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CLICK HERE to Register for a free account and login for a smoother ad-free experience. It's easy, and only takes a few moments.This is the original spot the ball was kicked from before they changed the rules about 15-20 yeas ago, i have no problem with it. I never like it being changed in the first place.
Somewhat true, as they often have three minutes of commercials before the kickoff and then three more minutes of commercials after the kickoff.
Is the quota a stipulation of the contract with the NFL? If so the only reason I can think of is so that the NFL can have some control over how much time away from the games there is. If networks didn't have the quota and starting fitting in commercial breaks whenever they could (even if only a 30 second break here and a 1 minute break there, etc), it would be noticed by the fans how often commercials breaks would come up and in my opinion negatively affect alot of their opinions of the fans in regards to their viewing experience.Right now networks are given ten commercial breaks per half; no more and interestingly, no less. One gets used at the 2-minute warning, another at the end of quarter, and then the rest are after a score, change of possession, or injury on the field. My guess is that they could still get their full allotment of commercial breaks even if the kickoff was done away with.
The biggest thing I don't understand is why they don't go to commercial once they hit their quota of ten. I do realize that the networks want very much for the game to fit within a specific time frame, but when there is an injury, replay or score they could easily fit in one more ad in without extending the actual length of time the game is played, giving them that much additional revenue - or promo an upcoming show of their own, which they love to do. It just seems odd that they would pass on the opportunity and leave that money on the table.
Deus: The 2010 stat is a bit misleading for two reasons. (1) Mason Crosby is one of the worst kickoff kickers in the NFL. (2) The highest ranked kicker that kicked at Lambeau last year was Dan Carpenter of Miami, and his KOs averaged about 66 yards.
That said, KOs tend to get shorter as the year gets later, so I won't be surprised if the TB numbers decline (except, of course, for the indoors teams. . . . ).
There's nothing misleading about it. You should get more than 2 touchbacks by mistake, and the number is the number. However, if you've got the numbers from previous years, I'd be happy to take a look at them.
I don't have the time to look at the opponents' stats, but Crosby himself had 5 in 2009 and 9 in 2008. (OTOH, his KO average decreased ~3 yards from 2008 to 2010. . . .).
And to be precise, what I meant is that the fact that there were only 2 TBs at Lambeau in 2010 is not conclusive evidence that it is difficult to kick TBs at Lambeau. [After all, if a team's STs suck, then their opponents might return a kick even if it goes deep.]