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Rule Change (proposed) - Fair Catch on Kickoffs

Why even have kickoffs then?

I guess a byproduct of this would be that there will be bigger returns when returners do decide to attempt a return because coverage teams won't have as much experience actually covering.
 
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Not saying pro or con, just asking: who here has actual experience covering/returning kickoffs at the college level? Hard, hard hits you can't protect yourself from. Young guys that want to kill someone love it, but it ain't good for the melon.
 
Yeah, yeah... the "pussification of football", etc.

But kickoffs are probably the most violent plays in all of football and what many on here don't understand is that the future of football is at risk. There are more and more parents who won't let their kids play football because of the head trauma.

So it's quite easy for a fan to simply roll our eyes and say "gosh, this is dumb" but if you're one of the leaders and you do nothing to address this growing trend, you're considered tone deaf in a time when the sport you are overseeing is at a vital point in its future trajectory.
 
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chicolby said:
Yeah, yeah... the "pussification of football", etc.

But kickoffs are probably the most violent plays in all of football and what many on here don't understand is that the future of football is at risk. There are more and more parents who won't let their kids play football because of the head trauma.

So it's quite easy for a fan to simply roll our eyes and say "gosh, this is dumb" but if you're one of the leaders and you do nothing to address this growing trend, you're considered tone deaf in a time when the sport you are overseeing is at a vital point in its future trajectory.
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Yes but the future of football is also at risk due to making changes like these, at some point it becomes a game that no longer captures your interest as it once did....the NFL is at that point for me it's unwatchable and I would hate to see the college game get there.
 
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chicolby said:
Yeah, yeah... the "pussification of football", etc.

But kickoffs are probably the most violent plays in all of football and what many on here don't understand is that the future of football is at risk. There are more and more parents who won't let their kids play football because of the head trauma.

So it's quite easy for a fan to simply roll our eyes and say "gosh, this is dumb" but if you're one of the leaders and you do nothing to address this growing trend, you're considered tone deaf in a time when the sport you are overseeing is at a vital point in its future trajectory.
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CDMXHusker said:
Yes but the future of football is also at risk due to making changes like these, at some point it becomes a game that no longer captures your interest as it once did....the NFL is at that point for me it's unwatchable and I would hate to see the college game get there.
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At what point do they get rid of kickoffs all together and come up with an alternative for onside kick situations like they are doing with PATs/2-pt conversions in the NFL?
 
A rule like this makes sense in Pee Wee, Junior high or High school but not College and Pro if it would filter down to that.

If the ball is kicked in the End zone in high school it automatically goes out, they can return it if it doesn’t.
 
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I don't think it will make that much of a difference. It seems like most drives start at around the 25 anyway (either touchbacks or returns). I would however, like to see them institute the "losers walk" rule after TDs. And I think we would have benefited from the "5 Mississippi" rush rule last year also.
 
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If football is not to be sued out of existence, they have to reduce the number of permanent brain injuries. Because the game is inherently violent, all they can really do is identify the areas of the game that produce the biggest collisions but have the least overall impact on the soul of the game. As a fan, if you had to choose between kickoff returns or tackling, what would you do? Kickoffs feature people running full-speed in one direction trying to hit someone else running full-speed in the opposite direction. Lots of injuries, and the net result is the guy is usually down at the 25 yard line anyway.

This is no more the "pussification of America" than the installation of seat belts on cars or safety valves on gas furnaces. Preventing serious bodily harm is smart, not weak.
 
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How many teams have the kicker kick it high in the sky while trying to get it to land inside the 5 yard line, giving the kickoff team time to sprint down the field to make the tackle inside the 20?

Most teams. We have been getting our kickers to do this when not trying to kick it out of the end zone.

Kicking out of the end zone 3 times in a row, then kicking it high to the 1, might get some return teams to relax if they assume it will be kicked out of the end zone, giving the kickoff team a better chance to tackle them inside the 20.

Can't someone invent some new method to replace the kickoff that would still be exciting? Can't we steal some ideas from Rugby? That sport is safe... hence the copying of the tackling methods! lol
 
redfanusa said:
If football is not to be sued out of existence, they have to reduce the number of permanent brain injuries.
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It's coming in other sports as well. Soccer and hockey have the same problem. I think 25 years from now several sports will not be recognizable as ones we grew up with. Not saying it's bad.

But the outcome is fairly predictable.
  • Parent puts kid into sport that has published, verified studies demonstrating risk of CTE like brain injury.
  • Kid develops CTE-like condition at some point in their career.
  • ______________ (fill in the blank) very bad result involving kid is linked to behavior characteristic of someone suffering from CTE condition.
  • Kid's family awarded 100 million dollar judgement in civil court against (fill in the blank league, school district, or school).
 
Maybe they could eliminate the kickoff, unless the kicking team declares its intention for an onside kick. And because everyone will now know that the onside kick is coming, you move the ball up a couple of yards so it only has to go 8 yards (or 7, or whatever) before being legally recovered. That seems like a good trade-off that would make onside kicks more interesting.
 
