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Should we get rid of kickoffs in football?

buffs04 said:
I am not proposing to eliminate violence from football, but when there are options to mitigate injury risk by reconfiguring the most dangerous parts of the game, they should be pursued.
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That is the point of this thread.

The proposal is to simply replace kickoffs with punts but I think that would fail too because punters can still kick the ball far if they kick at the correct angle. The funny thing is that punters seem to be more of a football player than kickers.
 
NashBuff said:
That is the point of this thread.

The proposal is to simply replace kickoffs with punts but I think that would fail too because punters can still kick the ball far if they kick at the correct angle. The funny thing is that punters seem to be more of a football player than kickers.
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Disagree and that´s actually the main reason for the post I made above. I don´t object removing injury risks from the game of football, I support that (and I don´t disagree with buffs04), I want to see the stars play and not some journey man because the star QB had his knee blown out or the star WR has a concussion, but to me that proposal isn´t replacing kickoffs with punts, it´s the offense going for a 4th and 15. Odds of succeeding on an onside kick, where no matter how often you practice it, luck plays a huge role (you cannot guarantee the ball is going to bounce your way), are FAR, FAR lower than the odds of converting a 4th and 15.

If given a chance, what would you fancy more? 4th and 15 or an onside kick?

This is what I mean. High octane pass attacks have been so pimped by rule changes in recent years, especially in the NFL, I don´t think offenses need to be thrown any more bones. It´s imbalanced as it is.
 
Not a bad rule for a backyard football game. Although throwing the ball for a "kickoff" seems to work just fine.

But this is ridiculous for real football.
 
Jens1893 said:
Disagree and that´s actually the main reason for the post I made above. I don´t object removing injury risks from the game of football, I support that (and I don´t disagree with buffs04), I want to see the stars play and not some journey man because the star QB had his knee blown out or the star WR has a concussion, but to me that proposal isn´t replacing kickoffs with punts, it´s the offense going for a 4th and 15. Odds of succeeding on an onside kick, where no matter how often you practice it, luck plays a huge role (you cannot guarantee the ball is going to bounce your way), are FAR, FAR lower than the odds of converting a 4th and 15.

If given a chance, what would you fancy more? 4th and 15 or an onside kick?

This is what I mean. High octane pass attacks have been so pimped by rule changes in recent years, especially in the NFL, I don´t think offenses need to be thrown any more bones. It´s imbalanced as it is.
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Football is about depth and getting through the season. Less than 50% of QB's make it through an entire season - it's just part of the game. If you dont want to get hurt - don't play.
 
GregInAustin said:
Football is about depth and getting through the season. Less than 50% of QB's make it through an entire season - it's just part of the game. If you dont want to get hurt - don't play.
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I don´t know if that stat is true or not, but assuming it´s true, do "less than 50% of the QBs" (I´m assuming you mean starters in Week 1?) make it thru the season because of injuries or because they might be in over their head at the NFL level?

And, I believe you misunderstood my point if that´s what you are picking on in my argument. Do you watch the NFL to see Drew Brees, Peyton Manning or Tom Brady or do you watch to see their backups desperately trying to keep the ship on course?

I believe it´s in the best interest of the NFL and the fans to have the high profile stars on the field playing football and not in a stretcher on their way to an ambulance.
 
Hell, why we dont we just change everything and make anything in life that is bad or potentially dangerous illegal? You know like on Demolition Man. Why stop at kickoffs? Players know the risk. Imho, very very bad idea.
 
buffs04 said:
At some point, the NFL and the NCAA are going to have to address the well-documented evidence that playing football is associated with crippling mental-and-physical-health consequences for a significant portion of participants. It has nothing to do with "pussifying the game" or any of the other traditional responses to investigating ways of making the game safer for players: it is a matter of health. It isn't reasonable to continue putting the well-being of players at risk because fans have developed a taste for watching people take violent, devastating hits.

People enjoy watching players take huge hits, many of which lead to concussions, because that's the direction the sport has taken. If that component of the game can be mitigated, I suspect that fan preferences will adapt.

The bottom line is that football players are dying young and are subject to various mental-health disorders later in life because of how violent the game is. If there are policies available to the NFL/NCAA to reduce the severity and frequency of these kinds of outcomes, they should be strongly considered. That a small portion of football players -- stars in the NFL -- are extremely-highly compensated is not a valid justification for ignoring this issue.
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Wrong, that's exactly what it is.

BuffLuKe said:
Hell, why we dont we just change everything and make anything in life that is bad or potentially dangerous illegal? You know like on Demolition Man. Why stop at kickoffs? Players know the risk. Imho, very very bad idea.
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Zactly. The only way to stop injuries when highly tuned, large scale athletes hit each other at high speed is, umm, not to do that. Everyone lines up within 5 yards of the LOS and after the ball goes 5 yards, the play is dead. I'd pay to see that!
 
To get rid of kick-offs would change everything about special teams play and execution. Schools would begin changing depth charts to stock up on more offensive & defensive players who may never get to sniff the field. Some players only get to play on special teams and make the depth chart because of their special teams play. I say no, this is a dumb uckin idea.:wow:
 
I do not know what the answers are, but there has to be a way of reducing injury risks without dramatically changing the way the game is played. There should not be players in their 40s with dementia or guys having strokes in their 30s. That is truly scary stuff.
 
