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A drastic change is coming to college football in 2018 as player safety continues to be a top priority.
According to Greg Johnson of NCAA.com, the NCAA Playing Rules Oversight Panel approved a new rule for kickoffs, with fair catches anywhere inside the 25-yard line resulting in touchbacks and the football being placed at the 25-yard line.
Previously, touchbacks only occurred when the kickoff was fielded in the end zone.
How long until kickoffs are eliminated unless other team requests to attempt onside kick?
I agree CD but I still don’t how this makes a difference in player safety.
Well surely it will reduce even further the amount of kick returns. Kick returns being one of the more prone to dangerous big collisions I think it should help.. to what degree is certainly arguable.
How long until kickoffs are eliminated unless other team requests to attempt onside kick?
When they request an onside kick it will be submitted to the refs who will input it into a computer with the historical records of successful attempts given the situational scenario and then award the ball appropriately after the program generates an outcome.
AT you might be spot on but I still don’t see this – if kickoffs are a safety issue (and they are) my choice would be to eliminate them. More effective?
not sure. Football is (as Lombardi said) a collision sport.Understood the reason – wanting to make the game safer. HOWEVER………
This is a virtually worthless resolution. The reason kickoffs are dangerous is players on the kicking team are running down the field full speed to cover – players on the receiving team are blocking. The CONTACT occurs usually before the kick is caught, whether in the end zone, on the 5, or on the 25. The collisions happen anyway. There are some collisions/blocks during the return but these are not the “dangerous” blocks/collisions.
if kickoffs are a safety issue (and they are) my choice would be to eliminate them.
If you eliminate kickoffs altogether that would also remove onside kicks opportunities. Removing that element of the game seems bad for the game on the surface. (remove tool for teams to come back at end of game as well as excitement of the surprise onside kick).
Yes and my point – either all removed or none. Try as the might football is a collision sport. Changing that will massively change the game but maybe we are at that.
Flag football is not on my spectator sport list…especially to pay for a ticket to watch.
"Whomp 'em, Up, Side the Head"!
I agree with Mike in that most of the violent hits take place while the kickoff is still in the air for the reasons he described. Punts are far less dangerous because the players are running alongside one another. I have heard someone put forth the proposal to make kickoffs like punt returns where the players start closer together. The problem with that, on the surface, is that the kicking team could try to pooch the kickoff to get a fair catch, and then you’re back to the receiving team putting more bodies back there.
On the other hand, if you allow the receiving team 3 players (or 2) to be more than 15 yards from the kickoff line, we could see a lot more attempted “onside” kicks with the pooch kick. Then you have to decide, do I kick it deep or go for getting the ball back where I might give the receiving team the ball near midfield. That would change the game but might be fun. Any change changes the game.
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