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Kickoffs to be "modified"


bucsfan333

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  • 2 weeks later...
On 5/3/2018 at 9:06 AM, LETSGOBROWNIES said:

Absolutely, but it’s parents who are keeping their kids from playing, which is the concern.

If kids stop play, eventually interest in the sport nationally decreases.

Making the game safer is in their own best interest long term.

And parents can be influenced by faulty reporting, and stories which talk don't about the many positive aspects of playing tackle football. Soccer has a significant concussion rate, but that's rarely been reported. If you want to eliminate kickoffs in youth football, fine, but the play should remain in all other levels of the sport. I think what many of us are saying is the reality there are better ways to make the game safer without affecting the essence of the sport. The NFL is in full backpedaling mode, and rules like the defenseless receiver were pointless, since those kind of hits were already covered in the personal foul area.

We're getting closer and closer to a Pro Bowl-style of NFL football, and that will damage the sport long term. One easy way to reduce injuries on kickoffs is to prohibit coverage players from going out of bounds unless they're in the act of stopping the returner. When something is dangerous, but a necessary part of a pro sport, the best approach isn't to kill something, rather, find ways to reduce the danger.    

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30 minutes ago, LaserFocus said:

And parents can be influenced by faulty reporting,

Such as?

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and stories which talk don't about the many positive aspects of playing tackle football.

So in order to discuss concussions and health concerns you also have to talk about how it teaches life lessons?  ? One has nothing to do with the other.

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Soccer has a significant concussion rate, but that's rarely been reported.

It’s reported often enough that both you and I know it soooo.....

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If you want to eliminate kickoffs in youth football, fine, but the play should remain in all other levels of the sport.

yeah-well-you-know-thats-just-like-your-

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I think what many of us are saying is the reality there are better ways to make the game safer without affecting the essence of the sport. The NFL is in full backpedaling mode, and rules like the defenseless receiver were pointless, since those kind of hits were already covered in the personal foul area.

We're getting closer and closer to a Pro Bowl-style of NFL football, and that will damage the sport long term.

Said the guy who doesn’t have to endure these hits for 20+ weeks per year for years.  It’s easy to have your opinion while seated on your arse on the couch watching other dudes get hit.

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One easy way to reduce injuries on kickoffs is to prohibit coverage players from going out of bounds unless they're in the act of stopping the returner. When something is dangerous, but a necessary part of a pro sport, the best approach isn't to kill something, rather, find ways to reduce the danger.    

Which is what they’re trying to do, you just don’t like the way they’re choosing to do it.  

According to this article;

http://www.sportingnews.com/nfl/news/nfl-rules-player-safety-kickoffs-eliminate-roger-goodell-changes-owners-meeting/zvq2upcwk96h1bo47ifqjt2gr

Concussions are FIVE TIMES more likely on a kickoff than any other play.  Why on earth wouldn’t they do everything possible to address that one concern if that’s where a significant amount of head trauma is occurring?  Ah yes, because old guys think it ruins the game....for them. ? 

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As a guy who played football starting in middle school and as well in high school, I had one confirmed concussion in my life, and it was on special teams. My job as a sophomore in high school was the wedge buster (now illegal to form/bust a wedge), and my lone concussion was on the punt coverage team. Keep your head on a swivel folks, it was a life lesson.

I currently coach high school football, and I'd be 100% in favor of banning kickoffs up through kids' freshmen year and starting with JV/Varsity in 10-12 grade. Aside from it being a safety issue, it's one more thing to practice (which we barely have time enough to do now), it's difficult to get freshmen to do it well anyway (but fun to exploit as someone who's coached long enough to know what teams/kids will struggle with certain concepts), and the injury rate is pretty high. For those of us (most freshmen teams) who have less than 30 kids dressing anyway, it just makes sense to chop it entirely.

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11 minutes ago, howru8888 said:

What effects on kickoffs and safety would there be if they started awarding 1 or 2 points for kickoffs that go thru the upright?

 

2 minutes ago, LETSGOBROWNIES said:

It could only help if kickers are trying to score points as opposed to limit field position.

The CFL has that.  