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Ignorance was bliss. Teddy Roosevelt almost outlawed the game due to yearly deaths from head injury in football.
 
Better get rid on onside kicks while they’re at it then. Some of the biggest collisions on kickoffs are on onside kicks.
 
They could make it so if you file a lawsuit and lose, you have to pay the accused's legal fees, plus pay the accused his salary lost while appearing in court, plus the jurors' $10.00/day and $0.25/mile mileage. That would cut down on frivolous lawsuits.
 
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This rule is only for Fair Catches. Run backs aren't affected. The player still has to call for the Fair Catch, and then they have to actually make the Fair Catch - so there's still a whole lot that can happen on a Kickoff, one way or the other, even with this rule.
 
CDMXHusker said:
Yes but the future of football is also at risk due to making changes like these, at some point it becomes a game that no longer captures your interest as it once did....the NFL is at that point for me it's unwatchable and I would hate to see the college game get there.
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Agreed. When someone shows these kids how to put on a uniform properly I might think more of it. No one wears knee pads anymore. They run around wearing knickers and they somehow along the way forgot how to properly size helmets and forgot to watch the video on how to properly snap a chin strap.
 
huskerfan66 said:
Agreed. When someone shows these kids how to put on a uniform properly I might think more of it. No one wears knee pads anymore. They run around wearing knickers and they somehow along the way forgot how to properly size helmets and forgot to watch the video on how to properly snap a chin strap.
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And, in some cases, hip pads - which is baffling to me. Even when wearing hip pads, I thought it hurt like Hell to take a shoulder or helmet to the hip.
 
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huskerfan66 said:
Agreed. When someone shows these kids how to put on a uniform properly I might think more of it. No one wears knee pads anymore. They run around wearing knickers and they somehow along the way forgot how to properly size helmets and forgot to watch the video on how to properly snap a chin strap.
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I can't speak for colleges that fit the helmets but I can tell you that the HS coaches I have been around are anal about the helmet fitting correctly. When I played HS ball in the late 60's and early 70's the tighter you could get that thing on your head, the better. We had to grab it below the ear holes and spread it out to get it on. I am going to guess on this, but they take great care and time to make certainly a helmet fits properly. Too much liability not to.
 
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schuele said:
And, in some cases, hip pads - which is baffling to me. Even when wearing hip pads, I thought it hurt like Hell to take a shoulder or helmet to the hip.
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Yep. When is the last time you saw butt pads to protect your tailbone. Thigh pads are almost non-existent either
 
TruHusker said:
I can't speak for colleges that fit the helmets but I can tell you that the HS coaches I have been around are anal about the helmet fitting correctly. When I played HS ball in the late 60's and early 70's the tighter you could get that thing on your head, the better. We had to grab it below the ear holes and spread it out to get it on. I am going to guess on this, but they take great care and time to make certainly a helmet fits properly. Too much liability not to.
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When you can take one hand and grab your helmet by the facemask and slide it on your head itsi way too big.

IF we tried taking our helmets on and off the way they do now it would have ripped our ears off. Either they have totally changed styles or something. But a loose fitting helmet is a sure fire way to get your bell rung.
 
redfanusa said:
If football is not to be sued out of existence, they have to reduce the number of permanent brain injuries
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I'm trying to think of all the huskers that had permanent brain injuries in the last 30 years, and all I can come up with was Scotty Baldwin & Harrison Beck, but I doubt either were the result of football.

Where are all these permanent brain injuries you are talking about?
 
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NikkiSixx said:
I'm trying to think of all the huskers that had permanent brain injuries in the last 30 years, and all I can come up with was Scotty Baldwin & Harrison Beck, but I doubt either were the result of football.

Where are all these permanent brain injuries you are talking about?
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Blake Lawrence. Not sure if it is "permanent brain injury" but he could not risk anymore concussion etc
 
huskerfan66 said:
Blake Lawrence
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I thought he quit to avoid getting another concussion and he actually seems normal, but okay, I guess we have to define what a permanent brain injury is.. I assumed like a real visible issue with some part of how the brain functions. Is a concussion a permanent brain injury?
 
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huskerfan66 said:
Yep. When is the last time you saw butt pads to protect your tailbone. Thigh pads are almost non-existent either
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Well the lower body pads are a lot more form-fitting and less bulky than they were back in the day, so I think a lot of players still wear them. But some definitely do not, and I don't see how they do that without getting constantly injured.
 
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jlb321 said:
team can fair catch a KO anywhere inside the 25 and the ball will be placed at the 25

https://www.ncaa.com/news/football/...lege-football-change-kickoff-rule-recommended
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Idea

Just shorten the field to 25 yards and the end zone. Just play the whole game with overtime rules. Spot the ball on the 25 and go. No need for 4 quarters with this format. Just play half a quarter with overtime rules.

Teams could then fill in the rest of the unused space with extra seats. They’ll need ‘em to pack in the hyped up fan base!
 
I honestly can't remember that many injuries that actually happen on kickoffs. The Eric Martin hit is the last one I remember and that was because the guy wasn't paying any attention.
 
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