The truth about "Friday Night Lights"

[Guest CronoT]

I'm sorry if this offends anyone, but when I saw that this movie was coming out, I knew I was going to eventually have to say something. The movie is based on a high school football team from Odessa, Texas, named the Permian Panthers.

 

What they don't want you to know is that the Permian Panthers, usually referred to as Odessa Permian, has a long and storied history of cheating, stealing, and major unsportmanslike conduct. The high school has been disqualified several times in the past for UIL rules violations, usually in regard to eligibility requirements. The eligibility requirements can be viewed here (Adobe Acrobat Online file, .pdf format)

 

The most common reason given for why this high school is disqualified, is because this high school actively recruits players, or in layman's terms, compensates families who move into the district this school is in, either through housing, jobs, or other non-educational forms.

 

As for the unsportsmanlike conduct, I personally witnessed this myself, when my high school played against them my sophomore year in high school. That year, we had a sophomore year football savant who played on the varsity team. To give you an idea of how good he was, he was pretty much a high school equivalent of Emett Smith. The Odessa Permian defensive line was having a hard time catching him, so the order was given to clip him. For those of you who don't know what clipping is, clipping is where you take you arm, with the area between the elbow and the shoulder, and then hit the person in the back of the leg, right behind the knee.

 

Clipping is expressly forbidden in high scholl football, because the usual outcome is severe injury to the leg and knee, but I'll get into that in a little bit. The ref originally wanted to get penalize Odessa Permian 15 yards, at which point, my school's football coach went, quote, "apeshit," unquote. An arguement ensued over the call, which eventually ended up in my school's coach pulling out the official UIL high school football rulebook. In the rulebook, it clearly states that any player who clips another play must be immediately ejected from the game.

 

The Odessa Permian coach fought this, until my school's coach commented that unless the offending player was ejected from the game, he was going to place a call the following Monday morning to the main UIL office in Austin, Texas. The Odessa Permian coach finally relented at that point. I later heard that the Odessa Permian team had already been contacted by the UIL office in Austin earlier that year, about excessive unsportsmanlike conduct, such as clipping, and other illegal tactics, such as face masking. They had been told that any more violations could result in the team being disqualified from UIL competition that year.

 

Now, about the injury part. The player who was clipped, a friend of mine since elementary school, had to be taken off the field after the incident. Over the course of the next two years, he had no less than three surgeries to attempt to repair the damage done to his knee from that clipping. As most of us here know, knee injuries never really heal; Kevin Nash is a prime example.

 

So, before you go see this movie, keep in mind all that I've said here. Do you want to support a team like this? Do you want to support the mind set that keeps things this way, i.e., winning is the only thing that matters, no matter how you do it? I, personally, will never see this movie, and I doubt anyone in my home town will, either.

[Jericholic82 0]

well that's a sad story to say the least. I won't go to se this move anyway as I have seen plenty of high school football movies over the years. this reminds me of my old high school here in southern cali Hueneme High I went to their season opener wihch was aganist the defending Section champs Westlake High. my school was outmatched and the other team took great pleasure in running up the score and playing really rough against smaller younger guys. I was more than a little disgusted.

 

 

actually if they wanted to make a movie, they could have made one about my school where after years of losing and student apathy, a new coach and several great players(including my old classmate Keary Colbert who starred at USC and now plays for the Carolina Panthers) turned it around and by 1998 we won league and the stadium was packed with ethusiastic fans. The football team really turned around the low morale of us students who are often looked down on by other schools since we are considered a "poor" school by some idiots. I'll never forget my last two years of high school due to this.

 

it's too bad that now the ethusiasm is gone again, replaced by hard times and hard luck. But I for one still go to games and support my alma mater

 

 

 

so to crono, I'll boycott this movie in support of your friend

[Guest whitemilesdavis]

Clipping and face-masking happen in every single high school game I've seen. (I still go every week.) Neither is grounds for ejection, just a 15 yard (sometimes 5 for a face mask) penalty. Is it possible you are referring to chop-blocking?

[Guest CronoT]

Is it possible you are referring to chop-blocking?

It's possible that you know it by that term. The point is that the move used was used for no other intention than to injure or disable.

[Angel_Grace_Blue 0]

I could be horribly wrong about this, but I've heard (And this goes along with the active recruiting thing) that the parents of star players would be given jobs with oil companies around Odessa, and like a few months after the kid's senior year, the parent would be layed off (To make room for another recruit).

 

And stuff.

 

Boo-urns to Odessa.

[GreatWhiteNope 0]

To give you an idea of how good he was, he was pretty much a high school equivalent of Emett Smith. The Odessa Permian offensive line was having a hard time catching him, so the order was given to clip him.

