OT-- oh Goddell, really?

[Random Thoughts]

http://espn.go.com/nfl/story/_/id/87...fs-report-says

[Paintballguy]

Lets just put the flag belts on.

[bensmotorcyclehelmt]

Lets just put the flag belts on.

Pretty much everything Goddell proposes is garbage. The scary thing is, Once he says it publically, it's automatically written in stone. That's how he works.

Moving the kickoffs up 10 yards
Locking out the real refs
Sending games to Europe
Fining and suspending players without warning
Now this.

Watch.
Yuck.

[akashicrecorder]

What a terrible idea.

4 and 15 isn't nearly intimidating enough. Watch Belicheat send his offense out and just look for a flag on Gronkowski or something. And with illegal contact giving an automatic first down regardless of where on the field it happens, why not try?

Again, terrible idea.

[Paintballguy]

Pretty much everything Goddell proposes is garbage. The scary thing is, Once he says it publically, it's automatically written in stone. That's how he works.

Moving the kickoffs up 10 yards
Locking out the real refs
Sending games to Europe
Fining and suspending players without warning
Now this.

Watch.
Yuck.

I really won't be surprised when it's implemented. Gooddell is slowly ruining the NFL.

[HoustonRaven]

Can you blame him?

With the constant stream of ex players suing the league over a sport they knew was dangerous to begin with, it's hard to pin the blame on the Commish alone.

Anyone else in the same situation would have to consider such measures.

[lobachevsky]

It's not that crazy an idea if you think about it. And it doesn't really do all that much violence to the game.

You replace the onside kick with going for it on 4th and 15 (or 20--I think you could argue about the distance). Both exciting plays with similar chances for success, but you don't have players on the return team getting hit by coverage players with a full head of steam.

You replace (most of) the touchbacks with kicks out of bounds, which are easier to accomplish but risk giving the opponent excellent field position--but if that doesn't faze you, you can accomplish the same thing with a squib kick right now.

In all other respects, the kickoff return is replaced by a punt return. Not as exciting for two reasons: the possibility of a high punt forcing a fair catch, and the decreased probability that a single block or a small seam can lead to 6. In return for that you get a reduction in closing speed for coverage & return teams which leads to less violent collisions.

On the whole, the game would lose something--the question is how much it would gain in player safety? I'd have to see the figures for concussions & other injuries for kickoff returns vs punt returns.

But let's face it, this idea would beat the living crap out just handing the other team the ball at their 30, wouldn't it?

[Shambla]

I'm not sure I would prefer this solution, but I actually don't think it's a horrible idea for a couple reasons.

• Since they've moved the kickoffs up, 43.5% of kickoffs end in touchbacks. It's become boring and I usually find myself heading to fridge instead of sitting through Commercial-TB-Commercial.
• Onside kicks. They're one of the most exciting plays in the game, but they're predicated almost entirely on luck and the ball bouncing your way. I think having your offense on the field to determine whether you can get an extra possession makes a lot more sense than a ball bounce.
• Chance for a bad snap/blocked punt adds a little excitement. Since you're not kicking from a tee, there's a chance that a punter could mishandle the snap and give the other team a good starting point for their drive.

[Random Thoughts]

Can you blame him?

With the constant stream of ex players suing the league over a sport they knew was dangerous to begin with, it's hard to pin the blame on the Commish alone.

Anyone else in the same situation would have to consider such measures.

Understandable, but I think the lawsuit against NFL is much deeper than the fact that the sport is dangerous. I think it goes along the line that the league is aware of the danger for so long and the league actively concealed that danger. I think that is basically the gist of the lawsuit.

Regardless, it shouldn't be a knee jerk reaction to "pussify" the league in the process. The league could very well make sure that each player signs a declaimer (if hasn't already done so) before playing.

[CptJesus]

I actually thought this was a great idea. Kickoffs right now are boring, and onside kicks are just silly luck draws. Might as well add some cool skill to it.

[moose10101]

I think it's an interesting idea, and it should be discussed along with alternatives. They can look at the average starting position after a kickoff, and the average net on punts, and then determine what yard line to place the ball in order to end up with a similar average result. I'm guessing it would be more like the 40; putting the line of scrimmage at the 30 would result in the other team getting the ball around their 30, which is pretty far ahead of the typical kickoff return.

I wonder if teams would take the backup punter and long-snapper positions more seriously. And I wonder how special-teamers would be affected, since a lot more of them are used on a kickoff than on a punt.

