NCAA kickoff

[MD Longhorn]

Originally Posted by Robert Goodman

I bet they don't expect to take this rule literally as prohibiting all players of A/K from being more than 5 yds. behind their line the entire time the ball is RFP. They probably meant it to apply only when team A/K "shows" ready or begins an actual run to kick off & cover. They probably don't mean that once the ball is RFP, their players can't still be huddling, for instance, >5 yds. back.

I agree that it's worded poorly - but the rule is obviously not meant to prohibit anything you just said. (My wording issue is that the final sentence says IS, and not was. Since it says IS, if the previously offending player is within 5 yards when it's kicked, it's not a foul --- but we all know they meant it to be. Should say "If one player other than the player who kicks the ball was, at the time the kicker began moving forward, more than five yards behind the restraining line, it is a foul.")

Any indication of why they made this change? Just to make the coverage a tiny bit slower?

Yes ... and more than a tiny bit. Most players will not be at full speed when crossing the kicking line now.

Doesn't really matter now though, since every single kick is a touchback. It will affect onsides kicks, that's about it.

[jTheUmp]

Yeah, the rule is very poorly worded.
mbcrowder's phrasing is basically how they want it called, as far as I've been able to discern.

Consider this scenario:
K's players are huddled close together, about 5-6 yards behind the ball when the RFP whistle blows.
K breaks the huddle and the players spread out to cover the field.
While running to their "start positions", one or more K players (other than the kicker) are running along the 29 yard line.
All K players (other than the kicker) put one foot on the 30 yard line and come to a complete stop.
The Kicker begins his forward motion and kicks the ball.

According to the exact wording of the rule, this would be a foul for illegal free-kick formation. However, I attended a clinic this spring with several D1 officials as clinicians, and ALL OF THEM said they'd rather take the risk of a potential downgrade for not calling this rather than being the first guy to throw a flag for it.

Think of it from a advantage/disadvantage standpoint... does K really gain an advantage in the scenario I outlined above?

[jchamp]

Originally Posted by mbcrowder

Yes ... and more than a tiny bit. Most players will not be at full speed when crossing the kicking line now.

Doesn't really matter now though, since every single kick is a touchback. It will affect onsides kicks, that's about it.

I was looking forward to some high and short kicks, since there is more incentive to NOT allow the kickoff to travel to the end zone. A higher kick would allow the coverage more time to get downfield, especially starting at the 35. "Placing" the kick at between the 5 and 10 would give the return team three very unappealing choices.

And do we really need anything to make onside kicks even more difficult?

[Rich]

Originally Posted by mbcrowder

I agree that it's worded poorly - but the rule is obviously not meant to prohibit anything you just said. (My wording issue is that the final sentence says IS, and not was. Since it says IS, if the previously offending player is within 5 yards when it's kicked, it's not a foul --- but we all know they meant it to be. Should say "If one player other than the player who kicks the ball was, at the time the kicker began moving forward, more than five yards behind the restraining line, it is a foul.")

Yes ... and more than a tiny bit. Most players will not be at full speed when crossing the kicking line now.

Doesn't really matter now though, since every single kick is a touchback. It will affect onsides kicks, that's about it.

Not every single kick was a TB for us on Saturday. Lots of high kickoffs between the 15 and the goal line, actually.

[Robert Goodman]

Originally Posted by mbcrowder

Yes ... and more than a tiny bit. Most players will not be at full speed when crossing the kicking line now.

I think the effect will be much smaller than you think. First of all, very few players that I can recall used to take more than a 5 yard run before reaching their line anyway, and those who did may have stretched it to just 8 yds. or so. But let's say they wanted to make it a 10 yd. run. If they sprint, what percentage of their full speed do you think they reach in 10 yds. as opposed to 5? I'd say they might gain an additional 15%, generously. So what difference will that make in traversing the 10 yds. of the neutral zone? A tenth of a sec.? 0.2? And if the idea is to reduce their momentum after they traverse it, that difference is going to be even more minuscule.

Doesn't really matter now though, since every single kick is a touchback. It will affect onsides kicks, that's about it.

But elsewhere I've read there's been a differential touchback adopted too.

[Robert Goodman]

If the intention was to slow the kicking team down albeit only a tiny bit, here's how they should have worded it:

"No player of K may be in motion continuously forward throughout any interval that that begins with him more than 5 yards behind his restraining line and ends when he enters the neutral zone, unless he makes the kick."

That would allow players to mill around more than 5 yards back, and they could even start their run forward from back there provided they stop forward motion before entering the neutral zone. For instance, they could run on an S path that's flat at some point within 5 yds. their side of the NZ, or they could stop in that area before starting again, or they could simply fail to enter the NZ.

The only problem with that wording would be some fluke where play during the down has players of K running back toward their own end line and then forward again. So, final wording:

"No player of K may be in motion continuously forward throughout any interval that that begins before the kick with him more than 5 yards behind his restraining line and ends when he enters the neutral zone, unless he makes the kick."

Just thought I'd leave both versions in there to show the thought process.

[APG]

Originally Posted by Robert Goodman

But elsewhere I've read there's been a differential touchback adopted too.

The ball goes to the 25 yard line now in NCAA on touchbacks from free kicks.