 

You mean defensive line, right?

 

That's pretty messed up.

 

Is it possible you are referring to chop-blocking?

 

Chop-blocking is legal at the line of scrimmage. But it's used as more of a means to slow down a blitz.

 

Legal chop-blocking doesn't involve persuing the back of the defender's legs. It's supposed to cause the defensive line to trip (if they don't see it coming).

[Guest CronoT]

I could be horribly wrong about this, but I've heard (And this goes along with the active recruiting thing) that the parents of star players would be given jobs with oil companies around Odessa, and like a few months after the kid's senior year, the parent would be layed off (To make room for another recruit).

 

And stuff.

 

Boo-urns to Odessa.

Yes, that's exactly what I was talking about.

[Guest CronoT]

To give you an idea of how good he was, he was pretty much a high school equivalent of Emett Smith. The Odessa Permian offensive line was having a hard time catching him, so the order was given to clip him.

 

You mean defensive line, right?

 

That's pretty messed up.

 

Is it possible you are referring to chop-blocking?

 

Chop-blocking is legal at the line of scrimmage. But it's used as more of a means to slow down a blitz.

 

Legal chop-blocking doesn't involve persuing the back of the defender's legs. It's supposed to cause the defensive line to trip (if they don't see it coming).

Thanks for the heads-up. I fixed it.

[AboveAverage484 0]

This movie looks like just another lame attempt to portray an "average" high school. More than likely there will be a sex scandal, a kid who does drugs, a kid who gets arrested, and a star player that gets hurt.

 

Typical bullshit.

[Stephen Joseph 0]

The worst I've seen was done in retribution for a blatant late hit on a QB. Jack the guy up by his shoulderpads and have your buddy tackle the leg above the knee. From what I hear, it tears the ACL pretty bad

[Guest whitemilesdavis]

Chop-blocking is legal at the line of scrimmage. But it's used as more of a means to slow down a blitz.

 

Legal chop-blocking doesn't involve persuing the back of the defender's legs. It's supposed to cause the defensive line to trip (if they don't see it coming).

 

It's illegal when done to the side of the knee. My point, however, is that clipping is simply a block from behind, which didn't make sense to happen to a running back, especially not from an offensive lineman.

 

Now, I must apologise. At first I thought ChronoT said he played football on the team with his friend, and was convinced the story was bull, because a player would have known the proper terminology. However, after re-reading, I see he didn't say that he played, and therefore, the wrong terminology is acceptable.

[Guest CronoT]

Chop-blocking is legal at the line of scrimmage. But it's used as more of a means to slow down a blitz.

 

Legal chop-blocking doesn't involve persuing the back of the defender's legs. It's supposed to cause the defensive line to trip (if they don't see it coming).

 

It's illegal when done to the side of the knee. My point, however, is that clipping is simply a block from behind, which didn't make sense to happen to a running back, especially not from an offensive lineman.

 

Now, I must apologise. At first I thought ChronoT said he played football on the team with his friend, and was convinced the story was bull, because a player would have known the proper terminology. However, after re-reading, I see he didn't say that he played, and therefore, the wrong terminology is acceptable.

I really didn't think it was important to mention how I was at the game; merely that I was. So, to avoid further confusion: I was in Band in high school. The Band always goes to the varsity football games. Therefore, I was in the Band, at the game where this happened.

[Guest whitemilesdavis]

No, I misread. I thought you said you were playing, which you obviously did not. Sorry.

[notJames 0]

High school football movies begin and end with Wildcats. And maybe Lucas.

 

I will not be seeing this movie. For many many many more reasons than Crono's.

[Corey_Lazarus 0]

Lucas rules. That is all.

[Shanghai Kid 0]

Remember the Titans rules all High School football movies.

 

And Love and Basketball for basketball movies.

[Guest Salacious Crumb]

No offense but football is a dirty sport especially on the lines. Guys will do about anything to get an advantage. Players will try to break your fingers at the bottom of a fumble recovery pile. If someone thinks they can cheap shot you in the knees they'll do it. Doesn't sound like they were doing anything that any player on any level hasn't been guilty of at some point.

[Guest PlatinumBoy]

No offense but football is a dirty sport especially on the lines. Guys will do about anything to get an advantage. Players will try to break your fingers at the bottom of a fumble recovery pile. If someone thinks they can cheap shot you in the knees they'll do it. Doesn't sound like they were doing anything that any player on any level hasn't been guilty of at some point.

The worst worst worst worst and biggest bitch move is those folk (former lineman speaking here) who love to PINCH people in the pile for like 30 seconds. Football is a cheap sport--once I had my time to shine and was going for a fumble--I'm 15 yards from it, 10 yards, 5 yards, BAM--shoulder to the small of the back. Fun stuff.

[Nighthawk 0]

Football isn't really for athletes, it's for crazy people and bad motherfuckers. Probably 30% of my worst injuries sustained/worst I ever hurt somebody stories come from when I played football.

[Guest Vitamin X]

Odessa sounds EXACTLY like my old high school rivals, Hart High (where Kyle Boller now of Baltimore Raven fame went to school).

[Guest Smues]

I had no interest in this movie in the first place. At least you got to see something exciting while you were at the games with the band though. The most exciting thing I think we ever saw was the team not winning a game my whole freshman year. Oh, and going for 2 everytime they got a touchdown on the opening drive and never converting it. GO TEAM

[Damaramu 0]

In Junior High for some reason we only had like 15 guys on the team. Which was weird b/c we were next to one of the largest High School football programs in the state.

But anyways we had no kicker and always had to go for 2. Sucked ass.

[Guest Smues]

That would suck. Our team had a kicker, the coaching staff was just horrible. I don't think they ever did manage to convert it on an opening drive touchdown. In fact I think most every game we could get a touchdown on the opening drive, one more in the 2nd quarter, and that would be about it for the game and we'd lose.

[Guest Salacious Crumb]

In Junior High for some reason we only had like 15 guys on the team. Which was weird b/c we were next to one of the largest High School football programs in the state.

But anyways we had no kicker and always had to go for 2. Sucked ass.

Couldn't anyone on the team pooch a PAT through? Hell I can't kick for shit and I could probably convert 3/4 attempts.

[Damaramu 0]

In Junior High for some reason we only had like 15 guys on the team. Which was weird b/c we were next to one of the largest High School football programs in the state.

But anyways we had no kicker and always had to go for 2. Sucked ass.

Couldn't anyone on the team pooch a PAT through? Hell I can't kick for shit and I could probably convert 3/4 attempts.

I dunno. I was a DT and OT. I never really paid attention to who could kick or not. It didn't really matter b/c we scored 1 TD the whole season. Yes our team sucked.

[UZI Suicide 0]

As far as "Recruiting" goes, it's not really a big deal, as most top tier schools do that. I know a lot of Florida schools do, Jenks in Oklahoma does, Evangel Christian in Lousiana does, and De La Salle, Long Beach Poly and quite a few schools in California do.

 

As far as the intentional chop blocking, well I don't find it that hard to believe, from my experience playing HS Football lots of that stuff happens, but a little bit more hidden. I played Runningback and guys tackling you will try to twist your ankles when they tackle you, especially under the pile, it gets really brutal down there.

[Damaramu 0]

Yeah but what do they do when you have a man playing with boys so to speak? You know what I mean.

I saw clips of Adrian Peterson in High School and he bigger than everyone else on the field and looked like a man playing with little kids.

Do they go after those guys more hardcore?

 

And don't mention Jenks......those dudes are assholes.

[UZI Suicide 0]

Yeah but what do they do when you have a man playing with boys so to speak? You know what I mean.

I saw clips of Adrian Peterson in High School and he bigger than everyone else on the field and looked like a man playing with little kids.

Do they go after those guys more hardcore?

 

And don't mention Jenks......those dudes are assholes.

Some do, I mean USUALLY you don't see a big time school doing any cheap stuff, but a little school with nothing to lose will definitely try to injure you. I mean I was an average RB and they tried to hurt me, so they defintely go after guys like Adrian Peterson, Reggie Bush, etc

[Guest CronoT]

As far as "Recruiting" goes, it's not really a big deal, as most top tier schools do that. I know a lot of Florida schools do, Jenks in Oklahoma does, Evangel Christian in Lousiana does, and De La Salle, Long Beach Poly and quite a few schools in California do.

 

As far as the intentional chop blocking, well I don't find it that hard to believe, from my experience playing HS Football lots of that stuff happens, but a little bit more hidden. I played Runningback and guys tackling you will try to twist your ankles when they tackle you, especially under the pile, it gets really brutal down there.

To answer your question, Glove, the University Interscholastic League, or UIL, is the regulatory board that governs sports, art, music, theater, and everything else other than academics in Texas. The governing body that deals with the academic part is the TEA, or Texas Education Association.

 

Now, recruiting at the junior high and high school level is expressly forbidden by the UIL regulatory board. Click on the link I posted at the top of the thread, and it will take you right to the eligibility requirements for competing in all UIL events, such as football games played in Texas at the junior high and high school level. It's as simple as that.

[Dr. Tyler; Captain America 0]

Someone's bitter