Posted by Mike Florio on March 19, 2016 The stated reason for the Competition Committee’s proposed change in the touchback position from the 20 to 25 after a free kick is simple: “Player safety.” The objective would be achieved by reducing even further the number of kickoffs that the receiving team returns. The question becomes whether that would indeed be the case, in practice. Some, like Broncos kicker Brandon McManus, believe the rule will result in more kickoff returns because teams won’t kick the ball into the end zone. Under that theory, there would be more high kicks and squib kicks and other kicks that keep the ball in play without bouncing or flying past the goal line, forcing the receiving team to return the ball and, in theory, allowing the kicking team to tackle the returner inside the 25. Still, that’s not how the league views it. As one source with knowledge of the NFL’s thinking tells PFT, the goal is “to incentivize teams to take a knee” and in turn to “reduce the amount of kick returns.” The league believes that the risk of kicking the ball out of bounds or otherwise putting the ball in the wrong spot will outweigh the potential reward of putting the opponent at the 20 or the 15. “The NCAA experience has been positive with the rule,” the source said, adding that college football hasn’t seen teams attempt to kick the ball short and then cover it. Before at least 24 owners vote in favor of the change, they’ll need to believe that the rule will indeed have the desired impact. The best move could be to adopt it on a one-year basis, which would allow it to be killed in 2017 with only nine votes.... IMO If they really want to dramatically reduce the kick return game they have to make it worth while for the kicking team to get the touch back. Most kickers can kick the ball out of the end zone now but the teams choose not to instead they try to kick the ball higher and shorter to temp returners to run it and tackle him inside the 20. What if the made it so a ball kicked out of the end zone resulted in starting on the 15, or if you can kick it through the uprights on the kick off they start from the 15 or even the 10. That would totally change the kicking game
This isn't hard. Eliminate the kickoff return entirely and have teams start the possession after a score on their 20. All this "making it safer" stuff is just BS because people will still suffer bad injuries when two teams are flying at each other and when one guy got a running start on the guy he's going to tackle from the opposite direction. If they really want safety then no kickoffs at all. If they want to compromise then they really need to change the rules on how teams line up. Have the two teams line up in contact with each other somewhere. Allow only one gunner per returner inside the 10. Don't let anybody except the returners move until the ball passes over the "line of scrimmage" wherever that is.
Funny stuff. For all the talk about "player safety" and "integrity of the game", the only logical conclusion would be to abolish football altogether.
This isn't for player safety, it's to increase offense because it sells better. I don't like this idea at all.
NFL doesnt care about player safety. They care about lawsuits. Wanna get rid of kickoffs? Ok. Take away 5 roster spots from every team too. Do that and I guarantee players will revolt against these ideas.
Just move it up and have kickers kick from from the 50. Desired effect achieved while still giving teams a chance to perform an onside kick.
I hate this idea,Soon we will be starting the game on the 50 yard line.I don't recall many special teams injurys last year if any at all.This is a discrace,if its not broke don't fix it
i think we should send you out there to return a kick a few times in the first pre season game this year.
You do realized the NFL settled for $1 billion out of court for a concussion lawsuit and STILL had that settlement appealed by the plaintiffs? From a business standpoint if they don't do anything to try to make the game safer (including helmet to helmet hits and all that jazz) they're setting themselves up for another lawsuit worth triple that in 2030.
Give me the amount of concussions or injurys from special teams plays over the last two years.Its almost becoming a myth that there's an unusual amount of special teams injurys
Lame. I love kickoffs and special teams in general. Special teams plays like kickoffs and punts are extremely fun and unique aspects of the game that serve to separate it from other sports. Football is dangerous. And if we abolished all kickoffs tomorrow, it would still be really dangerous. To be honest, I'm tired of hearing about player safety. I think the purity of the game needs to be protected here.
Your making his point for him. Getting rid of kick returns in the name of player safety is like saying you've made a major dent in the war on cancer by finding a cure for "left, big toe melanoma." Also, I remember when they initially moved the kickoff position up a few years ago, Belichick pointed out that the NFL never provided any sound evidence to corroborate the theory that, statistically speaking, there are significantly more injuries on kickoffs than on other plays.
Whether it is, or it isn't a dangerous play backed by statistics the NFL is showing face to the point where they can simply be like "look look, we're trying to make it a safer game! Look what we're doing to accomplish that!" It's all about showing an effort for this league and they feel like it exonerates them from future lawsuits. If you want to refence a serious injury on kickoffs? Look up Kevin Everett and the dislocation of his cervical spine circa 2007. I'm not in favor of these massive rule changes but from a business perspective, it's the easiest thing the NFL can do to try to show that they're making the game safer.
anyone who has played football even at the lowest levels knows that kickoffs are dangerous. any fucking moron can determine that 22 guys running as fast as they can down the field at other guys who are running toward them is a scenario that is likely to result in larger than normal collisions. my point to him was that you have to do the statistics on a play by play basis, the eye test of watching 90 plays in a game 10 of which are kickoffs will always make it seem like there are less injuries on kick offs.
But, there is no evidence that they are actually making the game appreciably safer. I don't care what "they are trying to show" And, more importantly, I'm not particularly swayed by this obsession with player safety. I want my kickoff returns and punt returns left alone.
You're not the one the league needs to convince. The media and players/former players are. There is certainly evidence of the NFL trying to make it safer by throwing personal foul flags on anything above the solar plexus, potentially tossing players out after multiple personal fouls, etc. I never said I particularly agree with their kickoff changes. But I can definitely understand their rational and the reason they're doing it on the surface.
So, there doesn't have to be any statistical evidence suggesting that eliminating kick returns actually makes the game appreciably safer, so long as the media and most former players are moronic enough to not question whether the change is actually making the game significantly safer? I admit, though, I'm not a player safety guy. I'm into keeping the game as fun and interesting as possible. I like kick returns and I don't want them taken away.
