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SMU defensive coordinator Tom Mason visited with PonyFans.com to discuss the challenges of stopping the triple option offense his defense will face Dec. 30 when Army comes to Ford Stadium to play SMU in the Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl.



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Good interview PP. Keep it simple sounds like the theme of these practices. I just wish they would just outlaw 'cut' blocking altogether.

ponyscott wrote:Good interview PP. Keep it simple sounds like the theme of these practices. I just wish they would just outlaw 'cut' blocking altogether.

No kidding. How many players have to be injured before the practice is deemed illegal?

Given the fact that players have larger purposes than merely playing football, I wonder what such a ruling would do to the service academies' ability to field competitive teams.

Corso wrote:

ponyscott wrote:Good interview PP. Keep it simple sounds like the theme of these practices. I just wish they would just outlaw 'cut' blocking altogether.

No kidding. How many players have to be injured before the practice is deemed illegal?

Given the fact that players have larger purposes than merely playing football, I wonder what such a ruling would do to the service academies' ability to field competitive teams.

Good point Corso but these teams are so well disciplined and do have many talented kids, so they still would be competitive.....example would be Air Force.
I just hate that cut blocking is still allowed and aiways leads to chop blocks during the game as well, which is even worse.

Might as well outlaw tackling.

Fact: defenders do not drop like flies when facing an offense that cut blocks.

BeatNavy wrote:Might as well outlaw tackling.

Fact: defenders do not drop like flies when facing an offense that cut blocks.

So are you suggesting that we don't have anything to panic about?

You can see cut blocking on any offensive line in most games on Saturday and plenty on Sundays too. Pulling linemen frequently cut and running backs will cut on blitzing defensive players. The practice is more prevalent with the service academies, however. If the practice were made illegal, there would be plenty of offensive players in a bit of a quandry on many teams.

ponyscott wrote:Good interview PP. Keep it simple sounds like the theme of these practices. I just wish they would just outlaw 'cut' blocking altogether.

If you tried to outlaw cut blocking you would have a war on your hands!

pwnyxpress wrote:

BeatNavy wrote:Might as well outlaw tackling.

Fact: defenders do not drop like flies when facing an offense that cut blocks.

So are you suggesting that we don't have anything to panic about?

I'm saying that I have yet to see a list of the wounded left in the trail of cut blocks.

Do people occasionally get hurt? Certainly. Do they get hurt more by an offense that employs cut blocking as an integral part of their scheme? I've never seen anything more than anecdotal evidence.

Oftentimes that anecdotal evidence is clearly refuted when someone actually watches the play in which the allegedly wronged player was injured.

And please don't get me started on people (* no one here, but I've seen it lots of times * ) say that it endangers the *career* of a STUDENT-athlete.

Oh c'mon...cut blocking schemes as a whole ARE a problem because if there aren't issues with just the cut blocks ( ok just for agruments sakes because cuts are used, but not as a scheme), it definitely leads to all kinds of 'chop' blocks during the game, which DOES cause injuries. Most aren't called because the Refs don't see them or can't call them all during the game. AND at both levels, chops are Illegal. Besides who cares about comparing playing on Sundays??....different rules and don't apply in this discussion.
If it isn't an issue, teams wouldn't break out the knee braces for the OL when they play the teams that exclusively cut block.