Monday Miscellany: 9-1-08

For starters, I'm really disappointed that I couldn't make the time to make a post out of this on Saturday, because I saw it Friday night, and it flipping mystified me. As a pre-cursor, I'll admit that the chances I'm missing some key detail here in this story are somewhere in between highly likely and duh. And I'll also throw in that I haven't really done any research on the story, so this could be one embarrassment of a crapshoot.

But this is what I'm talking about. It's also here, here, and here, too. And now that I've probably embarrassed myself, I'll go the distance...

How in the fuck is this news? How is this a new rule? How are coaches commenting on this that've been in the league for freaking decades? This is not a new rule. This is not the top of the list in 2008 NFL rule changes; I'd argue that the pushout rule change is bigger. Anybody remember this guy? He used to defer all the fucking time, because his Chiefs team was built on stellar defense. How about Marty Morninwheg? That name ring a bell? I know I've always advocated the coin toss defer, solely for the purpose of getting that first second-half possession.

So please, clue me in somebody. Tell me why this is news.