Get rid of the huddle in football

The huddle was last needed during the leather helmet days

One of the reasons Chip Kelly was hired to coach the NFL's Philadelphia Eagles was that his style of offense brings eyeballs to the television screen.

Last Saturday, when Oregon destroyed Virginia 59-10, most of the nation saw this game on ABC.

Ohio State, a storied program with a huge following, was relegated to ESPN at the same time for their blowout win over San Diego State.

Clearly, Oregon plays a style of game that people want to watch. It is fast-break, no-huddle and if you blink, let alone change the channel, you'll miss a touchdown.

Which leads to the obvious: A no-huddle offense makes the game better. It brings urgency to the action.

It's compelling and dramatic, unlike most pro football teams that rely on huddling after every play.

In fact, it is tortuous to watch a football game when one of the teams huddles after every play. When both teams huddle, it is unwatchable.

Last year, when Stanford lucked out in beating Oregon State at home, I couldn't watch the game because of all the slowness brought about by both teams huddling.

Good grief!

As Kelly's offense displayed during its Monday night demolition of the Washington Redskins, the huddle is a useless ritual from a bygone era.

Get rid of it.

The best way to do that is to penalize a team five yards for delay of game for huddling after a play.

If American football is to ever challenge "futbol" throughout the world, it must get rid of the huddle.

People want action, not committee meetings.