I agree. There is so much I don't like about the game today. And with that, they've made it more fair that the D gets to sub but yeah coaches have started to figure out the glitch, that you can intentionally take your time and screw the offense. I've seen delay of game penalties where the D took 10 seconds to finally get on. Its not fair and eventually the rules committee will address it but its bullshit. They just trot some fat ass on and even if he can run fast, it looks perfectly normal if he just slowly gets there.
I've always thought the college game should do away w stopping the clock after every first down...but then do it in last 2 min of each half. I think that's the way the USFL did it. Well, instead of that, they keep the same rule to prove that "college football is different from pro"...but they have the ref hurry to spot the ball and immediately start the clock. I don't necessarily mind that, but what I hate is that inside of 2 min they are doing the same thing.
The clock stopping for a first down is barely helpful at all when you actually need it. They've kept the rule in but completely taken away what it was designed for.
I've even seen a few times where players are so dumb. A guy catches a pass late in the game for a first down. They have no timeouts. Everyone is scrambling trying to line up and spike it...but so is the WR that caught the pass. He hurries to give the ball to the ref and single handedly ran the clock out on his team. So coaches are gonna have to teach, to have everyone run to line up, but the guy w the ball, take your time and either throw it to a different ref or just slowly get up, walk near line, and casually drop the ball.
It used to be they would spot it and wait for the chain gang to move the sticks and then put the ball in play. I like the faster pace but I can't stand all the, let's get to the line as fast as possible and try to snap it before the D is ready. The part I don't like about it is that the ref's are being controlled by the offense. The only motivation for the hurry-up is to catch the D out of position and then if not, they just use a lot of the 40 second anyway.
I don't mind a little urgency from the ref's but I want to have one play end and a few moments before the next play begins. I guess what I'm saying is that there is no exact science to spotting the ball. Ref's are good about spotting it quick when time is an issue. But there's no consistency that says, ok there's a guy in a blimp that laser shoots a new ball at the correct line of scrimmage immediately after the play ends. And I'm glad there isn't.
The game has evolved so much and the rules committee is trying to keep up. I don't want football to become that the strategy is, let's run a play simply to put defenders out of position for the next play. Let's see if I can give an example. 2nd and 2 and I have my WR run a fly and then throw it at my RB's feet, near the ref. Deion is covering my WR and ends up 50 yards down the field. We also had that WR line up near our bench. That WR comes out of the game and I quickly send in his replacement, Hands McGee, who lines up where WR was the down before and everyone else lines up just as quick and we snap it. Deion is still 20 yards off the ball and McGee runs a quick hitch and easily gets the first down. To me, that's not football and I don't want that to be what football becomes.
Rant over but to go back, I've seen exactly what you're talking about and I thought for sure the ref would pump his hand (kind of like 1/2 of the old "raising the roof") and have the play clock restart. I guess they have no rule put in so they aren't allowed to but you're helpless to either burn a timeout or lose 5 yards.
