Ejections and 25 yard-line touchbacks have passed

[JMC00]

 

[VectorPrime]

Oh FFS just eliminate kickoffs already if you are going to keep screwing with them. Now NO ONE will ever run out of the endzone because they never get to the 25.

 

[tasmlab]

What's the point of moving the touchback? Is this just to support higher scores as per the trend of the last few decades?

 

[tasmlab]

Oh FFS just eliminate kickoffs already if you are going to keep screwing with them. Now NO ONE will ever run out of the endzone because they never get to the 25.

The kickoffs and PATs are just things the networks can stick commercials in front of and behind.

World peace will happen as soon as Amazon gets the rights to stream games for a fixed fee. They can eliminate all of the kicking plays because there won't be commercials anymore, they can give the name "football" back to soccer, and everyone will be generally happier and more productive.

 

[Ross12]

The only way I really see the way this changes the kickoff is that it potentially makes a team more likely to try to kick the ball within the field of play, because the other team would now have to advance it past the 25 for it to be a net loss instead of the 20.

 

[Froob]

uh..why?

 

[varjao]

What's the point of moving the touchback? Is this just to support higher scores as per the trend of the last few decades?

It is directly related to this desire. Whether is Vegas interest or NFL interest we don't know, I think it's the later, the NFL is not interested in 17 x 13 ground n' pound games anymore. It doesn't help to bring new fans to the sport, I as a foreigner who started to watch the sport already as an adult must confess I could only see the beauty of this type of game after a while, they want a bunch of 48 x 34 instead.

 

[Gronk]

I'm not exactly sure why but I really hate the touchback thing. It's almost a punishment for having a kicker who can routinely put the ball deep or out of the endzone. Lots of "half-measures" and change-for-the-sake-of-it when it comes to NFL rule changes rather than anything logical. I thought part of the reasoning on moving the kickoff spot was to create more touchbacks and fewer violent kickoff plays? Needed a new variable I guess.

Could go either way - as Vector said it decreases the receivers incentive to come out of the EZ, but as Ross said it also increases the kicking teams incentive to try to kick it short of the EZ. I suppose on balance it's still safest to just kick it thru the back of the endzone.

If they wanted to make it an exciting, competitive play they could make it so the receiving team cannot kneel down a kick or punt in the endzone - it must clear the boundary lines to be a TB...or it's a live ball.

Q: Would "half the distance" penalties still only apply inside the 20? Or 25 if that's the default/tb line? I guess at most it's a 2.5 yard difference but we've seen coaches throw challenge flags for less.

 

[TBR]

Leave the damn touchbacks alone, NFL*

No need to tinker every little thing, especially this

 

[Ivan]

I f.cking hate this league.

 

[oldrover]

Why not just kick off from the 50 every time? Or just eliminate the play entirely if that's what they want.

Good grief... this game is getting seriously...

...****ified.

 

[JMC00]

The thing about the 25 yard touchback is we will see more teams trying strategies to pin teams on kickoffs then just trying to blast it out of the end zone. Although I think smart coaches will just have their kicker boot it out of the end zone.

Trying to pin someone on kickoff is a dangerous proposition because if one of your coverage guys gets blocked out of the play it could be a TD

 

[chasa]

I can't wait to watch ghost squib some kicks that stop rolling at about the 2 yard line.

 

[Ivan]

Now I really understand why Belichick was in such a foul mood at the coaches breakfast yesterday. It must seriously piss off real football, people to see the game bastardized the way it has been under sh.tbag Goodell. He won't be happy until the game is played by holographs with final scores higher than basketball.

I actually want to punch Goodell in the face when he starts spouting his high and mighty integrity bullish.t. What a liar.

 

[Ivan]

I can't wait to watch ghost squib some kicks that stop rolling at about the 2 yard line.

This rule essentially negates the advantage having a good kicker gives teams.

 

[chasa]

This rule essentially negates the advantage having a good kicker gives teams.

hopefully a good kicker isn't just about power, Ghost is going to need to earn that extension with some fancy new kick offs that piss off the league brass.

 

[Gronk]

This rule essentially negates the advantage having a good kicker gives teams.

It doesn't negate it - it does change it a little, giving offenses 5 less yards to travel.

From the kicking team's perspective, I would imagine a guaranteed 75 yards to defend if you kick the ball thru the endzone is statistically preferable to a more volatile starting field position from a return of a kick. Sure sometimes you tackle them inside the 20, but you can still eliminate the possibility of a TD return or any big return that sets them up for an even shorter field.

I think there are probably certain strategic scenarios where you'd be slightly more inclined to short the kick and force a return, but not a ton.

 

[Big-T]

This rule essentially negates the advantage having a good kicker gives teams.

It's the opposite, it REWARDS good kickers.

Just hoofing it out the back of the end zone isn't a skill, dropping it inside the 5 and forcing a return, however, is. Big legged kickers with no touch get punished but kickers with good touch are rewarded.

It also rewards good kick coverage.

 

[Sicilian]

Q: Would "half the distance" penalties still only apply inside the 20? Or 25 if that's the default/tb line? I guess at most it's a 2.5 yard difference but we've seen coaches throw challenge flags for less.

I'm not positive, but I'm pretty sure the half-the-distance rule isn't relegated to a place on the field per se, but applies when the penalty would result in bringing you more than half the distance to the goal line. So right now a personal foul by the defense when they're on their 28 would result in a 14 yard penalty, rather than a 15 yard already.

 

[Sicilian]

It's the opposite, it REWARDS good kickers.

Just hoofing it out the back of the end zone isn't a skill, dropping it inside the 5 and forcing a return, however, is. Big legged kickers with no touch get punished but kickers with good touch are rewarded.

It also rewards good kick coverage.

It also rewards good FG kickers, by making the yards needed for FG range fewer.