Ari Meirov @MySportsUpdate
NFL owners have approved a proposal to spot the ball at the 25-yard line on a fair catch of a kickoff made inside the 25. It's a 1-year trial for now.
Special teams coordinators and players around the league were against this. It's happening, anyway.
Your team scores.
Commercial.
Kickoff that is fair caught and comes out to 25 yard line.
Commercial.
As opposed to the far more common:
Your team scores.
Commercial.
Kickoff into the end zone and comes out to 25 yard line.
Commercial.
The game has been completely ruined by this one relatively inconsequential change! I'm never watching again! /s
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will really help the fan experience...
Your team scores.
Commercial.
Kickoff that is fair caught and comes out to 25 yard line.
Commercial.
As opposed to the far more common:
Your team scores.
Commercial.
Kickoff into the end zone and comes out to 25 yard line.
Commercial.
The game has been completely ruined by this one relatively inconsequential change! I'm never watching again! /s
I don't tend to watch other games anymore. I used to watch all the ones I could.
Between moving the kickoff forward and now this, yes it has an impact. They are legislation the elimination of the kickoff return.
Brilliant!
Don't call Goodell if you have rats in your barn.
Your team scores.
Commercial.
Kickoff that is fair caught and comes out to 25 yard line.
Commercial.
They will certainly never implement a rule that decreases commercials.
Exactly. This is really about nothing.
Non-ref opinion, the ball is live until the ref blows the whistle. We have all seen them blow the whistle for kick-offs into the end-zone that aren't caught but I have never seen a whistle blown for a fair catch that hits the ground.
A short kickoff really encourages players to run the ball back because there is a good chance they can make it past the 25 yard line so this really becomes a non-rule, until some kickers can kick off with the trajectory of a punt high enough so it can’t be run back.
Punts are a different issue. This probably will encourage players to fair catch balls that were intended to die on the 5 yard line but I’m not sure this decreases the risk of injury. The greater risk may be when a player who drops a fair catch and the ensuing scramble.
Is there an incentive to running it out? Wouldn't you want your team to take it at the 25? Maybe a last ditch effort at the end of the game I could see it. I always looked at special teams as an equalizer between teams.
Hell make everyone wear them. I'd rather a goofy look than goofy rules.
Yes it's a live ball but as long as no return team member touches it, the only thing the kicking team can do is down it, they can't pick it up and try to score unless someone touches it.
It sounds like the "fair catch" comes into play only if the kick is inside the 25 yard line which would mean that it won't impact onsides kicks at all.
A touchback the ball is placed at the 25 yard line (just like now)
A kick through the endzone the ball is placed at the 20 yard line. (returner will need to stop balls that are rolling to keep them to 25 instead of 20)
A kick through the uprights the other team starts at the 15 yard line
If this is the rule, the strategy is almost always going to be trying to get it through the uprights. The high kick to pin them would no longer be the best strategy. Plus, The play has meaning again, and it's based on the talent of the kicker.
Just thought of this too...If you really want to make it interesting, if the ball hits the uprights or crossbar, the ball is placed at the 5 yard line!?? Wonder what the probabilities are? Maybe that's going too far!
I think it will be fairly common for kicks inside the 5 to be fair caught.
Reminds of how Bettman thought minimizing fighting would help with the popularity of the game.
Idiots
I know it's been a few hours but I would like to +1 this thank you.
Which players? I'm guessing not the ones that are specifically employed to be on special teams.
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story short, the NFL (and much of corporate America) is now run by retards.
I know it's been a few hours but I would like to +1 this thank you.
The players sued the NFL over concussions and got a big settlement. I'm no lawyer, but NFL needs to make game safer to avoid more lawsuits.
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In comment 16121738 Eric from BBI said:
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story short, the NFL (and much of corporate America) is now run by retards.
I know it's been a few hours but I would like to +1 this thank you.
The players sued the NFL over concussions and got a big settlement. I'm no lawyer, but NFL needs to make game safer to avoid more lawsuits.
Then why flex TNF if player safety is of primary importance?
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it was inevitable
Which players? I'm guessing not the ones that are specifically employed to be on special teams.
