Speed kills.
That's the phrase that has been engrossed in football culture for years, popularized by the Miami Hurricanes in the late 1980's, and is now uttered in locker rooms and weight rooms across the country.
It's simple: between the whistles, player speed is the key to success, both on the offensive and defensive sides of the ball.
But a new school of thought insists speed in the game of football actually can be dangerous in a much more literal sense, at least when it comes to the hurry-up, no-huddle style of offense.
New Arkansas head coach Bret Bielema aired his grievances at SEC Media Days in Hoover last week, claiming up-tempo offenses leave defensive players tired and prone to injury.
"There are times when an offensive player and a defensive player are on the field for an extended amount of time without a break," Bielema said at Media Days. "You cannot tell me that a player after play five is the same player that he is after play 15. If that exposes him to a risk of injury, then that's my fault."
Bielema's gripe lies with hurry-up, no-huddle offenses that use speed to their advantages between plays, such as the up-tempo scheme new Auburn head coach Gus Malzahn will employ once again in his coaching return to the Plains this fall.
For his part, Malzahn did not see the danger of dictating the pace offensively and playing the game with speed.
"When I first heard that, to be honest with you, I thought it was a joke," Malzahn said of concerns over up-tempo offenses. "As far as health or safety issues, that's like saying the defense shouldn't blitz after a first down because they're a little fatigued and there's liable to be a big collision in the backfield."
Bielema, who took to the podium just moments after Malzahn at Media Days, did not take kindly to his new division rival's comments.
"He thought it was a joke? I'm not a comedian," Bielema said. "Everything I say is things I truly believe in."
Meanwhile, other coaches from around the league took sides on the issue all through Media Days. Alabama head coach Nick Saban stood firm in his stance that rules committees should continue to monitor hurry-up, no-huddle offenses.
However, LSU head coach Les Miles saw no danger in up-tempo offenses. Neither did Georgia head coach Mark Richt.
"I don't worry about that as a health issue for our players," Richt said. "First of all, we all play on national TV. Our TV timeouts are--I don't know how many minutes--three, four minutes. Seems like there's plenty of time to rest between series."
Malzahn did have one issue with the run of play when his up-tempo offense is on the field.
"If you're going to look at rule changes, officials, we need to look at the guys on defense that are faking injuries to slow down these pace teams," Malzahn said.
Bielema was not pleased by those comments, either.
"You know what, in addition to not being a comedian, I'm not an actor," Bielema said. "I can't tell you how to tell a kid how to fake an injury."
Auburn travels to play Arkansas Nov. 2 in Fayetteville.
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