Three new rule changes will impact the Escambia Academy Cougars this season after the AISA recently placed new rules to be put into effect for the 2010 football season.

The rules vary from players in the huddle to handling concussions to referee interference on the sidelines.

The first rule that has been changed is the time a player has to replace another player once a team huddles up. Players will now only have three seconds to get in the huddle and another player to return to the sideline.

Cougars head coach Heath Gibson said the change in the rule came because too many players were staying inside the huddle. He added that he foresees some problems in the early stages of the season.

“What it boiled down to was there were a lot of players camping in the huddle before leaving the field,” Gibson said. “It’s going to be a tough rule to get adjusted to because the guy needs to remember exactly who he is pulling out. I think there will be guys on some teams with some confusion, and they will be hit with the penalty.”

The second rule that will be new this year is the same concussion rule that the AHSAA put in place.

As a part of the new rule, Gibson will have to attend a CPR course and a sports safety class where he will learn the basic needs to care for a child.

The final rule being put in place could play a huge role for teams.

This season if a coach or a player even accidentally bumps an official it will result in a 15-yard penalty followed by an ejection if a second offense occurs.

Gibson said this rule could cause problems because some stadiums do not have much room.

“That rule is tough because a lot of the stadiums we play in are already tight,” Gibson said. “It can be tough to keep kids or coaches back, so I think there will be several problems with this. I think a sideline warning would have been more effective than a 15-yard penalty on the first offense.”