Rain Man
09-14-2015, 04:06 PM
Now that we have longer extra points that crank the drama factor up to 7% on those plays, it's time to address kickoffs.
Did anyone else have the same reaction I did on the kickoff yesterday? Excitement is building, they're playing the Houston version of Gary Glitter porn, and the kicker approaches the ball. He swings his foot, and it's on!
And then the ball goes deep in the end zone and Knile takes a knee, and they go to commercial.
What a boring way to start a game. How do we fix this?
A few suggestions.
1. Kick off from the 20. The NFL lawyers don't like this because they don't like kickoff returns, but it ensures that the first play of the game isn't a snoozer.
2. Fake kickoff. Instead, the receiving team gets the ball in their end zone, and the kicking team starts at their 30. Blow the whistle and everyone starts running like it's a fielded kick.
3. No kickoff. Just start at the 20. It eliminates fun kickoff returns, but how many kickoffs are returned these days anyway?
4. Oklahoma kickoff. A single defender and a blocker each start running from their goal line. When they hit the 10, the next pair runs out. The 11th man out is the returner.
5. Scrimmage kickoff. The offense and defense both line up at the receiving team's 40 across from each other. The returner starts in his end zone. On the whistle the play starts.
Did anyone else have the same reaction I did on the kickoff yesterday? Excitement is building, they're playing the Houston version of Gary Glitter porn, and the kicker approaches the ball. He swings his foot, and it's on!
And then the ball goes deep in the end zone and Knile takes a knee, and they go to commercial.
What a boring way to start a game. How do we fix this?
A few suggestions.
1. Kick off from the 20. The NFL lawyers don't like this because they don't like kickoff returns, but it ensures that the first play of the game isn't a snoozer.
2. Fake kickoff. Instead, the receiving team gets the ball in their end zone, and the kicking team starts at their 30. Blow the whistle and everyone starts running like it's a fielded kick.
3. No kickoff. Just start at the 20. It eliminates fun kickoff returns, but how many kickoffs are returned these days anyway?
4. Oklahoma kickoff. A single defender and a blocker each start running from their goal line. When they hit the 10, the next pair runs out. The 11th man out is the returner.
5. Scrimmage kickoff. The offense and defense both line up at the receiving team's 40 across from each other. The returner starts in his end zone. On the whistle the play starts.