NFL considers new kickoff rules

[balta1701-A]

A team with a pretty decent return game/return man might be exceptionally impacted by these proposed kickoff rule changes.

As explained by committee chairman Rich McKay, who is also the Atlanta Falcons' president, the rule would impose these primary changes:

 

1. Moving the kickoff 5 yards, from the 30-yard line to the 35.

 

2. Eliminating wedge blocking

 

3. Limit the head start that kickoff coverage men can take to 5 yards.

 

4. Moving touchback placement from the 20-yard line to the 25

I'm not sure how they'd enforce the "Wedge" part, probably something about positioning, but this could seriously change the special teams game. Moving the kickoff up and putting an extra 5 yards on touchbacks would certainly increase the amount of touchbacks and dramatically curtail the number of returns in a game.

[madlithuanian]

Fine by me. Hester will still return anything that's kicked to him in or in front of the end zone...right into the opposite end zone!

 

A team with a pretty decent return game/return man might be exceptionally impacted by these proposed kickoff rule changes.

I'm not sure how they'd enforce the "Wedge" part, probably something about positioning, but this could seriously change the special teams game. Moving the kickoff up and putting an extra 5 yards on touchbacks would certainly increase the amount of touchbacks and dramatically curtail the number of returns in a game.

 

[defiantgiant]

Hate to say it, but I'm kind of with the league on this one. If they're serious about improving player safety and reducing concussions, changing the kickoff rules would do way more good than that dumb, vague rule about "devastating hits" will. Kickoffs are probably the single most dangerous part of the sport, and even worse, those kick return/coverage teams are usually manned by guys making close to the league minimum. Without an effective retirement fund for former players, those gunners and wedge-breakers probably can't even pay their medical bills five or ten years down the line. I'd hate to see the Bears lose that magic that Hester (and Manning/Knox) can do on returns, but something's got to give in terms of player safety.

[madlithuanian]

No argument to safety...

 

Just wondering, does anyone know the %-age of serious injury on ST vs regular play? My recollection seems to think all the major injuries all occurred on regular plays and not ST... But it could be that there simply aren't as many ST plays...

 

Hate to say it, but I'm kind of with the league on this one. If they're serious about improving player safety and reducing concussions, changing the kickoff rules would do way more good than that dumb, vague rule about "devastating hits" will. Kickoffs are probably the single most dangerous part of the sport, and even worse, those kick return/coverage teams are usually manned by guys making close to the league minimum. Without an effective retirement fund for former players, those gunners and wedge-breakers probably can't even pay their medical bills five or ten years down the line. I'd hate to see the Bears lose that magic that Hester (and Manning/Knox) can do on returns, but something's got to give in terms of player safety.

 

[bowlingtwig]

Hate to say it, but I'm kind of with the league on this one. If they're serious about improving player safety and reducing concussions, changing the kickoff rules would do way more good than that dumb, vague rule about "devastating hits" will. Kickoffs are probably the single most dangerous part of the sport, and even worse, those kick return/coverage teams are usually manned by guys making close to the league minimum. Without an effective retirement fund for former players, those gunners and wedge-breakers probably can't even pay their medical bills five or ten years down the line. I'd hate to see the Bears lose that magic that Hester (and Manning/Knox) can do on returns, but something's got to give in terms of player safety.

I am all for player safety also. But I don't get the owners. They say they want player safety and everything and come out with this idea, which sounds great, but then couple this idea with the fact that they are adamant on have an 18 game season. Something has to give.

[defiantgiant]

I am all for player safety also. But I don't get the owners. They say they want player safety and everything and come out with this idea, which sounds great, but then couple this idea with the fact that they are adamant on have an 18 game season. Something has to give.

 

Yeah, it's hard to reconcile an 18 game season with their supposed emphasis on player safety unless they get rid of two preseason games, which the owners don't want to do, since they make people buy those tickets for full price with their season passes.

 

The cynic in me says that the league is fine with making little changes to make it appear that they're doing something, but they won't ever take on the big, difficult problems. Fine players for big hits? No problem, that's an easy change to put in place. Mandate less contact or no contact in practices? They might do that. But when they're facing big, intractable problems, they stick their heads in the sand. Like how the three-point stance and shoulder tackling might contribute at least as much to players developing CTE later in life as actual concussions do. Or how much money it would cost to really take care of every former player's medical expenses, even just for injuries they got playing football. The league's going to have to address those issues sooner or later, and so far they seem to be picking later.

 

To be fair, I don't know how they would really attack those problems. Changing kickoffs is a good first step, and I'd be all for reducing contact in practices. But if you put linemen in two-point stances and make everyone chest-tackle, that's making it a different game. Saying that would be an unpopular move is a massive understatement. At the very least, though, they can't make the players go through two more weeks of punishment. Knowing what they know now about CTE, it'd be completely irresponsible.

[madlithuanian]

Well said!

 

I also just read on PFT that Sweatty Teddy looks to oppose this new kickoff rule...

 

Yeah, it's hard to reconcile an 18 game season with their supposed emphasis on player safety unless they get rid of two preseason games, which the owners don't want to do, since they make people buy those tickets for full price with their season passes.

