Each year following the NFL season the NFL Competition Committee gathers to propose new rule changes to be made for the upcoming season. The game of football is ever changing and requires some tweaking of the rules to adjust to the increased athleticism of the game and protect the safety of its players, but this new rule proposal is ridiculous: For next year, the NFL Competition Committee Co-Chairs Jeff Fisher of the Tennessee Titans and Rich McKay of the Atlanta Falcons and the rest of the committee are suggesting that kickers should kick the ball off at the 35-yard line rather than the current spot at the 30-yard line.
This proposed rule is meant to protect the players as kickoffs are regarded as one of the most dangerous plays in the game today. With players these days running sub 4.4 second 40-yard dash times and taking off full speed at the ball carrier, injuries are going to happen, right? While the play is often a dangerous one, the Competition Committee’s solution of moving the kicker forward 5 yards is not good for football.
While most kickoffs seem routine where the ball carrier rarely gets past his own 30-yard line, some provide replays that are shown on television highlight shows for days later. In football, few things are as exciting as seeing someone evade 11 defenders and run 100 yards into the end zone. Completing the run is no easy feat and never fails to rile up a crowd.
With the majority of kickers these days having no problem booting the ball 65 yards downfield, we may see the number of returnable balls decrease. Not only would this rob fans of a spectacular play, but it would reduce the effectiveness of special team players. Suddenly, the value of kickers who can kick very far, but are not that accurate drops as kickers will all have improved chances of kicking the ball into the end zone for a touch back. Additionally, second and third-string players who make money as return specialists will be in lower demand and teams who have enjoyed an edge over their opponents in the special teams aspect may see their advantage balance out.
Last year, in order to minimize collisions, the NFL ruled that blockers were no longer allowed to form a wedge for the return man with more than two players. While this did not have a huge impact on the return average, one can argue that it did cause there to be less head on collisions between defenders and blockers, even if making the return man more vulnerable in the process.
Additionally, in another attempt to minimize harm to the game’s players, the NFL’s Competition Committee has proposed that coverage units get no more than a 5-yard running start before crossing the point of kickoff. Currently there are no rules limiting how much ground coverage units can cover before the ball is kicked off and the Competition Committee is worried that extended time to catch momentum may be dangerous for return teams often running backward before coming to a complete stop to block another player.
While I do believe that this rule along with the elimination of the three-man wedge has the potential to make the game safer, moving the point of kickoff forward five yards does little to prevent harmful collisions other than reducing the chance that a return man will even choose to attempt the play. If the NFL Competition Committee was really concerned about kickoffs, they would eliminate them completely, not just reduce the amount of returnable balls and make a mockery of football.
While it is true that football needs to adapt to the transformation of its athletes, this is going a bit far. What’s next? Two hand touch football?
I don't know much about football but I think an overarching theme is regulating violence and potential injury in sports. Another issue similar to this one that has been in the news is New York's resistance to recognizing MMA as a sport. The issue is that policy makers believe they're legitimizing the violent aspect of it. The editor of Men's Health is of this particular camp and has still refused to put any MMA athlete on the cover of the magazine. I honestly believe football can be equally as dangerous as MMA, as shown by the elements of your post, and wonder if the pads have anything to do with creating a facade that it's somehow safer to participate in?
ReplyDeleteAn interesting counterpoint to the NFL's intentions would be that moving the kickoff closer has the potential to put the returner at greater danger. Strategically speaking, a high floating kick typically leads to better field position for the kicking team. This strategy is commonly seen on punts. Shortening the kickoff distance would allow the kicker greater flexibility to pop a floater near, but not past, the goal line, allowing the coverage team more time to get down field and deliver a pop on the returner. Whether teams will decide to implement this strategy, or simply boot the ball through the end zone (like the NFL wants them to), we will soon see.
ReplyDeleteIt should be great to see how this new rule takes affect next year. On one side there's the safer because more touchbacks argument. Opposingly this wil reduce the amount of long returns, which can be the most exciting plays of the games. Personally I am against the rule. The majority of big hits, or dangerous hits that lead to concussion, do not happen on kickoff plays.
ReplyDeleteI'm 100% for player safety. Athletes can only be so safe when playing a contact sport as intense as football. This means the NFL must work to reach that level. This includes actually teaching the players to hit with their heads up. If the argument for the change is player safety, then to me that's a garbage reason. There's actually a school of thought that says these new rules could be more dangerous.
Personally this takes away from a great part of the NFL game. Speedy return men such as Devin Hester can now be eliminated as a threat because the kicker can earn a touchback easier.
This is one rule that the NFL didn't need to change. However, the competition committee of the NFL is extensive in their research. People rioted when the 2-point conversion was introduced. There was fan backlash to the creation of the onside kick. However these additions to the game have become staple plays of football. Sometimes you just have to trust the people who know more about what they are talking about.