[Url]https://www.nfl.com/news/nfl-ex-players-agree-to-765m-settlement-in-concussions-suit-0ap1000000235494[/url]
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In comment 16122068 uther99 said:
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it was inevitable
Which players? I'm guessing not the ones that are specifically employed to be on special teams.
[Url]https://www.nfl.com/news/nfl-ex-players-agree-to-765m-settlement-in-concussions-suit-0ap1000000235494[/url]
sorry but you're going to have a hard time convincing me that a lawsuit from 2013 is going to placate the worries of players who are currently being employed specifically for special teams roles.
If it’s at or beyond the 25, the DT waves his arm.
If it’s the 26 forward, the DT is a hulking bulk of blocker with a head of steam running interference.
A unique sight indeed!
If it’s at or beyond the 25, the DT waves his arm.
If it’s the 26 forward, the DT is a hulking bulk of blocker with a head of steam running interference.
A unique sight indeed!
Once he waves his arms that massive DT would have to field the kick.
So they continually have to "make a good faith effort" to show they are working to reduce possible injuries
Once the NCAA adopts a practice, it becomes the industry gold standard and the NFL has to follow suit
So blame the litigation culture that we have created. It's not the NFL and it's not Roger G. Goodell is actually doing the smart thing.
As far as players and coaches opposing it, that is meaningless. The players who someday will file suit will claim they were forced and coerced to engage in this violent practice if they wanted to keep their jobs.
It will be interesting to see what coaches will do. The Giants return game generally sucks
You still have plenty of kickers who can kick the ball out of the end zone
I don’t think it’s a huge deal, most kicks are touchbacks these days anyway.
It will be interesting to see what coaches will do. The Giants return game generally sucks
You still have plenty of kickers who can kick the ball out of the end zone
Exactly. The overreaction seems partially performative.
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I don’t recall seeing this as being a mandatory fair catch scenario. Players are still going to run back kicks. There are still very good kick returners and nothing will change with them
It will be interesting to see what coaches will do. The Giants return game generally sucks
You still have plenty of kickers who can kick the ball out of the end zone
Exactly. The overreaction seems partially performative.
While I'd prefer a return to good old fashioned kickoffs, this doesn't seem like a big deal. It realistically matters only on an occasional kick.
The numbers I saw were 36% of KOs returned last year estimated to drop to 31%.
It's a piece of their pie being taken away. Rendering what they do a notch lower on the overall relevance scale in the game.
Probably because it reduces potential impact plays. Maybe also because it waters down the sport -- that's why I oppose it.
Given only ~1/3 of all kickoffs returned, of which a large % could have been touchbacks anyway, I can't envision much impact.
Don't get me wrong - I'm with you. I wish they'd stop F'ing with the game.
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then why did all of the special teams coaches in the NFL oppose it?
It's a piece of their pie being taken away. Rendering what they do a notch lower on the overall relevance scale in the game.
+1
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In comment 16122319 Eric from BBI said:
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then why did all of the special teams coaches in the NFL oppose it?
It's a piece of their pie being taken away. Rendering what they do a notch lower on the overall relevance scale in the game.
+1
+2
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If the returner signals fair catch and lets the ball hit the ground at the five yard line, is it a live ball? Does the return team need to field it to end the play? What if it rolls into the endzone?
Yes it's a live ball but as long as no return team member touches it, the only thing the kicking team can do is down it, they can't pick it up and try to score unless someone touches it.
Actually, what you described is the rule for punts.
On kickoffs it's always a live ball, it just needs to travel 10+ yards, and you don't need the returning team to touch it before you can recover it or score.
I agree. Who I think this rule change prejudices most is teams with good specials who go down in a game and could come back by good kickoffs and kickoff coverage - but this rule takes that opportunity away.
Rich Eisen: NFL’s New Fair Catch Rule Has Essentially Destroyed the Kickoff | The Rich Eisen Show - ( New Window )
I saw Rich Eisen's take on this. He is also correct.
Ruining the game slowly with all of the changes. Individually, not single change will push fans away. It is something that will happen over time.
At some point, fans will not want to go to games. The best parts of the game will be removed including hard hits. Yes, that is already happening. Roughness calls on extremely hard hits are already being called. Now, removing kickoffs and the excitement that comes with that play.