Official visit: Steve Shaw, head of SEC officials, talks 2012 rules changes with Gators
Sunday, August 12, 2012 | Football, Chris Harry
GAINESVILLE, Fla. -- The play was one of the most memorable image of Florida's stunning and overwhelming blowout of top-ranked Ohio State in the 2006 season's BCS Championship Game.
Not for its impact on the scoreboard, mind you, but the ferocious desire and want-to it demonstrated on the part of the underdog Gators.
Remember Earl Everett?
The helmet-less UF linebacker chased down Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Troy Smith and slammed him to the Arizona turf as Florida fans at University of Phoenix Stadium went berserk.
Incredible moment. Phenomenal hustle. Viral highlight clip. Gushing commentary.
But in 2012, a similar instance will be a 15-yard penalty and send that player to sidelines for the next play.
Do we have your attention?
Say hello to Steve Shaw, coordinator of officials for the Southeastern Conference. UF's football coaches and players greeted him Saturday night after their two-hour scrimmage at Florida Field. Shaw is making the rounds across the SEC to talk to teams about the NCAA's rules changes and points of emphasis that will be implemented this fall. 
“We want them to know what officials will be looking for,” Shaw said while watching the one of his conference crews get some scrimmaging of its own Saturday at the Swamp. “We want to answer any questions and concerns about what's on their minds as we head into the season.”
Shaw's chats include videos that demonstrate what will be called, what might be called and what won't be called.
The time makes for good advance teaching moments for all parties and the tone, from both sides, is more courteous than on Monday mornings during the season when the switchboard at his Birmingham office lights up with irate coaches looking to rant about the weekend.
“It's a good time to build rapport,” Shaw said. “You don't want unanswered questions hanging over you going into a season.”
Gators coach Will Muschamp welcomed the visit from Shaw, who for 15 years was among the most respected referees in the SEC before replacing Rogers Redding as league coordinator after the 2010 season.
“There are rules changes every year, some that officials will truly emphasize. [The players will] understand the rules better, based on his interpretation,” Muschamp said. “He was as good a white hat as I've ever been around.”
The helmet rule will be one of the more scrutinized, but its intent is clear: players need to secure their headgear -- period.
So if a player's helmet comes off during the natural course of a play -- and an opponent ripping it from his head would not apply -- that player must, in essence, shut down any further action during that play.
The emphasis is on “further action.”
If the helmet comes off, for example, while a defensive player is in the process of making a tackle, the play will stand and the player must sit out the next play; if the helmet comes off and he stops any pursuit of the play, he must sit out the next play; if the helmet comes off and he pursues the play, a 15-yard penalty will be assessed and the player must sit out the next play.
“We've all seen plays where the guy is rushing in, the quarterback takes off, the defensive end's helmet comes off and he takes off for the QB with dreads flying everywhere ... Well, that's a foul,” Shaw explained. “And you don't have to go make the tackle. If you continue to participate, it's a foul. If [the helmet] comes off, you're done. Stop.”
The bigger message: Buckle up, baby.
The helmet rule change is rooted in safety, of course. So is the change on kickoffs, which will now be placed at the 35-yard line, rather than the 30, which in theory should scale back five yards worth of kickoff coverage momentum on violent collisions.
Some other rules changes and points of emphasis that were discussed:
Touchbacks on kickoffs will now be brought out to the 25-yard line, rather than the 20.
The “halo” on kick returns is back. A punt or kickoff returner must be given a designated area of his shoulder width and one yard in front to field a kick or else an interference penalty will be called.
Players cannot leave their feet and leap over punt protectors to block a kick. Through the blocker or around him is OK, but not over. Doing so will result in a 15-yard penalty and automatic first down.
* Blocking below the wasted between the tackles will be a point of emphasis. Linemen in the five-man tackle box at the snap are permitted to block below the waist, but offensive players entering the box during the course of a play are not.
* Sideline demeanor, especially that of coaches, and the on-field conduct of players, particularly when it comes to taunting or choreographed celebrations, is again being emphasized and penalized by 15 yards.
