Posted on 03/23/2011 9:46:19 PM PDT by Impy
NEW ORLEANS — Opposing players haven't had much luck slowing return ace Devin Hester, but opposing team owners did so Tuesday when they passed a rule that will make it more difficult to return kickoffs.
The Bears steadfastly opposed the proposal to move kickoffs from the 30-yard line to the 35 and voted against it to no avail.
Kickers will find it much easier to reach the end zone and force the returner to settle for a touchback as opposed to risking a big return. It is anticipated the touchback rate could more than double to near 40 percent.
Coach Lovie Smith acknowledged the new rule would make it more difficult for the Bears.
"We'll still be able to get returns in," he said before the rule was passed Tuesday. "We'll find ways to deal with it."
The league implemented the rule because it found a higher incidence of collision injuries, specifically concussions, on kickoffs. But Smith said the Bears had incurred only one injury in two years, and that was an ankle sprain.
(Excerpt) Read more at articles.chicagotribune.com ...
Touchbacks are a drag on game momentum. They’re better off doing away with the kickoff.
The kickoff returns have always been dangerous, hence the term "suicide squad". However, today's players are at least as fast and much, much bigger.
I think touchbacks and returns should yield the same number of commercials, one each.
If the NFL wants to increase the length of the season to 18 games and reduce the amount of injuries on special teams they should eliminate the kickoff (team gets the ball on the 20 yard line) and allow punt coverage team to go downfield as soon as the ball is snapped (instead of waiting until its punted).
Punt and kickoff coverage is where most of the injuries occur and the NFL would be wise to eliminate those plays. Then teams could carry more scrimmage players on their rosters instead of loading up on gunners and kick return specialists.
I’d much rather see the kickoffs to be from the 25 yard line! That would allow the receiving team to field the ball more often outside of their endzone and increase the opportunities for exciting returns, muffs, fumbles, etc.
The players on the kick coverage team would be just as gassed as they are now, after running so far down field. It would eliminate all of the boring touchbacks that occur because today’s kickers are so good at kicking the ball that far. .......It would also significantly increase fan interest in kickoffs, and it’s the fans that pay the bills.
Want some rule changes? Limit timeouts in college and NBA basketball games to only THREE in the last three minutes of a game! It’s ridiculous to watch the final five minutes of a basketball game take about 25 minutes to play.
Thats another good reason to place the ball at the 20 yard line. Onside kicks are a waste of precious air time and are among the reason that NFL games more than 3 hours. If a team is hopelessly behind in the last 2 minutes there would be less reason to waste their timeouts and delay the telecast. It would actually be nice to see more game end in 3 hours or less so viewers wouldn't miss the start of the second game of the double-header.
Amen!!!
Excellent idea
Pain heals. Chicks dig scars. Glory... lasts forever. ;-)
I’m not a fan of the NFL so I don’t really care. I watched two games this past year, both times while visiting with friends. I saw Jets-Pats playoff game and the Super Bowl. My lasting impression was that the league is completely infested with unsportsmanlike showboaters who dance and taunt after even the most routine plays. I found it quite disgusting,and impossible to care about the outcome.
NFL should stand for Not For Long....
He is absolutely explosive, and makes watching the game exciting, because you never know when he'll explode, but that he ALWAYS has that ability to.
I love that movie.
Over the last couple of weekends I watched the 6 Nations Rugby matches on BBC America. The BBC America announcers described it as Medieval football. 15 players to a side, no padding, no helmets, just shirts, shorts and shoes. Injuries often attended to while play is still going on around and over them. At the end of the game, every player looked like he’d been put through the wringer.
Oh, and no commercial timeouts.
The owners pass foolish crap like rules limiting kickoff returns or the turf all has to be a certain hue of green. For what purposes? Really.
The players union, headed by an Obama thug is getting “thuggier” by the day - look at the bullsh*t about the upcoming draft for example. Again, for what purpose?
Personally, I like football, but have rapidly grown sick of the drama engulfing it. Outside of all the “little people” (scouts, hot dog vendors, ticket takers, printers, etc., etc., etc.) that will suffer, I could honestly give a sh*t if they cancel, decertify, fold, implode or not.
My 2 cents...
One of the main reasons for this change is roster size. Too many teams felt they had to have a long-distance bomber kicker AND an accurate field goal kicker...add in a punter and you have three roster spots going to kickers. This rule change will allow the regular FG kickers to kick off again and eliminate the need to a “kickoff only” guy.
That being the case - returns shouldn’t be effected that much. The coachesd were behind this change (note: the run-up to the ball is also being decreased from 15 to 5 yards).
What you’re saying makes sense, but I’m a “don’t screw with it if it’s working” type of person.
The uniform shade of green grass thing is qweer as sh*t though.
Like I said, they’re losing me and others over this touchy crap.
There aren’t 32 guys in the whole world that can split the uprights and boom it into the end zone? There must be. Teams need to do a better job finding them. Expand the search to lesbians maybe. ;d
I always wondered about that. Hahaha.
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