Something That Always Bugs Me: Saturday Morning Chalk Talk

Why do announcers always say, "The defense has been on the field too long." Hasn't the offense been on the field the same amount of time?

I realize defense takes more effort than offense, and they have to go backwards, but still.

These are highly conditioned twenty year olds. They train year round. There's a two-minute tv timeout after every change of possession and twice a quarter. Unless the opponent is running a no-huddle offense there's 15 seconds of live action followed by 25 seconds of rest, and even versus no-huddle, there are stoppages to set the ball and the chains, penalties, reviews, timeouts, and if need be, a player down on the turf with a timely "injury." Ohio State and Tennessee seemed to have a lot of one or two-play injuries versus the Ducks.

Particularly in the case of the Oregon defense, they practice at the fastest tempo in the country. Practice is way more tiring than games. Doesn't a Division 1 football player want to be on the field?

Yet any time an offense scores and then makes two first downs on a subsequent possession some color man, usually an ex-coach or a washed-up player in his forties, will trot out this well worn cliche.

Anbody want to step up to the dry erase board and chart this thing out? Inquiring Ducks want to know.