New Rules: Kickoffs

[JuggernautJ]

Pending final approval:
Among the differences: There will be no running start or pre-kick motion by cover teams and no wedge blocks by return squads. Also, there will be a 15-yard, non-contact zone from the spot of the kick, with the return team required to have a minimum of eight players lined up 15 yards from the ball. The expectation is that this will not only take some of the bigger linemen off the field because there will be a premium on agility and speed to operate in space, but also eliminate some of the violent collisions on the back end of the play. As described, the coverage will resemble what's normally seen on a punt than a "traditional" kickoff.



http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap300000 ... play-safer

[Mark L. Ford]

I suppose it's the best compromise between eliminating the kickoff entirely or sending insurance costs through the roof. The most noticeable change for the average fan is that you'll no longer see the kicking team racing down the field in unison as the ball is being booted. Different, but no big deal. It's football, not the Radio City Music Hall.

[John Grasso]

Among the differences: There will be no running start or pre-kick motion by cover teams

This is becoming ridiculous - sounds like my elementary school "No running in the schoolyard."

[L.C. Greenwood]

I suppose it's the best compromise between eliminating the kickoff entirely or sending insurance costs through the roof. The most noticeable change for the average fan is that you'll no longer see the kicking team racing down the field in unison as the ball is being booted. Different, but no big deal. It's football, not the Radio City Music Hall.

I support eliminating the kickoff in youth football, but this is a massive overreach. The kickoff has been part of the NFL's structure and history, and this is yet another move which chips away at the foundation of the league's popularity.

[Mark L. Ford]

I imagine some of our ancestors had the same complaints back in 1905 about Teddy Roosevelt wimpifying football, but the reality is that the NFL already had to get three-quarters of a billion dollars for the CTE and brain injury cases that arose before the 2013 season, and that they've had 71 concussions in the last three seasons just on kickoffs.

Not to do a physics lecture here, but the brain-rattling force of a collision is a product of the mass of the players involved and their acceleration, and unless you put a weight limit on special teams, the compromise is to reduce the acceleration -- for most players, whatever can be achieved as you go from zero to whatever over a space of 15 yards or less.

[rhickok1109]

I imagine some of our ancestors had the same complaints back in 1905 about Teddy Roosevelt wimpifying football, but the reality is that the NFL already had to get three-quarters of a billion dollars for the CTE and brain injury cases that arose before the 2013 season, and that they've had 71 concussions in the last three seasons just on kickoffs.

Not to do a physics lecture here, but the brain-rattling force of a collision is a product of the mass of the players involved and their acceleration, and unless you put a weight limit on special teams, the compromise is to reduce the acceleration -- for most players, whatever can be achieved as you go from zero to whatever over a space of 15 yards or less.

Wow...some sense is injected into the discussion!

[sluggermatt15]

Yep, and for those who have seen the movie, "Concussion", you might remember the average force of a hit to the head is around 100 G... while the human skull is only meant to protect up to 60 G.