Academy Award-winning actor Joe Pesci, who played Vinnie Gambini in the 1992 film my cousin vinnyfamously asked about his myriad troubles, but in more colorful terms: “Okay, what else can you pile on? What more can you pile on top of this (colorful) Or…is that possible?”
New University of Alabama football coach Karen DeBoer had a similar reaction Friday when the NCAA Football Rules Committee proposed changes for next season that include coach-player helmet communication that would fundamentally change how offense and defense signal. If so, please forgive me. . Let's take a look at what's new with DeBoer.
New city, new coach, new conference, new program, new culture, new players, new coaching staff, new playoff format. What else can be piled up?
Of course it's a new rule.
List release:Alabama football announces new members of 2024 roster including Deonte Lawson
Good bread:Alabama football coach Karen DeBoer's five priorities for spring practice
The proposal is expected to receive rubber stamp approval from the NCAA Playing Rules Oversight Committee in about six weeks. Other changes planned for this fall include two-minute warnings and the use of tablets during games. All three proposals would bring college football in line with the NFL. But it's helmet communication that has the biggest impact on the game, and DeBoer wasted no time Monday getting his staff and team familiar with it. He said “several quarterbacks” at Alabama used the technique during the Crimson Tide's first spring practice on Monday.
“I haven't heard any feedback yet. I think there were some early days where it was hard to hear anyway,” DeBoer added. “I don't think it was because it was too soft. I think it was too loud. We should be able to test it in the stadium someday.”
This rule allows for in-helmet communication not only between coaches and quarterbacks, but also between coaches and defensive players. Players using this technology will have a green dot on their helmets as an indicator. Communication is severed with 15 seconds left on the playclock or the snap of the ball, whichever comes first. DeBoer said the Crimson Tide doesn't yet have as many communicators as they ultimately need because the national demand for this hardware is so high.
“The quarterbacks are getting used to it. I've seen them listen with their hands on their helmets a few times, and for the most part it looked pretty clean,” DeBoer added.
Thank you for the small favor. There hasn't been much more to DeBoer's work lately, and more to come before the Crimson Tide's Jalen Milroe and the rest of Alabama's quarterbacks, and perhaps the middle linebackers, get used to college football's latest style. Hardware is needed. change. Fortunately, assuming that obtaining enough transmitters and receivers is not an issue, it takes 15 spring practices for both staff and affected players to have a solid understanding of the latest new features. And his three scrimmages should be enough.
Stack it up.
Tuscaloosa News columnist Chase Goodbread is also the weekly co-host of WVUA-23's Crimson Cover TV. Please contact us at cgoodbread@gannett.com. Follow @chasegoodbread on Twitter.
