The NFL has made many rule changes over the past several years to ensure player safety and even fan safety as well. Sprinting back to the television to catch the next kickoff after rushing up and down the steps during the commercial break for another beer or more chips is now a thing of the past. I would imagine this has eliminated many tripping’s, stair falls, and other accidents that fans have fallen victim to. One of the most exciting aspects of the game has now become one of the most boring aspects of the game. Now I’m all for players safety, but how can you tell me you’re concerned about players safety when something as simple as a player dancing in the end zone after a touchdown can result in a team kicking off 15 yards further back and all but guaranteeing a return with even harder collisions due to the added distance?
With a new kick off spot at the 35 yard line, versus the previous spot at the 30 yard line, the leagues goal is to create more touchbacks as well as less of a running start for the coverage team if the kick is returned, resulting in less player to player collisions in hopes of creating less injuries. It does not require a person of exceptional intellectual ability to understand that this would indeed limit the number of injuries on kickoffs. However, it also does not take a genius to figure out that consistent touchbacks are incredibly boring.
Some of the greatest moments in league history have come from kickoff returns, anyone remember the Music City Miracle? Of course I understand that kickoff returns are not 100% gone from the game and one of the most exciting plays in last years Super Bowl was a kickoff return for a 108 yard touchdown by the Baltimore Ravens Jacoby Jones. However, consistently watching the football travel past the receiving teams end zone on Sundays makes me wonder why the kickoff is even played? It requires hardly any accuracy from a kicker, it’s just simply go out there and kick the ball as far as you can for a touchback. Where is the skill in that?
Either eliminating the kickoff all together, which I would not be in favor of, or adding even more rules would create a much better product and save fans from the frustration of a few wasted minutes. I know the kickoff only takes a few seconds, but having to lineup, kick, change personnel, and then wait for the refs to spot the ball at the 20 yard line does add up. Now what if you had a simple rule that forced kickers to land the ball in the field of play before it passes through the end zone, or the offense would then get the ball at say the 30 yard line due to a penalty for an illegal kick? This would give the players on the receiving team at least an opportunity to return the ball while forcing the kickers to use accuracy and skill to kick the ball as deep in the end zone as possible without the football bouncing out of the field of play first. If the receiving team chooses not to bring the ball out because they are deep in their end zone, then I can certainly live with that. But not having the chance to, I can’t.
Some have suggested moving the touchback spot up from the 20 yard line to the 25 or 30 yard line . This would start teams closer and increase scoring opportunities making the game more exciting on the offensive side, while forcing the kickoff team to consider keeping the ball in play to prevent the added yardage on a touchback. I am personally not in favor though of making the defensive side of the ball even more difficult with all the rules already in place. Another suggestion is to eliminate the kickoff all together, another suggestion I dislike. This would eliminate a part of the game that has led to many iconic plays, as well as the opportunity for an onside kick.
I’m sure the NFL does not want to eliminate any part of the game, but with concussion issues and player safety being more relevant than ever, I understand the rule changes as the kickoff seems to have the highest risk of injury compared to all other plays. However, the lack of skill required on a kickoff now from kickers and fewer kickoff returns, sure makes the whole thing seem like a waste of time after a few years of watching this take place. I want to see guys like Devin Hester and Josh Cribbs change the entire game on one play and eliminating this part of the game would be a mistake. Hopefully the NFL can come up with a better option to keep kickoffs safe and still fun to watch.