Part I:
Have you ever seen a Discovery channel show where a pack of hyenas is tearing at a fresh kill and one gets too close to another and those hyenas start viciously attacking each other, causing the rest of the hyenas to join in?
(TXMike, umpirebob71, BktBallRef, waltjp, daggo66, JRutledge)
That is the exact the feeling I came away with after reading one of the most disgusting and reprehensible postings, ever posted on officiating.com or any other football related forum - "The Snake Oil Salesman Is At It Again". For TXMike to think it is appropriate to assassinate the character of anyone involved in the game of football in a public forum, no matter his personal opinion, and watch with glee as his fellow hyenas pile on is a complete and absolute travesty of the officiating profession. Even worse, when fellow officials make mention of their displeasure with the tone and behavior of this "pack" and request a more civil discussion, those officials are met with the same vicious attacks as their target, a high school football coach - Kurt Bryan.
TXMike's use of this web site as a forum for his own "drivel", has done a complete disservice to every other official who believes in fairness & gentlemanly discussion of football. It is such a shameful posting I truly hope all officials boycott any discussion these participants enter into again. I also hope that anyone who knows who these officials are, does the right thing and reports them to their state association for permanent banishment. Its unfortunate to think that individuals this vengeful and vicious are officiating games with young adults, then at the same time spewing their hate on the Internet for any of these young adults to see. Are you too small minded to get it? The underage players and parents on coach Bryan's team can easily find this forum on Google and be reading this trash! Do you understand the fact that officials need to be neutral on any topic and your behavior of character assassination destroys the credibility of officials as a whole?
As someone who is deeply disturbed by TXMike's discussion and its impact of the reputation of officials, I printed all 35 pages of the reprehensible discussion and shared it with several friends over football yesterday. After a little research online, our thoughts are as follows to purposefully take on the other side of this pack's arguments:
1. It is overwhelming apparent by their own comments, the individuals who are the most bitter about the A-11 Offense on this discussion board have never seen it in person. Yet, they feel they have the expertise to pick to pieces, the conclusions of the individuals who have spent the time to go to Piedmont and learn what the A-11 is all about. Once again, the hyenas attack anyone who has a positive lean towards the A-11 Offense. In a follow up posting about his ESPN Article "Shock To The System", the author David Fleming says he "got to spend a week" with the coaches (
ESPN Page 2 - Fleming: The innovative A-11 offense). Jere Longman of the New York Times visited Piedmont and said, "Whatever one thinks of the offense, it complies with the current statutes of the National Federation of State High School Associations. And it is as entertaining to watch as it is radical in design." Its interesting these professional sports writers for major publications traveled to Piedmont to see what everything is all about and came away with positive outlook on the A-11 Offense, yet they are mercilessly attacked as a "stupid sportswriter" by TxJim and those who have never made the effort themselves. These officials must subscribe to the theory that "to hate from afar" is more credible than to "see for yourself".
2. From TXMike: "At the most basic level, our purpose and charge is to prevent 1 team from cheating against another. When one of those teams unabashedly and deliberately cheats, it is going against our basic purpose, especially since there is little we can do to stop it. Folks can try to parse this and call it a "loophole" or call it "innovation" but an ethical coach would not deliberately cheat in this manner. It all comes down to what is the intent of the rule, and not even KB will argue that what he is doing is in accordnace with the intent." TXMike, you are so incredibly wrong in this flat out accusation that Kurt Bryan, a respected coach at one of the top academic high schools in Northern California, is "unethical" and "cheating", especially since the A-11 operates legally by rule in his state. This is a sad example of one person's blind hatred overflowing into perpetuity on the Internet, creating a black eye that reflects badly on all officials in America. Calling a coach a cheater. Uncouth. Shameful. And don't you dare come back and try to say that wasn't your "intent", we know your intent is to destroy the character of a high school coach at every opportunity possible.
4. 3Sport's continuous question to Coach Bryan of "What is the spirit and intent of the rule you are exploiting? The formation you are using is the SCRIMMAGE KICK formation and the numbering EXCEPTION to this rule." Quit belaboring the issue and get over it. You answered your own question. The A-11 operates within the rules of the scrimmage kick formation. If the A-11 is legal within the rule, Kurt Bryan does not have to answer "your" interjection of the "spirit and intent" into the equation. Your definition of "spirit and intent" is merely that and if you don't get the answer you want from him, you will keep attacking him. On another note you have so thoroughly undermined your own credibility with personal attacks, including the phrasing of your questions itself, with the "rule you are exploiting", why should anyone owe you an answer or bother to acknowledge your existence? Its almost laughable there is so much anger about this offense being run from those who have never seen it in person.
5. Easily officiated. The coach at Saddleback says most of the officials in LA who worked these games had a positive outlook after and there doesn't appear to be a single complaint from officials who have worked any of the 20 games Piedmont has played. The 50 year veteran and head of officials in their region says, "I think good high school officials can handle this offense". That pretty much says it all. Why would anyone question the perspective a man with 50 years experience in a major football region? There seems to be overwhelming evidence that the A-11 can be officiated properly in multiple states and after seeing it operate in person, you can come away with a positive attitude about it. It's looking like any contention that the A-11 cannot be officiated as rationale to ban this offense is quickly becoming a dead argument.
6. No respect for Kurt Bryan? Oh that's right, its because there is so much hatred of him making money on his book and videos and "pimping" an offense. And this doozie from (dago66), "My take on this (ESPN Article) is that sales are low and Kurt is trying to make a few bucks for Christmass so he managed to work his con game on a writer for ESPN." Or how about this one from asdf, "The outcry started when he tried to use the (forum) sites as a conduit to sell his product". Does anyone have an example of where Coach Bryan tried to sell his product on any forums? It seems like he has been making himself available to answer questions in the forums and is met with the type of behavior from anonymous individuals exuded in the Snake Oil Salesman discussion. This fact speak for itself and it does not line up favorably for the hyena pack. (Ajmc) puts it perfectly with his posting, "You are absolutely correct, I don't know the history, or motivation, of "this person", which is why I would find it reprehensible to defame and denigrate him. Even if I did know his history, and even his motivation, I hope I would have the class to limit my opinions to the subject matter at hand rather than slide down to angry personal attacks. I haven't read everything he has written on this subject, but I have read numerous attempts on his part to explain his position to a hostile audience, without resorting to lowering his offerings to the personal level of some of those expressed in opposition. Somehow, he seems to have managed to control his emotions to the point he tries to present a rational argument supporting his position."