[lobachevsky]

I wonder if teams would take the backup punter position more seriously.

Or have their QBs learn how to punt, or their punters to throw. Wouldn't that be interesting--asking a QB to do something a body part other than his throwing arm...

[HoustonRaven]

Understandable, but I think the lawsuit against NFL is much deeper than the fact that the sport is dangerous. I think it goes along the line that the league is aware of the danger for so long and the league actively concealed that danger. I think that is basically the gist of the lawsuit.

Regardless, it shouldn't be a knee jerk reaction to "pussify" the league in the process. The league could very well make sure that each player signs a declaimer (if hasn't already done so) before playing.

"The" law suit?

There's hundreds of suits right now.

[lobachevsky]

"The" law suit?

There's hundreds of suits right now.

So? Doesn't negate his point. Tricky Dick coulda told 'em, 'taint the crime that gets ya, it's the coverup.

[wickedsolo]

What I'd really love to see him do is fix some of the penalty values. In particular, pass interference.

A PI penalty could be like 40-50 yards depending on where the penalty occurs.

Personal fouls should be 15 yarders, interference should be 10 yarders, everything else should be 5.

[Dade]

Here's the flaw in this...

Imagine this...Jets vs Patriots, Patriots lose opening toss. Decide to go for the 4th and 15 and convert. Score a TD on the drive. Convert 4th and 15 again, score another TD. Repeat. Potentially one team could keep the ball all game. Wasn't thats why they change the OT rules? Cause only one team potentially would have the ball. Also if the Patriots throw an incomplete on the 4th and 15, the Jets would get the ball at the Patriots 30 yard line!

In 5-10 years time, football will become totally unrecognizable from its current state.

[landspeed]

Can you blame him?

With the constant stream of ex players suing the league over a sport they knew was dangerous to begin with, it's hard to pin the blame on the Commish alone.

Anyone else in the same situation would have to consider such measures.

At what point has kickoffs been "unsafe" over the past 2 years?

Theyve definitely improved.

Either get over it or let the NFL fade out, because now the integrity of the game is just being stomped on.

[NCRAVEN]

I love how everyone is bitching about the "changing of the game" is doing it form the comfort of their couch, where there are no consequences for them when X player gets multiple concussions or is paralyzed.

For the record, I am not saying I am favor of the proposed changes. I have my own things I think could make the game safer with out changing football, most specifically fundamentals "head up, wrap up tackling" stop the "hitting". I could get more specific but I'd don't feel like it right now.

[wickedsolo]

Frankly, everyone who straps on a helmet knows the risks they take. And that goes for any sport/hobby. They knew the risks 50 years ago. They know the risks today.

Guys play because they (A) love it and (B) can get paid a lot of money.

I'm an avid snowboarder who has sprained many an ankle, jammed wrists/fingers, gotten bruises so bad I could barely walk, and tore my shoulder. I knew the risks involved with snowboarding. I'm not going to sue Burton or K2 in 30 years because I'm old and my shoulder is bothering me.

Ex-players suing the league are just money-grubbing. It's bogus and honestly, it pisses me off because there are guys like John Mackey who were obviously impaired later in life. There is a HUGE difference between John Mackey and someone like Jamal Lewis, who also filed a lawsuit against the NFL.

[NCRAVEN]

Frankly, everyone who straps on a helmet knows the risks they take. And that goes for any sport/hobby. They knew the risks 50 years ago. They know the risks today.

Guys play because they (A) love it and (B) can get paid a lot of money.

I'm an avid snowboarder who has sprained many an ankle, jammed wrists/fingers, gotten bruises so bad I could barely walk, and tore my shoulder. I knew the risks involved with snowboarding. I'm not going to sue Burton or K2 in 30 years because I'm old and my shoulder is bothering me.

Ex-players suing the league are just money-grubbing. It's bogus and honestly, it pisses me off because there are guys like John Mackey who were obviously impaired later in life. There is a HUGE difference between John Mackey and someone like Jamal Lewis, who also filed a lawsuit against the NFL.

No doubt about that.

But using your comparison (not the lawsuit, that's BS). Making the game safer by changing rules or making tackling not hitting a rule, wouldn't that be similar to you getting lessons or practicing so you stop falling as much? Also, can't your lift ticket get taken away if you're bad enough to be a danger to others?