“I’m sure it’s like a good rule for the NFL. There were 20 kickoff return scores in 2010 before the change. Over the last 12 seasons since kickoff tees were moved up to the 35-yard line from the 30, only 53 returns have resulted in touchdowns. The league moved touchbacks up from the 20-yard line to the 25 in 2016. We’ve just got to find ways to make the plays safer.” “You don’t want this play out of the game, because special teams has been a really good part of our game and it’s been a really good part of a lot of players' and coaches' careers,” McKay said. The XFL has only 5 yards between the kicking and returning teams, mostly downfield with a ban on movement until the returner has fielded the ball. The NFL will continue to examine alternatives, including what's used in spring leagues. McKay acknowledged there's no guarantee that the kickoff will forever be a part of the sport. “There may be more to come, because both the kickoff and punt continue to have higher rates of injuries than run or pass plays - and sometimes by a substantial margin. “Not to say that there won’t be some unintended consequences, but sitting still and continuing to do nothing was unacceptable,” said Jeff Miller, the NFL's executive vice president of communications, public affairs and policy. The NFL essentially copied a rule that was recently installed in college football. We’re just trying to mitigate those risks," said Tennessee coach Mike Vrabel, who sits on the competition committee that recommended the rule for approval. “We understand that there’s going to be some injuries involved in professional football and football at all levels. One reason for the recent increase in head injuries? The improved skill of kickers to be able to strategically hang the ball longer and higher in front of the goal line, allowing the coverage more time to make a tackle and keep the opponent's drive start deeper than the 25 for an end-zone touchback. Concussions on kickoffs occur more than twice as often as on plays from scrimmage, and that rate has risen significantly over the last two years, McKay said. The NFL said its statistical models predict the return rate for kickoffs in 2023, under the new rule, will drop from 38% to 31% and that the rate of concussions on the sport's most dangerous play will be reduced by 15%. “We tend to get ourselves to the right place, but it’s never that comfortable.” I’ve seen these type of health and safety discussions," said Atlanta Falcons chief executive officer Rich McKay, who is chairman of the competition committee. The proposal passed despite strong pushback from coaches and players across the league who argued the rule change will create uglier plays with squib and corner kicks that make fair catches impossible. “Can we continue to keep this play in an exciting way, but more importantly in a safe way? There’s a lot of work that’s going to be need to be done.” “There’ll be a lot more work to be done about how we can continue to evolve going forward,” Commissioner Roger Goodell said. League owners voted Tuesday for a one-year trial of an enhanced touchback rule that will give the receiving team the ball at its own 25 with a fair catch of a kickoff anywhere behind that yard line. The NFL essentially copied a rule that was recently installed in college football.The NFL said its statistical models predict the return rate for kickoffs in 2023, under the new rule, will drop from 38% to 31% and that the rate of concussions on the sport's most dangerous play will be reduced by 15%.The proposal passed despite strong pushback from coaches and players across the league who argued the rule change will create uglier plays with squib and corner kicks that make fair catches impossible.League owners voted Tuesday for a one-year trial of an enhanced touchback rule that will give the receiving team the ball at its own 25 with a fair catch of a kickoff anywhere behind that yard line.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |