So I wanted to throw this video out here since I know it was a hot topic of discussion last week when the NCAA amended the kickoff rules to include fair catches inside the 25 yard line.
There was a lot of staunch defense of the kickoff on the board and “traditional football”. I am in the vast minority here as someone who wants to eliminate the kickoff and replace it.
So I wanted to throw this video out from Bleacher Report discussing kickoffs as I think it does a good job illustrating the points that I generally hold against the kickoff.
Now if you just want to skip to the Schiano Proposal, the video gets to that around the 13:50 mark. But I do feel the video shows good statistics about why the kickoff should die as a part of the game.
So what is the Schiano Proposal?
It was birthed out of his time at Rutgers when Eric LeGrand suffered his paralyzation on a kickoff. The basic synopsis is as follows:
“Instead of kicking off, teams would punt from the 35. (When Schiano proposed his rule, kickoffs were from the 30. They’re now kicked from the 35, so we’ll adjust his number.) This would keep tacklers from slamming into blockers with a 30-yard head of steam. On punts, blockers shadow tacklers from the line of scrimmage to the point of the return. The collisions happen at a much lower speed.”
“Instead of the onside kick—probably the most dangerous play in football—teams could run one offensive play from the 35. To keep the ball, they’d be required to gain 15 yards. (That figure could be adjusted to match the historic success rate of onside kicks.) If they didn’t make the required yardage, the opposing team would get the ball at the spot of the tackle.”
Some other basic comparisons stats to consider.
- 1% of kickoffs are stopped before the 10 (pinning them deep) and only 1% go beyond the 40 (a big return)
- 1 in ~150 kickoffs result in a concussion versus 1 in ~240 non-kickoff plays
- Punts (the base kicking scenario in the Schiano Proposal) are returned for more touchdowns 17:1000 than kickoffs 6:1000
- 4th and 15s are converted at a 21% clip versus expected onside kicks at a 5% clip
https://www.si.com/college-football/2018/03/05/ncaa-kickoff-touchback-rule-change-nfl-combine
The video and article have more
There was a lot of staunch defense of the kickoff on the board and “traditional football”. I am in the vast minority here as someone who wants to eliminate the kickoff and replace it.
So I wanted to throw this video out from Bleacher Report discussing kickoffs as I think it does a good job illustrating the points that I generally hold against the kickoff.
Now if you just want to skip to the Schiano Proposal, the video gets to that around the 13:50 mark. But I do feel the video shows good statistics about why the kickoff should die as a part of the game.
So what is the Schiano Proposal?
It was birthed out of his time at Rutgers when Eric LeGrand suffered his paralyzation on a kickoff. The basic synopsis is as follows:
“Instead of kicking off, teams would punt from the 35. (When Schiano proposed his rule, kickoffs were from the 30. They’re now kicked from the 35, so we’ll adjust his number.) This would keep tacklers from slamming into blockers with a 30-yard head of steam. On punts, blockers shadow tacklers from the line of scrimmage to the point of the return. The collisions happen at a much lower speed.”
“Instead of the onside kick—probably the most dangerous play in football—teams could run one offensive play from the 35. To keep the ball, they’d be required to gain 15 yards. (That figure could be adjusted to match the historic success rate of onside kicks.) If they didn’t make the required yardage, the opposing team would get the ball at the spot of the tackle.”
Some other basic comparisons stats to consider.
- 1% of kickoffs are stopped before the 10 (pinning them deep) and only 1% go beyond the 40 (a big return)
- 1 in ~150 kickoffs result in a concussion versus 1 in ~240 non-kickoff plays
- Punts (the base kicking scenario in the Schiano Proposal) are returned for more touchdowns 17:1000 than kickoffs 6:1000
- 4th and 15s are converted at a 21% clip versus expected onside kicks at a 5% clip
https://www.si.com/college-football/2018/03/05/ncaa-kickoff-touchback-rule-change-nfl-combine
The video and article have more
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