Quote:Last month, the NCAA Football Rules Committee proposed a significant tweak to kickoffs, calling for any fair catch made between the goal line and the 25-yard line to be treated as a touchback.

Given this change why not just eliminate kick-offs and eliminate kick offs completely and start all possessions on the 25 yard line? Return teams now have all the benefit of a big return with virtually no risk of getting pinned deep. Bad change IMO.

Fair Catch Rule Change

First off, it seems to me you see a ton more fair catches on punts than in kickoffs. Secondly, how do they propose to prevent fair catches called by guys who really don't have a realistic chance at catching a kickoff.

I get the desire to improve safety. But sometimes these rule changes seem to be done just so the committee can justify its per diem and free hotels.

(04-15-2018 02:05 PM)Fort Bend Owl Wrote:  First off, it seems to me you see a ton more fair catches on punts than in kickoffs. Secondly, how do they propose to prevent fair catches called by guys who really don't have a realistic chance at catching a kickoff.

I get the desire to improve safety. But sometimes these rule changes seem to be done just so the committee can justify its per diem and free hotels.

I don't think I've ever seen a fair catch on a kickoff, but this gives the kicking team no incentive for a short kickoff in hopes of stopping the return man deep. If a return man sees the coverage is good just signal fair catch and get the ball on the 25. I have a feeling we'll start seeing fair catches in almost every game.

If the intention is to limit the number of kickoffs then this rule will be useless. Coaches would rather take a shot at a good return past the 25 than settle for just being on the 25.

I can only think of two opportunities when this rule might be used: during bad weather or at the end of a game when you just don't want to take a chance on a turnover.

You see fair catches now on pooch kicks often between the 20-25 yard lines. It hurts Marshall from the perspective that our kick coverage has been excellent the past several years. As far as receiving, we aren't fair catching anyway with Davis returning kicks.

I don't like that it eliminates yet another piece of strategy and skill from the game and you'll still retain 80% of the violent hits because those happen in the blocking and wedge busting, which will still occur because no one will be looking to see if there's a fair catch or not. It's not like a punt where the tacklers get there when the ball does.

Here's my strategy for the kicking team:
Hard line drive that starts bouncing around the 15. Usually is hard for the returner to handle and they can't call a fair catch. Takes away the advantage of long hangtime to get coverage down the field, but at least it doesn't automatically put the ball at the 25.

(04-15-2018 01:56 PM)THE NC Herd Fan Wrote:  

Quote:Last month, the NCAA Football Rules Committee proposed a significant tweak to kickoffs, calling for any fair catch made between the goal line and the 25-yard line to be treated as a touchback.

Given this change why not just eliminate kick-offs and eliminate kick offs completely and start all possessions on the 25 yard line? Return teams now have all the benefit of a big return with virtually no risk of getting pinned deep. Bad change IMO.

Fair Catch Rule Change

How so? If they advance the ball they're not guaranteed to start at the 25; they can still be pinned deep depending on coverage and whether they field the ball cleanly. So there's still risk on a return.

I do agree with the larger point, though: Rather than do death-by-a-thousand-cuts, why not just rip the Band-Aid off and eliminate the kickoff return entirely? There's no such thing as a babyproof kickoff return; you bring the ball out, you run the risk of injury. If player safety is the driver, then instead of incremental changes over years and even decades, just get us to the inevitable conclusion now and avoid the Christmas rush.

Please stop changing football.

If they were looking for a rule intended to prevent high impact injuries on both sides, I'm not sure this rule change helps. Why would they still have the kicking team kick off, and run down the field at high speed where players will collide at high impact before a fair catch is signaled? This really doesn't change anything, save for the returner not being tackled.

They way this new rule is written, the kicking team still needs to run down the field and risk collision because they need to, 1) make sure the ball is caught by the returner without fumbling, and 2) get close enough to the returner to ensure the returner calls fair catch. Dumb change....except for protecting the returner.

(04-15-2018 04:06 PM)THE NC Herd Fan Wrote:  

(04-15-2018 02:05 PM)Fort Bend Owl Wrote:  First off, it seems to me you see a ton more fair catches on punts than in kickoffs. Secondly, how do they propose to prevent fair catches called by guys who really don't have a realistic chance at catching a kickoff.

I get the desire to improve safety. But sometimes these rule changes seem to be done just so the committee can justify its per diem and free hotels.

I don't think I've ever seen a fair catch on a kickoff, but this gives the kicking team no incentive for a short kickoff in hopes of stopping the return man deep. If a return man sees the coverage is good just signal fair catch and get the ball on the 25. I have a feeling we'll start seeing fair catches in almost every game.

My understanding is that the ball must actually be caught by the player signaling for the fair catch. A muff keeps the play alive.

Squibbing the ball on the ground would prevent a fair catch. Will we see many more squib kicks?

(04-16-2018 11:20 AM)shiftyeagle Wrote:  Please stop changing football.

XACLY! at the pace their steaming dung is progressing, it will one day resort to drawing a handful of cards from the deck to determine the final score......

I'm waiting for the 7 pt. play if the TD is over 30 yds with the XP making it 8 or the 2 pt. making it 9 in totality....

this is why I'll always love baseball more.....

