent. > [@](#): > > **Airman Doors** said: > Jaworski said during the game that it will stop the first time a coach does this and the kicker misses, then makes the re-kick. Possibly. So long as it appears to work, and it is within the rules of play, it will continue to be done. And perhaps if the NFL is going to consider some rule changes, they might take a look at relaxing the rules regariding actually trying to sack a quarterback. I know there’s great concern over not wanting these guys to get hurt unnecessarily, but sometimes it appears that the quarterbacks are being treated as if they’re in a professional tickling contest, not a football game. ---
**Author:** ![kidchameleon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/898d66/32.png) [@kidchameleon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kidchameleon)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2007, 3:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/suck-it-buffalo-bills-coach/422038/62 "2007-10-10T15:00:54Z")
[QUOTE=VarlosZ] For instance, this year there’s a new rule in place that if a player spikes the ball without scoring a touchdown, it’s a 5 yard unsportsmanlike consuct penalty. [/QUOTE] Actually it is considered delay of game, all unsportsmanlike conduct penalties are 15 yards. ---
**Author:** ![Hal\_Briston](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a9a28c/32.png) [@Hal\_Briston](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hal_Briston)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2007, 5:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/suck-it-buffalo-bills-coach/422038/63 "2007-10-10T17:57:34Z")
One thing to keep clear – I don’t think anyone has a real problem with actual “icing” time-outs, where the time-out is called well before the snap. The issue here is this new trend of last-second time-outs where the point is to force the kicker to kick twice. That said… [QUOTE=Cyberhwk] But then how are they going to differentiate “Icing” time outs from other time outs, say…maybe to change personnel, or to change the defensive scheme? “No, I wasn’t icing the kicker, we want to get a faster edge rusher in there!” [/QUOTE] They’re easy to differentiate – in order to pull this off, the coach has to tell the line judge ahead of time that he’s going to call a time-out. Seems to me the way around this is that when the coach tells a ref he’ll be calling a time-out, he gets the time-out at that moment. None of this “watch me…there’s a time-out coming” nonsense. That way, if the coach wants to try and time it so he gets the time-out in but the kick goes off anyway, then that’d be fine. But he wouldn’t be able to cry about it if the ref doesn’t see/hear him until it’s too late. ---
**Author:** ![kidchameleon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/898d66/32.png) [@kidchameleon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kidchameleon)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2007, 7:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/suck-it-buffalo-bills-coach/422038/64 "2007-10-10T19:22:45Z")
[QUOTE=Hal Briston] Seems to me the way around this is that when the coach tells a ref he’ll be calling a time-out, he gets the time-out at that moment. None of this “watch me…there’s a time-out coming” nonsense. That way, if the coach wants to try and time it so he gets the time-out in but the kick goes off anyway, then that’d be fine. But he wouldn’t be able to cry about it if the ref doesn’t see/hear him until it’s too late. [/QUOTE] I like this idea, even if it comes from a Giants fan. ---
**Author:** ![Troy\_McClure\_SF](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/troy_mcclure_sf/32/4150_2.png) [@Troy\_McClure\_SF](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Troy_McClure_SF)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2007, 7:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/suck-it-buffalo-bills-coach/422038/65 "2007-10-10T19:39:57Z")
[QUOTE=A Monkey With a Gun] Just for everyones information, the re-kick thing wasn’t possible until 2004, when both the NFL and the NCAA changed the applicable rule and made it legal for a coach to call a timeout from the sideline. [/QUOTE] That’s fucking ridiculous. The _playing of football_ should be paused when a _football player_ says so. ---
**Author:** ![VarlosZ](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/d78d45/32.png) [@VarlosZ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VarlosZ)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2007, 9:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/suck-it-buffalo-bills-coach/422038/66 "2007-10-10T21:56:06Z")
[QUOTE=Troy McClure SF] That’s fucking ridiculous. The _playing of football_ should be paused when a _football player_ says so. [/QUOTE] Why? Aside from this icing issue, what’s the problem with having coaches call timeout? **kidchameleon** , that’s right, my bad. ---
**Author:** ![EllisDee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ellisdee/32/4531_2.png) [@EllisDee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EllisDee)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2007, 4:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/suck-it-buffalo-bills-coach/422038/67 "2007-10-11T04:32:21Z")
[QUOTE=catsix] And perhaps if the NFL is going to consider some rule changes, they might take a look at relaxing the rules regariding actually trying to sack a quarterback. I know there’s great concern over not wanting these guys to get hurt unnecessarily, but sometimes it appears that the quarterbacks are being treated as if they’re in a professional tickling contest, not a football game. [/QUOTE] This probably isn’t the best season to make this particular complaint, what with the slew of starting QBs out due to injury in only the first five weeks. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/suck-it-buffalo-bills-coach/422038.md?page=3)