Ejections and 25 yard-line touchbacks have passed

chasa said:

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

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I actually take this as a good thing.

If Ghost can master these kicks, it'll be a big advantage for us.

Big-T said:

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.

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Actually sort of agree with this, but I would have preferred pushing the kickoff back 5 yards.

oldrover said:

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...

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I might know them. Neither one is a kicker.

Sicilian said:

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

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I don't think it would make the average yards per kick fewer. Sure, some kicks would become shorter, but some would become TDs and some that would be out of range would become in range.

Two sets of thoughts:
1) I thought they moved the KO line up to limit the number of returns and reduce violent collisions. This gives teams an incentive to see if they can kick the ball a little shorter or, as another poster suggested, squib it to encourage a return attempt. Doesn't make a whole lot of sense.

2) As a Pats fan, the glass is either half full or half empty.

Half Full: we have the best QB in the game, so this means that Brady will often have to take the team five fewer yards to get into FG range or score a TD.

Half Empty: We have the best K in the game, so this will reduce the value of a Gostkowski Touchback by five yards.

Wow! lame! nobody is going to be running it back now with the Patriots.

Ross12 said:

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.

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Yup. Kickers should now specialize in kicking the ball very high and short, down to around the 5-10 in a corner. No more kicking the ball out of the end zone, which Gostkowski excelled at. This could cause even more concussions. Idiots.

lol. If kickers could kick rainbows that dropped into coverage on the one, they would be doing it. This is bullsh*t. Just hand the ball to the others side, kick offs are dead.

Chalk this up to another example of continuing to water down the on field product. Sigh. This is kind of like MLB saying: "We're going to stop using actual pitchers & use pitching machines in all games because too many pitchers get hurt & need shoulder and Tommy John Surgeries". Le sigh.

BTW...South Park predicted this:

I hope the 25-yard touchback rule backfires leading to more kickoffs into the field of play. Even the idiots who pushed it admitted it might: League officials admit touchback rule may have unintended consequences

What idiots! Goodell, Blandino and Vincent -- three rotten peas in a pod. We might end up with more violent kickoff returns than ever, minus the possibility of any being returned for a touchdown. There will be tons of close-quarters collisions with pooch kicks going to the 5-15. Thanks, morons.

Tunescribe said:

Yup. Kickers should now specialize in kicking the ball very high and short, down to around the 5-10 in a corner. No more kicking the ball out of the end zone, which Gostkowski excelled at. This could cause even more concussions. Idiots.

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Just kick the ball really high, even if it drops down around the 10, your coverage team will have plenty of time to get there. Even if the returner makes a guy miss, your coverage team will most likely stop them short of the 25.

It might not be something you do every time, but it is probably something you would do at times versus just kicking it through the back of the end zone every time. I would not be surprised if this led to a decrease in touch backs.

I hate the idea of eliminating the kickoff, but I would prefer the ball be simply placed on the 20 yard line to this newest rule.

And along with it, eliminate all the g-dam ads surrounding the kickoffs. It's really painful to watch big time sports these days because of having to suffer through these interminable ads. The bigger the game, the more the pain. It's literally sickening (great for the popcorn and chips people tho)

So if this results in more returned kickoffs as suggested, our team places more emphasis on special teams than most - advantage Pats.