NFL Considering No Kickoff

[MD Longhorn]

Originally Posted by Robert Goodman

Are plays from scrimmage kicks that much safer than from free ones?

Well, yes. But not to the point that they need to eliminate them.

If they really make it a play from scrimmage, that will deprive the receiving team of the right to a shot at the ball in an open field play. The team awarded it could run or pass, or kick directly out of bounds. Would the timing be the same as for, say, a scrimmage play following a touchback?

Huh?

After a field goal, how about giving the receiving team the right to scrimmage at the same place they could've if the attempt had missed?

I think that after a FG, the scoring team should definitely be starting further back than after a TD, but I don't know how you'd work in K having a choice and R also having a choice.

[Robert Goodman]

Originally Posted by MD Longhorn

Huh?

I thought I was clear enough, but I guess not. The principle of the free kick is that the ball is always to be delivered in such a way as to allow the other team the possibility of gaining possession for an open field play (unless it is kicked far enough to go directly out of bounds beyond the goal line). The proposal would take that right away from the other team, by allowing the team awarded the play that substitutes for a free kick the possibility of either not kicking or kicking directly out of bounds.

I think that after a FG, the scoring team should definitely be starting further back than after a TD, but I don't know how you'd work in K having a choice and R also having a choice.

I wasn't suggesting that as an also, but an alternative, as in Canadian football, where the team that scores a field goal does not kick off unless the team scored against makes them do so. Only after a touchdown or safety touch is there necessarily a kick. But if you wanted to combine it with the current proposal, then I suppose if the team scored against via FG declines to scrimmage, you'd follow by the procedure proposed above.

[Texas Aggie]

current commissioner

This has been discussed on here in reference to NCAA and/or Fed rules for at least 2 years. I don't recall any moderation on those posts by Roger Godell, nor do I recall him starting the posts.

I'm not sure what one thing has to do with another.

[Texas Aggie]

Kickoffs can provide some thrilling moments. They don't very often though.

I disagree -- if you add up all the TDs or even 70+ yard runbacks on KOs and compare them to scrimmage plays starting inside the 10 (usual fielding of KOs), I think you'd find a substantially higher percentage of long runs/returns on KOs.

Even in the subvarsity games I've done, we have a decent percentage of long KO runbacks -- something like 10-15 percent, at least. I haven't really thought about it until your comment here, but it does happen quite a bit!

[Robert Goodman]

If they really want to reduce but not eliminate the possibilities of players going at each other at high speed, they should adopt what I've been advocating for years, i.e. rugby's rule at a kickoff: You can kick the ball out of bounds, as long as it touches a player, an official, or the ground first. And have it the same whether it's the sideline in the field of play or end zone or end line. The receiving team will spread out and guard the sidelines more.