Thoughts on the new kickoff rules

[displacedinMN]

Mine so far:

Butker shorting kicks is like driving a Corvette on a gravel road

The NFL made something so simple-so confusing

Going into the season with the attitude of "We will just have to see what happens. There are scenarios we have not thought of yet" is the stupid thing I have heard in football. It would not be a good business plan, or educational plan. But but it seems that is how everything is approached today.

Roast away.

[Chief Pagan]

Originally Posted by Megatron96

Meh. It's a new play, with a bunch of new rules. Was always going to take time for teams and refs to get their feet under them. We'll see what it looks like come Week 10 or so.


Glad not to see 8 touchbacks in a row though. So much better actually seeing returns regularly.

Sure, I expect it to get better with time. But kickoffs are already problematic with how many penalties, block in the back or could have called penalties.

It seems they upped the potential call, non calls considerably.

I'm just not seeing a lot of upside and they've also neutered the onsides kick so the success rate is now like 5% or something?

Sheeish.

Just give the other team the ball at the 25 or 30 and be done with it.

Or some alternative like the 4 and 15 but I think it would be hard to get teams to agree on that because it would favor some teams.

[Megatron96]

Originally Posted by Chief Pagan

Sure, I expect it to get better with time. But kickoffs are already problematic with how many penalties, block in the back or could have called penalties.

It seems they upped the potential call, non calls considerably.

I'm just not seeing a lot of upside and they've also neutered the onsides kick so the success rate is now like 5% or something?

Sheeish.

Just give the other team the ball at the 25 or 30 and be done with it.

Or some alternative like the 4 and 15 but I think it would be hard to get teams to agree on that because it would favor some teams.

I'm a traditionalist, I guess. I do not want to see the kickoff go away. There was a time, not even that long ago, when the kickoff was potentially one of the most exciting plays in sports. And the Chiefs benefited from a lot of those plays. Players like Dale Carter, Mecole, Dexter, Tyreek, and Dante Hall were KC heroes for their exploits in the return game. Then fears of CTE neutered it. I get why, but watching endless touchbacks sucked.

I'm willing to give this set up a try for a season or two, if it means saving kickoffs and making them fun/exciting again. And just conceding the 25-yd line is so soft and weak. In football you're supposed to fight for every yard.

[TEX]

Originally Posted by Megatron96

Toub's been one of the best STs coaches over the last two decades. Further, his unit has never let the team down when it mattered. In fact, in every playoffs run his unit has been not just a net positive, they've been a critical weapon the team needed to win a Ring.

I'm going to go waaaaaaay out on a limb here and guess that his unit is going to be just fine.


But I get that complaining about Toub/STs is a CP tradition, so have at it.

True, BUT without question, the Chiefs Special Teams (Kickoff & Return) were the worst in the league the first week of preseason.

[seamonster]

Originally Posted by TEX

True, BUT without question, the Chiefs Special Teams (Kickoff & Return) were the worst in the league the first week of preseason.

Two negatives equal a positive. If your special teams is engulfed in chaos and mediocrity than a BS chaotic rule change lets you wipe the slate clean. If your ST is a fine tuned machine than blowing up the kickoffs and instituting some wack XFL show is going to cause massive failures.

[Abba-Dabba]

Originally Posted by BigRedChief

Well until the science of CTE was accepted by everyone.

Who could of known that allowing young, fast, strong players to get a 40 yard running head start before contact might be bad for the players?

Yet punt returns are still unchanged.

I have hard time believing the injury factor had any kind of bearing on the rule change other than pomp and circumstance to the public.