The Dolphins Make Me Cry.com - Forums

They're going to move the kickoff up an additional 5 yards, which will undoubtedly cause more touchbacks, but limit injuries from so much momentum on the return.

Thoughts?

Good or bad for the game?

bad for the game.  Terrible decision.  They should have let the guys start running from the 35 but the kickoff still from the 30.

We will no longer have the excitement of possibly seeing a return for a TD because the majority of them will result in touchbacks.

did they send the coaches on another golf outing to do this? 

Too much is being made of this decision. I don't think it's going to change things that much.

What everone is forgetting is that they also changed the rule so that only the kicker can start more than 5 yards away from the ball. Basically all the coverage folks are gonna have to start from a stand still rather than from a running start as teams have started to do. That's gonna limit how quickly the coverage team can get down the field. Coupled with the 5 yard movement of the ball means that the coverage teams will probably still be getting to the returner about the same time as before.

My thinking is that kickers are going to try to get a little more height on the ball now and hopefully give the coverage unit a better chance to trap the returner inside his own 20 should he decide to return it. Sure there are going to be more touchbacks, but I don't think the percentage is going to double like people say it's going to. I do however think that the starting position is going to be effected and more drives are gonna be starting closer to the 20 even when teams do decide to return the kick.

The biggest difference is going to be in average starting position which is going to be moved back a bit. That could effect scoring to a degree, but not as much as people expect. Remember that poor field position for 1 team means better field position for the opposing team.

I think the injury theory is bunk.  

Guys can get up to top speed in 10-20 yards.  5 yards less running only makes them less tired when they get down there.  It doesn't make them accelerate less.  If anything, I'd say move the kickoff gunners BACK so they're more tired by the time they get down the field.  Of course that makes kick returns easier and gives teams better field position.

I don't see how this has any benefit, other than simply reducing the amount of returnable kicks so guys just hit and get hit less.

And it de-values kickers with the big leg.

It's 5 yards people!!!! Would any of you even notice the change if it had not been announced?

5 yards is one false-start call. Minor impact on the play of the game here.

I'm not sure it does. Kicking from the 30 even kickers with a big leg couldn't consistently force a touchback. Moving it up to the 35 gives kickers with a big leg a much better chance of forcing a touchback. If anything I think it improves the value of a kicker with a big leg. What it de-values is the big-play potential returner, but history has shown that punts are traditionally the way that big-play potential returners make their money anyway, not really on kick-offs.

How can you say this?  How many kickoffs are fielded inside the 5 yard line?  Yep - all of those are touchbacks now.

How often do you see kickers (any kicker across the league) drop a kickoff at the 10 yard line?  If he does, you think its a terrible kick.  Any kicker in the league should be able to consistently put the ball in the end zone, off a tee, from the 35 yard line.  The Janikowski's of the league now can probably put it out of the back of the end zone.

Not sure how you both don't see an impact on the game here.  Its going to be 75% or more of offensive drives starting on the 20 yard line now.  The only way you get a chance to return the kick is if the kicker screws up.

No they aren't, I see people run it out of the endzone all the time. What will be changing are the ones that are about 5 yards deep in the endzone now. They'll have to think twice before coming out 10 yards deep in the endzone.

Nah.  The best in the league last year was Billy Cundiff (of kickers who had at least 20 attempts) who had a record 40 kickoffs taken as touchbacks, but that was out of 79 kick-offs, so about 50% of the time. He's probably gonna be more like 75% of the time if he has another year like he had which is questionable, but the majority of the kickers aren't like that. The majority struggle to reach the goal line now, a few will be kicking off deep into the endzone. Janikowski by the way (who was 4th in the league as far as % of TB's) had 30% of his kickoffs go for touchbacks, less than a third. 2nd best was actually Stephen Gostkowski with over 35% of his kickoffs going for TB's, but he only kicked off 42 times and only had 15 TB's.

I don't think you realize just how few touchbacks there are now. It's around 17%. Some are saying it's going to double to over 30%. Maybe. I kinda doubt it. Probably around 25% or so, no where close to 75%.

