The 12th Man

The sign on the upper deck of the Texas A&M stadium reads, “The 12th Man.” The fans were certainly loud last Saturday. On the field, the referee called pushing on a Nebraska receiver after catching a long pass on the 5-yard line. The reception would have put Nebraska in position to tie the game in the last minutes if not to win it. Replays clearly showed no foul. Arguably, the referee could have been the 12th man. Earlier, however, the Nebraska coach received an unsportsmanlike conduct foul for rude behavior on the sideline and charging onto the field. A 15-yard penalty put Nebraska on the 3-yard line. The referee was obviously miffed. We could call the coach the 12th man.

Coaches have too much to do as it is. They should sit down and watch. When did the coaches start calling the plays from the sidelines anyway? Players, not the coaches, play the game. What a loss of sport for the team to behave like a bunch of little leaguers with the parents calling their every move. When I was a kid, sand lot football was a sport. We made up our own plays. If a parent showed up, everything stopped. Nobody moved until the parent left.

Coaching is for practice. Games are for the players. The quarterback should call the plays. The team captain should be the only one talking to the referee. Additionally, while we are at it, let us eliminate TV breaks and play on the grass. There would be fewer injuries.