Replacing the kickoff

[HaruSoul]

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell has landed on the cover of TIME magazine. The accompanying article contains plenty of interesting nuggets.

Here’s the first one that caught our eye.

Sean Gregory of TIME writes that one of the options being considered for replacing kickoffs entails giving the ball to the team that would have been kicking off at its own 30, automatically facing a fourth down and 15 yards to go. The team can then choose to punt or go for it, via fake punt or otherwise.

In other words, the kickoff would be replaced with the punt, and the onside kick would be replaced with a fourth-down conversion roughly half the distance of Ray Rice’s recent catch-and-run.

The idea would be to remove completely the high-speed, open-field collisions between large men who dip their heads instinctively at impact and place extra pressure on the C3-C4 area of the spine. While other injuries would be possible during the punt play that replaces the kickoff, the risk of catastrophic injury would be reduced.

The move also would make punters, long snappers, and gunners more important, along with punt returners. In turn, kickoff specialists would become extinct, and return specialists who are much better returning kicks than punts would be far less valuable to the broader roster.

Goodell says the idea came from Bucs coach Greg Schiano. The fact that Goodell mentioned to Gregory it means that the league is at least considering it — and that the league perhaps wants to see how folks react to the possibility.

[Pinstripe power]

**** you goodell

[{Ron!n}]

What a joke. Like someone mentioned in the comments, a team could decide to go for it on the first drive of the game, convert and score and then do the same thing for the rest of the game. Obviously you can do the same with the onside kick, but 4th and 15 is a much higher percentage. Not to mention, punts aren't that much safer than kickoffs in the first place.

It's a stupid rule, just like moving the kickoff to the 35 was stupid. It's done nothing to decrease injuries and just makes the game less exciting.

[HaruSoul]

What a joke. Like someone mentioned in the comments, a team could decide to go for it on the first drive of the game, convert and score and then do the same thing for the rest of the game. It's a stupid rule, just like moving the kickoff to the 35 was stupid.

It's done nothing to decrease injuries and just makes the game less exciting.

Not saying I agree with the change at all, but to be fair you can score on the first drive of the game and go for an onside kick and recover for the rest of the game also.

[Cub_StuckinSTL]

**** you goodell

[j11430]

I would be so pissed if this happens. There's no way it gets passed, Goodell would lose too many supporters among the organizations and owners

[{Ron!n}]

Not saying I agree with the change at all, but to be fair you can score on the first drive of the game and go for an onside kick and recover for the rest of the game also.

Yeah, I edited my post afterwards. I think 4th and 15 is much easier.

[Pinstripe power]

Not saying I agree with the change at all, but to be fair you can score on the first drive of the game and go for an onside kick and recover for the rest of the game also.

thats much harder than converting a 4th and 15, considering all the offensive friendly rules

[NYSPORTS98]

A winded defense might never get off the field. The Saints at home and any given Sunday the Pats would hang 70 points.

[{Ron!n}]

If you really want to make teams punt the ball, why not just make the rule be that they punt it? Stupid.

[HaruSoul]

If you really want to make teams punt the ball, why not just make the rule be that they punt it? Stupid.

Because then it removes the onside kick aspect of the kickoff.

[SenecaValley46]

And people on here still like him ive been saying for years hes ruining the game and everyone looks at me like im a crazy person

[jrm2054]

This is a awful idea

[turk2875]

This is literally the worst idea I've ever heard by any sports commissioner. He's just making up things as he goes now and it's really ruining the game.

[richiesaurus310]

The only part that I dont like about this is the loss of the onside kick. Other than that I can live without the kickoff. Like 47% of kickoffs are touchbacks now anyways, it really wouldnt be that big of a loss.