And just for the record I didn't say there wouldn't be an impact, just that it won't be that big.

^^^ find out how many league-wide kickoffs were fielded inside the 5 yard line.

^^ I don't think anyone tracks that stat. :)

I remember when they moved it to the 30 yard line. This is just a return to what I remembered.

That's kinda my point.  I think that a vast majority of kickoffs land between the goal line and the 5 yard line.  That's my perception, and can't be captured in any stats that I've been able to find.  All of those kicks will be in the end zone next season, and a large chunk of them will be taking a knee.

Again, its my perception, and I very well could be wrong.  But that's where my "75%" estimation came from.

A pointless "tweak" to the rules.  They should leave things the way they are.

first step towards and 18 game season. If the NFL wants to add 2 more games, the players are saying make the game safer. Less "contact" plays now on kickoffs as most will be touchbacks, its amo for the owners when they go to 18 games.

When do they vote to play two-hand-touch just so they can get 2 more friggin games?

You will make less money if you water down the game, regardless of how many times the stadium is open. 

Unfortunately, I don't think this is true, especially in the short term, when the current owners can make all their money.

Honestly, will rule changes like these (that are unpopular, but at least reasonable), are you going to stop watching the NFL?  I doubt it.  I won't, even if I'm unhappy.  I'm going to probably watch all 16 (or 18) Dolphins games no matter what.

I *think* the theory was to reduce contact speeds, and the risk of the touchbacks increasing is being limited because it now presents an oppurtunity for better placement to pin back inside the 20. In reality the kickers will still just go deep and force the touchback. (woe betide the coach/kicker who decided to pin back, only to have a return for a TD and the fans ask "why not just get the touchback")

I think it's just reduced the value of kick off and kick return units, it's now a play that happens because it's always happened, they might as well start every offensive drive at the 20 and do away with the kick off.

As someone else pointed out, players are still going to be at full speed when they meet wedge second level blockers aligned fairly close but not closer than one yard to each other.

Considering the Dolphins special teams stink, this is great news for us!!

I've been thinking something similar since the change was announced.  Our special teams improved as the season progressed, but our kickoff coverage and kickoff return teams have been a weak link.  I wouldn't expect too much complaining to come from the Dolphins.

What if this is the first step?  If the onus is being placed on player safety, when is it going to become a penalty to tackle the QB?  When is it going to be against the rules to double-team block?  When will they decide that, instead of kicking off after a score, we just give them the ball on the 20 and go?

How far can they go before they affect the game to a point where people stop watching?

It already is, at least how you do it is. Can't hit above the shoulders. Can't hit helmet to helmet. Can't hit below the knees, etc.

It already is in some cases. You can't hit someone below the waist when they are engaged with another player for example.

I'd say they've already made a TON of rules to try to protect players from injuries and this is just the latest. Everytime they do someone claims it's gonna ruin the game and make 2 hand touch football out of the game and yet the NFL has NEVER been more popular.

What you're failing to take into account is that players are bigger, faster, stronger and more athletic than ever before. That makes the games exciting, not watching someone get carted off on a stretcher.

It just gives me more time to get back to the game during a commercial break, more touch backs,less chance of actually missing something.... :D

^^ I mean completely.  Like NO tackling of the QB.  At all.  They blow the whistle when someone gets within 1 yard of him.

If the trend continues, it will eventually become much less hard hitting.  And I don't particularly care for it.  What bugs me the most is that its all an effort to make billionaires more money.  I'm all for player safety, but stop effing with my favorite sport just to pad your bank account.

The majority of players on the kick-off squards are 2nd and 3rd stringers so who cares if they get some extra hits.  It would be interesting to know how many injuries actually occur during kick-offs versus plays from the line of scrimmage.

As a Dolphin fan, I was happy about this.  Our kick coverage blows.

As a fan in general I think this blows. I find kickoffs and returns for TD's to be some of the more exciting plays!!!!!

That's exactly what I was thinking. Besides, I've seen many kickers still not get the touchback even with a 10 yard penalty.

Now all we need them to do is outlaw passing.  Umm wait a minute we don't have a running game either. :)