It may not be on the endangered species list yet, but the kickoff in professional football is certainly on threatened by the latest in a series of NFL rules changes designed to protect players. The kickoff is the most dangerous play in one of the most dangerous sports, so there’s plenty of reason to tweak it. But is the danger it poses enough to eliminate it altogether?
Last month the NFL handed down its latest kickoff related rule, moving the touchback on a kickoff up from the 20 to the 25 yard-line, effectively making taking a knee in the end zone worth five more yards. Unless you’ve got a guy that can beat that on most tries, or are facing a weak-legged kicker who can’t get the ball into the paint.
https://twitter.com/FauxRodgers/status/741375479186219009
The reason for the danger is simple physics. While on offense or defense, players are essentially running the same way if they’re going full speed. If they aren’t, they’re running just a few yards before delivering a hit on a player. On kickoffs, they’ve got 30 or 40 yards to build up to full speed before they collide at around 20-30 miles per hour. It’s like suffering a car crash on every return.
“When we look at the film and we look at particularly the concussions that were sustained, the kickoff just stands out,” NFL Competition Committee member and Green Bay Packers president Mark Murphy said. “It’s a very dangerous play. We’ve been successful, I think, with some of the changes increasing the number of the touchbacks, but moving it to the 25-yard line should help us have even fewer returns. You’re taking an exciting play out of the game, but form a safety standpoint it’s really something that I think is a concern.”
https://twitter.com/joeycav49/status/738455235400749056
While that makes sense, it could also be a concern to players who are on the bubble on NFL rosters. It’s no secret that teams fill up their kick off and punt return teams with guys at the bottom of the their player lists, especially skill position players. If the kick off was eliminated, so would those jobs as teams would more than likely stock up on linemen than spare running backs, corners and wideouts.
“I’m very disappointed, obviously, in the way we’re discussing the future of the kickoff,” New England Patriots kick off returner Matthew Slater told ESPN. “The kickoff is a big part of the history of the NFL and the history of football.”
Last year there were seven kick off returns for touchdowns in the NFL with the Minnesota Vikings’ Cordarrelle Patterson leading the league with two. Tyler Lockett of the Seattle Seahawks, Rashad Ross of the Washington Redskins, Dwayne Harris of the New York Giants and Andre Roberts of the Redskins were the others.
https://twitter.com/ShawnWheatley/status/715563688116240384
Of all the returners in the league in 2015, only 10 averaged more than 25 yards per return and three of those were still under 26 yards a return. Once again, Patterson was the best, averaging 31.84 yards per return. That’s his job and he’s good at it. There’s no way he’d still be on the Vikings’ roster if the NFL killed the return.
The NFL’s rule changes, including moving the kickoff up to the 35 yard line in 2011 drastically reduced returns. In 2010 80.1 percent of kicks were returned. Last year just 41.1 percent of kicks were returned. By moving the touchback to the 25, that number could hit the 20s this season.
That makes guys like Slater and Patterson nervous.
“The kicking game has meant a lot to the game of football and a lot of players individually and has enabled guys to have careers,” Slater said. “…Without the kicking game, we don’t have a career. …I hope that’s not the direction we’re going in.”
But it is. There’s no question that most teams will be more than happy to take a knee and get the ball on the 25 instead of risking a turnover or injury on a return. Oakland Raiders special teams coach Brad Seely ran the numbers on getting the ball on the 25 and this is what he found out.
“The average drive start in the NFL right now is around the 23.5,” Seely said. “Statistically you have a four percent greater chance to score a touchdown at the 25 versus the 20. So you’re giving them (the offense) a better chance to score a touchdown with a touchback.”
That’s all a lot of head coaches will need to hear.