(04-16-2018 06:16 AM)LouisvilleHilltopper Wrote:  Here's my strategy for the kicking team:
Hard line drive that starts bouncing around the 15. Usually is hard for the returner to handle and they can't call a fair catch. Takes away the advantage of long hangtime to get coverage down the field, but at least it doesn't automatically put the ball at the 25.

I think we're going to see a bunch of teams break out new kickoff strategies similar to this in the up coming season. All rule changes do is necessitate innovation to work around them.

(04-17-2018 08:36 PM)RonBurgundy Wrote:  

(04-16-2018 06:16 AM)LouisvilleHilltopper Wrote:  Here's my strategy for the kicking team:
Hard line drive that starts bouncing around the 15. Usually is hard for the returner to handle and they can't call a fair catch. Takes away the advantage of long hangtime to get coverage down the field, but at least it doesn't automatically put the ball at the 25.

I think we're going to see a bunch of teams break out new kickoff strategies similar to this in the up coming season. All rule changes do is necessitate innovation to work around them.

why would ya risk it unless you have a soccer stud that can pull that off over 95% of the time.....there's nothing stopping one from doing that now....

the pooch will become the norm unless one's coverage team is illiterate or you have a guy with a leg that consistently puts it in the EZ......

this proposal solves nothing relative to safety.....some of the 'watch that lit-tle mon-key go' will return it no matter what if space is available.....

disclaimer: that's a howie cossell ref (alvin garrett) for those that don't know or remember......that's the one that got his arse unfairly fired....

why not just let 'em kick out of bounds and not be able to decline the penalty with it on the 35???

why why why why why......what a joke....

It makes you wonder what type of special idiots have to be running things.

As players have gotten stronger and faster over the years there is definitely a safety issue at play with kickoffs having never caught up to the advancements in player abilities, but this rule is dumb.

There is a way prevent many of the violent collisions that occur on kickoffs (most people never see them since they are either watching the flight of the ball or the KO returner). And the answer to that is? Line everyone up on a kickoff like a punt.

Rule 1: No one can line up outside the numbers.
Rule 2: KO team cannot get a running head start (i.e. must stay set like an offensive play).
Rule 3: Return team can only position one player more than five yards from the kickoff line of scrimmage.

This would eliminate a lot of the violent collisions from players slamming into each other at full speed. And would protect the integrity of the game (i.e. The freaking Kickoff). And it would also prevent the boredom that this new rule brings with it and ensure the kickoff remains an exciting part of the game.

Just my two cents.

(04-17-2018 08:36 PM)RonBurgundy Wrote:  

(04-16-2018 06:16 AM)LouisvilleHilltopper Wrote:  Here's my strategy for the kicking team:
Hard line drive that starts bouncing around the 15. Usually is hard for the returner to handle and they can't call a fair catch. Takes away the advantage of long hangtime to get coverage down the field, but at least it doesn't automatically put the ball at the 25.

I think we're going to see a bunch of teams break out new kickoff strategies similar to this in the up coming season. All rule changes do is necessitate innovation to work around them.

I agree. Kickers will be experimenting and perfecting a different type of kick with the rule change. As they saying goes, necessity is the mother of invention. This change will provide a different kick style to avoid the rule change.
I do think we will see the squib/line-drive or some other technique kick on the horizon.

(04-18-2018 07:13 AM)ThreeifbyLightning Wrote:  It makes you wonder what type of special idiots have to be running things.

As players have gotten stronger and faster over the years there is definitely a safety issue at play with kickoffs having never caught up to the advancements in player abilities, but this rule is dumb.

There is a way prevent many of the violent collisions that occur on kickoffs (most people never see them since they are either watching the flight of the ball or the KO returner). And the answer to that is? Line everyone up on a kickoff like a punt.

Rule 1: No one can line up outside the numbers.
Rule 2: KO team cannot get a running head start (i.e. must stay set like an offensive play).
Rule 3: Return team can only position one player more than five yards from the kickoff line of scrimmage.

This would eliminate a lot of the violent collisions from players slamming into each other at full speed. And would protect the integrity of the game (i.e. The freaking Kickoff). And it would also prevent the boredom that this new rule brings with it and ensure the kickoff remains an exciting part of the game.

Just my two cents.

Or just put the ball on the 40-45 and make the kickoff a punt, with same rules and lineup as punt, except it's a live ball on the ground. Same as yours basically without the need for a kickoff specialist, freeing up a possible scholly.

After kicking, the kicker must leave the field..

Prior to the kick, the other 10 members are paired off and must tie one of their legs to one of their partner's

The kick returner must wear scuba fins

For the remaining ten return team players, see rule for kicking team

Might as well use the old XFL rule where the ball was placed in the middle of the field and two lineman ran from 10 yards out on opposite sides to see who could get it first.

(04-21-2018 09:00 PM)topper1296 Wrote:  Might as well use the old XFL rule where the ball was placed in the middle of the field and two lineman ran from 10 yards out on opposite sides to see who could get it first.

No I swear that's a lineman not a receiver. lol