 

The cynic in me says that the league is fine with making little changes to make it appear that they're doing something, but they won't ever take on the big, difficult problems. Fine players for big hits? No problem, that's an easy change to put in place. Mandate less contact or no contact in practices? They might do that. But when they're facing big, intractable problems, they stick their heads in the sand. Like how the three-point stance and shoulder tackling might contribute at least as much to players developing CTE later in life as actual concussions do. Or how much money it would cost to really take care of every former player's medical expenses, even just for injuries they got playing football. The league's going to have to address those issues sooner or later, and so far they seem to be picking later.

 

To be fair, I don't know how they would really attack those problems. Changing kickoffs is a good first step, and I'd be all for reducing contact in practices. But if you put linemen in two-point stances and make everyone chest-tackle, that's making it a different game. Saying that would be an unpopular move is a massive understatement. At the very least, though, they can't make the players go through two more weeks of punishment. Knowing what they know now about CTE, it'd be completely irresponsible.

 

[bradjock]

Maybe it's because I'm a Bear fan, but two of the things I enjoy most about football are: 1--Crushing the QB, 2--the return game

 

While I'm all for player safety, this is a contact sport predicated on tackling your opponent. While you're at it, why not make boxing a non-contact sport?

 

I was furious at a few of the "roughing the QB" calls this season that went for and against the Bears. Too many rules diminishes the game.

[Bears4Ever_34]

Wow what a stupid fuckin rule! I'm pissed. Totally takes all the great returners out of the game. Now they decided to keep the touchback at the 20?! God damn, these owners are idiots. freak the NFL.

[Ed Hochuli 3:16]

Nothing like taking the most exciting player in football right out of being the most exciting player in football. What's next? Moving punts up 10 yards FOR SAFETY? Bulls***. Maybe I'm over-reacting, but this has a negative effect on the Bears already for 2011.

 

And BTW, this is 1 more reason to not sign D.Manning to an extension.

[madlithuanian]

Can't blame your reaction...

 

And most certianly can't argue against your take on Danielle....

 

 

 

Nothing like taking the most exciting player in football right out of being the most exciting player in football. What's next? Moving punts up 10 yards FOR SAFETY? Bulls***. Maybe I'm over-reacting, but this has a negative effect on the Bears already for 2011.

 

And BTW, this is 1 more reason to not sign D.Manning to an extension.

 

[flea]

Meh, so they moved it back to where it was before. There will still be KR TD's just not as many

[jason]

Meh, so they moved it back to where it was before. There will still be KR TD's just not as many

 

There is a difference now, however. The touchbacks are happening more frequently. Moving the line to where it was before will cause quite a few more touchbacks. Janikowski will be kicking them out of the endzone. The kickers are getting bigger and stronger now. Hell, Janikowski probably would have been Nagurski-esque if he played back in the day.

[flea]

agree there'l be more touchbacks, thats the reason they moved it back to begin with they had already started to increase

[AZ54]

I actually think this will improve the effectiveness of guys like Hester on kickoffs. I know most of the kickoffs will be touchbacks, the league estimates 70%. With less returns teams coverage units, especially those with good kickers, won't have much coverage practice. Fact is if almost all of your kick coverages are just running down to see a guy take a knee it's easy to get complacent. What happens on the one time he runs it out? Also, with less of a return threat coaches are more likely to keep better players off the coverage units so they are more effective with the offense/defense.

 

I think we''ll see a lot less returns but of those KOs that get returned a much higher percentage will go for TDs, and/or big runbacks to midfield.

 

 

[defiantgiant]

I actually think this will improve the effectiveness of guys like Hester on kickoffs. I know most of the kickoffs will be touchbacks, the league estimates 70%. With less returns teams coverage units, especially those with good kickers, won't have much coverage practice. Fact is if almost all of your kick coverages are just running down to see a guy take a knee it's easy to get complacent. What happens on the one time he runs it out? Also, with less of a return threat coaches are more likely to keep better players off the coverage units so they are more effective with the offense/defense.

 

I think we''ll see a lot less returns but of those KOs that get returned a much higher percentage will go for TDs, and/or big runbacks to midfield.

 

I could see that happening. Also, I've always maintained that Hester is a good-to-great KR, but a once-in-a-lifetime PR. I don't think the new rules will really hurt the part of his game that makes him a really special player. Plus, it's much harder to punt out of bounds while getting adequate distance than it is to just boot a kickoff into the end zone. Teams are still going to have to choose between punting to Hester and giving the Bears' offense 10-15 extra yards of field position. That's still a lose-lose for any team that has to face our ST unit.

[adam]

How many KO TD returns have the Bears had in recent years? I don't believe it has been that many. I know Hester hasn't had any in awhile, so the impact on him will be minimal.

[jason]

How many TD returns have the Bears had in recent years? I don't believe it has been that many. I know Hester hasn't had any in awhile, so the impact on him will be minimal.

 

 

I don't know if it's necessarily about TDs. It's about field position. I believe Hester had the best KO return average in the NFL. The other guys weren't bad either. It was definitely an advantage the Bears had. Now that advantage is lessened.

