NFL Considering No Kickoff

[Rich]

Originally Posted by JRutledge

Well the NFLPA would never go for eliminating roster spots. That would be a big fight but you would have people on the roster that hardly play at all.

I just think they should go to the College Rule and bring the ball out to the 25 or 30 for a touchback.

Peace

I never thought it would eliminate roster spots -- it would just mean that people wouldn't have to sacrifice themselves on speaical teams.

[CT1]

TV will never go for eliminating kickoffs, as that would remove too many "natural" commercial breaks.

[grunewar]

Originally Posted by Rich

I never thought it would eliminate roster spots -- it would just mean that people wouldn't have to sacrifice themselves on special teams.

When I was in the Military a few buds and I traveled to London to see the Minnesota Vikings and St. Louis Cardinals play the first American football game in London's Wembley Stadium in a preseason game on Aug 6, 1983.

We sat behind a bunch of local rugby players who had never seen an NFL game and agreed to keep us in beer if we talked them through the rules and what was happening. GREAT DEAL!

I will never forget after the opening kickoff, when all the players from the kickoff teams were leaving the field and the offenses/defenses were taking the field, one guy turns around and says, "Where are they going?"

I explained it to them.

As rugby players, they just didn't understand why this was needed.......

[Eastshire]

Kickoffs can provide some thrilling moments. They don't very often though. I don't think the kickoff is necessarily a fundamental part of football. There needs to be some way of giving the scoring team a chance of retaining possession but there are many ways of accomplishing that.

To modify the idea floated earlier, give the scoring team an option: the opponents get possession on their 20 or the scoring team retains possession (not sure from where) with 1 down and the line to gain set 15 yards down field.