Kickoffs.....a thing of the past?

[Ronin]

Kevin Seifert‏Verified account@SeifertESPN
Packers president Mark Murphy, a competition committee member, sounds warning on future of kickoffs: "If you don't make changes to make it safer, we're going to do away with it. It's that serious.”

 

[Ronin]

www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/22944176/nfl-competition-committee-says-kickoffs-made-safer-recommend-eliminating-it

 

[Chopper0080]

I don't love the idea but I also see the reasoning. I am not beholden to the concept of kickoffs so much that this would bug me.

 

[Mainstreet]

I don't know how they make kickoffs safer with players running full speed.

I wonder if there are injury stats on punts when a player fields the ball and tries to advance it. Might it be next?

Maybe fair catches on punts comes next if the ball is in play. It happens a lot already.

 

[Dback Jon]

Can we retro these to the last few years?

 

[BillsCarnage]

What about the onsides kick? Where would the Saints be if there were no kick-offs? Lame.

I don't know how they make kickoffs safer with players running full speed.

I wonder if there are injury stats on punts when a player fields the ball and tries to advance it. Might it be next?

Maybe fair catches on punts comes next if the ball is in play. It happens a lot already.

Maybe shorten the field on kick-offs? I dunno... I always enjoyed the XFLs 'run to the ball' for possession.

 

[DakotaCardsFan]

I always enjoyed the XFLs 'run to the ball' for possession.

I don't remember how the XFL did that. So it was like opening a match of dodge ball where everyone ran screaming and flailing their arms to mid court (50 yd line) where the ball was?

 

[Stout]

This is a moronic suggestion. You can't eliminate kickoffs, because the threat of the onside kick going away would kill the tension in late comeback attempts. It would drastically alter the game.

 

[gmabel830]

I don't remember how the XFL did that. So it was like opening a match of dodge ball where everyone ran screaming and flailing their arms to mid court (50 yd line) where the ball was?

It was a one on one race/scramble to posses the ball, and the very first time they did it one of the guys broke his arm.

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[Billy Bob]

It was a one on one race/scramble to posses the ball, and the very first time they did it one of the guys broke his arm.

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lol and coming back soon

 

[daves]

This is a moronic suggestion. You can't eliminate kickoffs, because the threat of the onside kick going away would kill the tension in late comeback attempts. It would drastically alter the game.

Moronic?

How about instead of a kickoff, give the team that just scored (or is "kicking off" at the beginning of a half) possession of the ball at their own 35 yard line with a 4th & 25. They will normally choose to punt, but if they're sufficiently desperate they can try to convert a 1st down.

Tweak the numbers however you like to adjust the average starting position & likelihood of maintaining possession.

Voila, no more kickoffs!

...dbs

 

[AZCrazy]

I'm trying to recall, but I don't remember a disproportionate number of injuries during kickoffs as opposed to all other plays in a game. Most every injury is on a routine play that I can recall.

You can't make the game safer. You can A) eliminate all contact, B) give them all gigantic inflatable helmets, or C) play with robots

 

[NJCardFan]

lol and coming back soon

Not really. McMahon already said he's going to drop a lot of the gimmicky stuff.

 

[NJCardFan]

Keep tweaking the game NFL. You're bleeding viewership as it is so what do you propose? Opening the wound up even more.

 

[unseenaz]

they should just all hold pillows as they run down the field. how do you make kickoffs safer?

 

[Lagerfilled]

Keep tweaking the game NFL. You're bleeding viewership as it is so what do you propose? Opening the wound up even more.

The NFL is run by a bunch of lawyers and senior execs whose main objective in life is protecting their wealth and not getting sued. I get WHY they’re doing it, but I still think it’s incredibly stupid.

 

[Stout]

Moronic?

How about instead of a kickoff, give the team that just scored (or is "kicking off" at the beginning of a half) possession of the ball at their own 35 yard line with a 4th & 25. They will normally choose to punt, but if they're sufficiently desperate they can try to convert a 1st down.

Tweak the numbers however you like to adjust the average starting position & likelihood of maintaining possession.

Voila, no more kickoffs!

...dbs

It's a creative solution, but i don't dig it. One 5-yard holding penalty, and it's an automatic 1st down with the clock stopped, and the ball at the 40 yard line. There are probably a lot of creative solutions to try, but replacing that onside kick drama--and the surprise of trying one out of nowhere--would be very difficult.

As someone said, New Orleans maybe doesn't win a SB without kickoffs.

 

[SoCal Cardfan]

Just get rid of the entire kicking game... There is a penalty on almost every punt/kick return as it is.

Even on fair catches you typically have a block in the back lol.

 

[Ronin]

Jim Trotter‏Verified account@JimTrotter_NFL 1m1 minute ago
In NYC for two-day NFL coaching summit regarding new and proposed rules changes. One thing EVP Troy Vincent makes clear: The league isn’t looking to eliminate kickoffs. Modify and adjust, yes. But not eliminate.

 

[Ronin]

Judy Battista‏Verified account@judybattista 2m2 minutes ago
Vincent is hopeful of coming out of two days of meetings at the league office with a kickoff proposal to bring to owners at the May meeting.

 

[Ronin]

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[Ronin]

Jenny Vrentas‏Verified account@JennyVrentas 3m3 minutes ago
The NFL is having two days of meetings regarding the future of the game & improving player protection. The kickoff will be discussed but Troy Vincent said they’re not looking to eliminate it—they want to modify it, possibly as soon as ‘18 season.

 

[juza76]

They can turn boxing in a slap fight?

 

[POISON]

These idiots are ruining a truly great game. These guys know the risks playing it and make outrageous amounts of money. If it's not safe enough for you, go play freaking soccer....

 

[CFLredzoned]

Somebody brought it up a couple years ago. There's ways you can make the kickoff more like a punt using alignments. I forgot exactly how it went, but I think it involved ligning most of the receiving team up front, so that way you don't have so many guys running full speed and colliding. I think there were adjustments to the kicking team's spacing as well. The point is, you can fine tune the alignments to the point where the kickoff is nearly identical to a punt.