The only thing the NFL should ever want to copy from the CFL is having the concession stands selling poutine.   

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  • 2 weeks later...

We're going to end up with multiple flags a game on these things and multiple controversies. I don't trust the refs to be able to enforce this convoluted nonsense let alone the players in real time being able to follow it.

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For all the people who were gnashing their teeth and rending their garments about the result of doing away with the kickoff leading to the end of the onside kick ... yeah, that eight men in the setup zone basically kills nearly all likelihood any coach would go for an "unexpected" onside kick.

I'm also not exactly sure how this prevents the collisions they claim to be looking to avoid. Yes, the kickoff team won't get an extra ten yards to get up to speed prior to the kick, but the return team cannot engage any blocks (barring the ball hitting the ground or being touched) for fifteen yards. What do they think the kickoff team will do in those fifteen yards?

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1 hour ago, Woz said:

For all the people who were gnashing their teeth and rending their garments about the result of doing away with the kickoff leading to the end of the onside kick ... yeah, that eight men in the setup zone basically kills nearly all likelihood any coach would go for an "unexpected" onside kick.

Not sure I agree, I think the "surprise" onside kick is still doable and this opens things up to some interesting attempts at dropping the ball into a dead zone as well. Lots of strategy still available. 

1 hour ago, Woz said:

I'm also not exactly sure how this prevents the collisions they claim to be looking to avoid. Yes, the kickoff team won't get an extra ten yards to get up to speed prior to the kick, but the return team cannot engage any blocks (barring the ball hitting the ground or being touched) for fifteen yards. What do they think the kickoff team will do in those fifteen yards?

This is the part I don't fully understand either. The no blocking zone seems to be right where you'd want blocking to occur. 

 

At the end of the day I am just glad the NFL seems focused on keeping the kickoff, honestly football without a kickoff isn't football anymore IMO. Its why I have zero interest in the Alliance of American Football, its not gonna be football. 

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14 minutes ago, youngosu said:

Not sure I agree, I think the "surprise" onside kick is still doable and this opens things up to some interesting attempts at dropping the ball into a dead zone as well. Lots of strategy still available. 

I thought about the 25-30 yard pooch kick. However, that is significantly rarer than the tumble the ball, 10 yards approach that I doubt it's worth really considering.

Keep in mind that coaches tend to be risk averse when it comes to non-obvious improvements for their team (declining to go for 2 more often, or going for it on 4th downs). If the team runs a surprise onside kick and it succeeds, the coach looks like a genius for a brief period of time (the game can still be won or lost, generally). If the team kicks the ball and screws up the onside kick, the coach is lambasted (because the game was obviously lost on that onside kick decision /sarcasm).

Sure, there are options, but I doubt they'll be used.

20 minutes ago, youngosu said:

At the end of the day I am just glad the NFL seems focused on keeping the kickoff, honestly football without a kickoff isn't football anymore IMO. Its why I have zero interest in the Alliance of American Football, its not gonna be football.

And this I don't get. It's a play that happens what 8-10 times a game, that interrupts the flow of the game for a situation that regularly leads just a bunch of guys running down the field for no reason?

When I think of football, I think of the forward pass, diving catches, running backs driving through the pile or breaking out on a long run. I rarely ever think of a kickoff as something quintessential to the game. It and the extra point are just television air time during the game to get up and grab some food or drink. Both(*) could be removed and the game would operate as normal.

 

 

(*)

  • Removing the extra point = grant a team six points on a touchdown. Give them one point as a wagerable amount: they can take the "bonus" or they can risk it to double the bonus. How is that different than what we have now? None, except we don't bother lining up for a nearly pointless kick attempt. Yes, with them moving the extra point try position back it's not as much as a gimme as it was. Still, last year it was successful 94% of the time. It's more noticeable for when it is missed than when it is made.
  • Removing the kickoff = spot the ball on the opponent's 25 yard line and be done with it. In most cases, that would be the same or better for the offense than if they had tried to return the kickoff. If you want to make it less favorable for the offense, move it back to the 20.

Neither play will be removed, though, since it adds in advertiser breaks. But neither play is quintessential to the game.

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