Air Force DOES Chop Block

Interesting article in the Daily Herald about Air Force's chop blocking. Let me state it unequivocally because the players and coaches will not - Air Force DOES chop block, and does so quite frequently.



First, what is a chop block? According to the NCAA rulebook - "A chop block is a high-low or low-high combination block by any two players against an opponent (not the ball carrier) anywhere on the field, with or without a delay between blocks; the “low” component is at the opponent’s thigh or below."



Let's take a look at the video evidence.



Air Force v. Nicholls State - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sx9GRGxqLwk

Chop Block #1 - 1:15 mark, middle of screen - low, then high

Chop Block #2 - 1:16 mark, middle of screen (hard to see because Nicholls State #28 is in the way) - one Air Force player shoves the player high into a diving Air Force player who hits low

Attempted Chop Block - 2:33 mark, left side of screen - low blocker missed the block

Chop Block #3 - 3:19 mark, middle right of screen - two lineman block the same guy - one goes high and the other dives at his legs

Chop Block #4 - 6:35 mark, middle of screen - two lineman go for the same guy, one high, one low



And that's only one video of one game.

So what? BYU holds, so does every other team in college football. It is only a penalty if the ref sees it and calls it. Hopefully Bronco will be riding the refs all game so that they don't miss any of these. As a chop block is a dangerous play the 15 yard penalty is pretty devastating to a drive, especially for a running team like Air Force.



Hopefully if Air Force does four chop blocks against us, they end up with four drives that die because of the penalty.

"So what?" The chop block, like you said, is dangerous. It is a big deal to have people diving at your knees all game long. Holding? Maybe if they hold you severely your jersey will get ripped. Big difference.

These pics are not of a chop block per se, but show the low style 'tackle' that was done to Pitta in last year's AFA game, that injured him for Utah and Arizona...it doesn't have the high and low combo described above, but does still seem to be designed to both overcome size differential and blow out a guy's legs.



http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2539/3757086630_ce1ab9435b_m.jpg" alt="" loading="lazy" style="max-width:100%">

Pitta catches the ball



http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2631/3756286393_15b4d35c80_m.jpg" alt="" loading="lazy" style="max-width:100%">

Defender crouches



http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3490/3756286447_ba9a02cf46_m.jpg" alt="" loading="lazy" style="max-width:100%">

Begins his roll into Pitta



http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3455/3757086722_2dcc9e7030_m.jpg" alt="" loading="lazy" style="max-width:100%">

and hits him below the knees with his back



http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2464/3757086750_e39571180d_m.jpg" alt="" loading="lazy" style="max-width:100%">

Pitta gets flipped in the air



http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3524/3757086780_af3bb17123_m.jpg" alt="" loading="lazy" style="max-width:100%">

and lands. Ouch! Too bad his momentum kept him from avoiding the tackler.

The tackle on Pitta last year was not dirty. He was even quoted in the newspaper blog yesterday saying that it was not dirty. It is just a cornerback tackling a TE low like they always do. Unfortunately he got hurt on the play. Pitta gets hit like that all the time.



I definitely think that a chop block is a dangerous play, but so it a cut block. The only difference is another defender is touching the defender at the same time. Are either of the plays dirty?... Maybe, maybe not. I'm not going to put the entire Air Force offensive line in the same category as eye gougers and sucker punchers though.



They use a legal cut block. It sucks to play against, but it is legal...and dangerous. I don't think that they intentially chop block players, my guess is the o-lineman is unaware that another lineman is touching the defender when they go to cut block them. It would be pretty bad strategy for an offensive coordinator to set the o-lineman assignments to double team a d-lineman with a cut block. They would be rolling the dice everytime they did it that the drive would end on a 15 yard penalty.

It's dangerous to tackle at the knees, but unless I'm mistaken, it's completely legal downfield.



High-low blocking is illegal anywhere on the field, not to mention also dangerous.

Wickchad84087 wrote:
So what? BYU holds, so does every other team in college football. It is only a penalty if the ref sees it and calls it. Hopefully Bronco will be riding the refs all game so that they don't miss any of these. As a chop block is a dangerous play the 15 yard penalty is pretty devastating to a drive, especially for a running team like Air Force.



Hopefully if Air Force does four chop blocks against us, they end up with four drives that die because of the penalty.

I would like to see you take a helmet to the knees from a 300 pound lineman and walk away from it...



So what...

Honestly, some peoples children...

cougsnspurs4life wrote:

So what? BYU holds, so does every other team in college football. It is only a penalty if the ref sees it and calls it. Hopefully Bronco will be riding the refs all game so that they don't miss any of these. As a chop block is a dangerous play the 15 yard penalty is pretty devastating to a drive, especially for a running team like Air Force.



Hopefully if Air Force does four chop blocks against us, they end up with four drives that die because of the penalty.

I would like to see you take a helmet to the knees from a 300 pound lineman and walk away from it...



So what...

Honestly, some peoples children...

Give me a D-1 scholarship and I would gladly do it.



It's not the players that make a big deal out of cut/chop blocks each year. Its the fans. Hearing quotes from the players it sounds like Jorgensen is more concerned about his shins getting beat up.

I think the hit on Pitta is much more dangerous than the hit Scott Johnson got a 15 yarder for last week!!IMHO

Wickchad84087 wrote:

Wickchad84087 wrote:
So what? BYU holds, so does every other team in college football. It is only a penalty if the ref sees it and calls it. Hopefully Bronco will be riding the refs all game so that they don't miss any of these. As a chop block is a dangerous play the 15 yard penalty is pretty devastating to a drive, especially for a running team like Air Force.



Hopefully if Air Force does four chop blocks against us, they end up with four drives that die because of the penalty.

I would like to see you take a helmet to the knees from a 300 pound lineman and walk away from it...



So what...

Honestly, some peoples children...

Give me a D-1 scholarship and I would gladly do it.



It's not the players that make a big deal out of cut/chop blocks each year. Its the fans. Hearing quotes from the players it sounds like Jorgensen is more concerned about his shins getting beat up.

granted... now go have some fun...

Wickchad84087 wrote:
The tackle on Pitta last year was not dirty. He was even quoted in the newspaper blog yesterday saying that it was not dirty. It is just a cornerback tackling a TE low like they always do. Unfortunately he got hurt on the play. Pitta gets hit like that all the time.

This is Pitta's quote you reference from Jay Drew's blog in the Trib: "It was a clean play, and obviously DBs go low a lot of times, especially on myself, being a bigger receiver. It is something I have seen before, and it just caught me at an awkward angle. No hard feelings at all, no hostility."

Mars wrote:


Max Hall called the hit on Pitta dirty.

And of course Jorgensen has called Air Force dirty.

It was dirty... You don't roll into someone's kneecaps - tackling them with your back. If that is what they teach in practice (I think I remember the kid saying that they practiced tackling bigger recievers like that) then count me out.



These are the same kids that pull on your shorts/jersey when setting a screen in bball. Maybe not enough to get a call, but definately enough to piss you off.