[Ed Hochuli 3:16]

How many KO TD returns have the Bears had in recent years? I don't believe it has been that many. I know Hester hasn't had any in awhile, so the impact on him will be minimal.

Hester had 3 in 2006 (including the Super Bowl) and 2 in 2007. I know Manning had one 2 or 3 years ago vs New Orleans on Thursday Night Football on the opening kickoff of the game. Knox had the one last year, vs I believe Detroit, where that ballboy stayed with him all the way down the sidelines.

 

That's 7 in 5 years off the top of my head. I might be missing 1 or 2, too.

[defiantgiant]

I don't know if it's necessarily about TDs. It's about field position. I believe Hester had the best KO return average in the NFL. The other guys weren't bad either. It was definitely an advantage the Bears had. Now that advantage is lessened.

It definitely lessens our advantage somewhat, but it could be a lot worse. Hester's MUCH more of a weapon on punts than he ever was on kick returns. Check this out:

 

Hester on Kick Returns

In 2010, Hester had the best average among returners with at least 10 returns, but he only returned 12 kicks on the season, which is a pretty small sample size. There's reason to believe that his average would have come down some if he'd been a full-time KR (meaning at least 30-40 kick returns on the season.) His best previous average as a KR was 26.4 yards (on just 20 returns) back in 2006...that would have ranked him 5th among KRs with at least 10 returns.

 

If Hester were to go back to full-time kickoff returns for a whole season, I don't think he'd average better than 26-27 yards. That means that he'd net 3 to 5 yards more than a league-average returner (league-average kick return distance being somewhere between 22 and 23 yards.) Having fewer opportunities to get that 3 to 5 yards will hurt a little bit, but not that much.

 

Hester on Punt Returns

Meanwhile, Hester's punt return average this season was 17.1 yards. Looking at PRs with at least 10 returns, that's the best mark in the league by a MILE. The average for PRs across the league is between 9 and 10 yards per return. So Hester's getting us 7, maybe 8 extra yards of field position on punts.

 

For comparison, the difference between the best and worst avg net yards per punt in 2010 was only 9.2 yards. That means that a top-5 punter/coverage team kicking to Hester is like the worst punter/coverage team in the NFL kicking to an average returner. Think about that - you could have an elite ST unit, and you still KNOW that Hester will eat them up. It doesn't matter who they are, he'll tee off on them like they were the worst unit in the NFL.

 

Hester might be very good, even great, on kick returns. On punt returns, though, he actually changes the game. He takes a unit that was supposed to be your team's strength and turns it into a liability. That's crazy. Long story short: as long as the rules committee doesn't mess with punts, Hester's still going to be the most dangerous return man in history.

[madlithuanian]

Now you went and turned my frown upside down!

 

It definitely lessens our advantage somewhat, but it could be a lot worse. Hester's MUCH more of a weapon on punts than he ever was on kick returns. Check this out:

 

Hester on Kick Returns

In 2010, Hester had the best average among returners with at least 10 returns, but he only returned 12 kicks on the season, which is a pretty small sample size. There's reason to believe that his average would have come down some if he'd been a full-time KR (meaning at least 30-40 kick returns on the season.) His best previous average as a KR was 26.4 yards (on just 20 returns) back in 2006...that would have ranked him 5th among KRs with at least 10 returns.

 

If Hester were to go back to full-time kickoff returns for a whole season, I don't think he'd average better than 26-27 yards. That means that he'd net 3 to 5 yards more than a league-average returner (league-average kick return distance being somewhere between 22 and 23 yards.) Having fewer opportunities to get that 3 to 5 yards will hurt a little bit, but not that much.

 

Hester on Punt Returns

Meanwhile, Hester's punt return average this season was 17.1 yards. Looking at PRs with at least 10 returns, that's the best mark in the league by a MILE. The average for PRs across the league is between 9 and 10 yards per return. So Hester's getting us 7, maybe 8 extra yards of field position on punts.

 

For comparison, the difference between the best and worst avg net yards per punt in 2010 was only 9.2 yards. That means that a top-5 punter/coverage team kicking to Hester is like the worst punter/coverage team in the NFL kicking to an average returner. Think about that - you could have an elite ST unit, and you still KNOW that Hester will eat them up. It doesn't matter who they are, he'll tee off on them like they were the worst unit in the NFL.

 

Hester might be very good, even great, on kick returns. On punt returns, though, he actually changes the game. He takes a unit that was supposed to be your team's strength and turns it into a liability. That's crazy. Long story short: as long as the rules committee doesn't mess with punts, Hester's still going to be the most dangerous return man in history.

 

[adam]

I don't know if it's necessarily about TDs. It's about field position. I believe Hester had the best KO return average in the NFL. The other guys weren't bad either. It was definitely an advantage the Bears had. Now that advantage is lessened.

Hester would've been 1st, but only had 12 returns so he didn't qualify (and one was for 75). Otherwise Manning was 14th at 24.7 a return. 22 Returners averaged over 23 yards a return, so the difference is not that big on kickoffs. We got our great field position on punts more than kickoffs.