Boulder Buff said:
I do not know what the answers are, but there has to be a way of reducing injury risks without dramatically changing the way the game is played. There should not be players in their 40s with dementia or guys having strokes in their 30s. That is truly scary stuff.
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While I agree with you I really don't think anybody cares much about this as long as they get their thrills watching it from the stands or on the screen
 
Boulder Buff said:
I do not know what the answers are, but there has to be a way of reducing injury risks without dramatically changing the way the game is played. There should not be players in their 40s with dementia or guys having strokes in their 30s. That is truly scary stuff.
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I agree with that and Im with ya not knowing the answers. Better equiptment, better education for head injuries? I also think they should test these guys way better. I wouldnt be shocked to see a ton of guys using and I mean at alot of levels.
 
I don't know how practical it is with current stadium designs such as Folsom field which just don't have the room but I heard a proposal that if they widened the field by 10 yards it would force teams to go to faster and thus smaller players. It would reduce the average weight of an NFL player by 15-20 lbs and also spread out the lines so that there is are fewer multiple player hits.

As it is now with the size and speed of the players it is rare for a play to occur without somebody getting hit by multiple large players in a short period of time.
 
No Way. The kickoff is a vital part of the special teams phase of the game. That would be changing the game too much.

As a Bears fan, the majority of the scoring excitement comes from the defense scoring and watching Devin Hester (& others) return the kicks. While I love watching good defense, this would take away too much from teams that are built on good special teams play to get better field position. I don't think I could handle hoping that the Bears offense will come through on a regular basis.
 
With pad and helmet technology in the modern sports era, Football players become living breathing weapons. Its how it is. By making them safer we make it more dangerous. The big hit is the most exciting part of the game, especially on a kick return. Taking that away takes away the heart and soul of football. Its not a gentle sport. Its not an easy sport. I guarantee that if helmets were no longer the massive "indestructible" things they are now and were leather again, that huge knock out collisions would cease. When a defender lays out a WR in open field they dont feel the hit. The WR does. Make it so that both feel the hit and tackling will become more about technique and skill rather than mass and velocity.
 
Shldr2Shldr said:
With pad and helmet technology in the modern sports era, Football players become living breathing weapons. Its how it is. By making them safer we make it more dangerous. The big hit is the most exciting part of the game, especially on a kick return. Taking that away takes away the heart and soul of football. Its not a gentle sport. Its not an easy sport. I guarantee that if helmets were no longer the massive "indestructible" things they are now and were leather again, that huge knock out collisions would cease. When a defender lays out a WR in open field they dont feel the hit. The WR does. Make it so that both feel the hit and tackling will become more about technique and skill rather than mass and velocity.
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This is correct. Watch a high level rugby game, they are just as agressive as football and there is plenty of contact but they use different techniques that reduce the full speed impact directed into a person. I wouldn't want football to become like rugby but take away some of the armor and it reduced the absolute destruction that happens.
 
Having a weight limit seems like it could help with a variety of health concerns. I'd be ok with something like that.
 
whatthebuff said:
Having a weight limit seems like it could help with a variety of health concerns. I'd be ok with something like that.
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ummmm.... should we eliminate white people for excessive sunburn?

just making fun of the blatant weight discrimination you just did......

no fat peeps in football :lol:
 
Boulder Buff said:
I do not know what the answers are, but there has to be a way of reducing injury risks without dramatically changing the way the game is played. There should not be players in their 40s with dementia or guys having strokes in their 30s. That is truly scary stuff.
Click to expand...

Shldr2Shldr said:
With pad and helmet technology in the modern sports era, Football players become living breathing weapons. Its how it is. By making them safer we make it more dangerous. The big hit is the most exciting part of the game, especially on a kick return. Taking that away takes away the heart and soul of football. Its not a gentle sport. Its not an easy sport. I guarantee that if helmets were no longer the massive "indestructible" things they are now and were leather again, that huge knock out collisions would cease. When a defender lays out a WR in open field they dont feel the hit. The WR does. Make it so that both feel the hit and tackling will become more about technique and skill rather than mass and velocity.
Click to expand...

I think these go hand in hand. I don't think there is any easy solution. At least in the NFL, where I think the majority of the serious long term damage takes place, the players have a real choice. They can stop at any time and pursue a career elsewhere, or they can endanger themselves while receiving an astronomical level of compensation. The NFL is still the best ratio of compensation to danger ratio of hazardous work out there, so I don't really cry myself to sleep for the choices and ultimate consequences these men have to deal with.
 
If the got rid of kickoffs wouldn't they have to change the name? Handball is taken. How about "Armball?". "Tackleball?". "Throwball?"
 
Let's just play touch football than, that should eliminate all injuries in a sport where the athletes know the risks of playing football.
 
I don't like the idea of getting rid of kickoffs, but what I DO like is the idea of replacing onside kicks with an attempt of 4th and 15 from the 30 yard line. It would make potential comebacks much more exciting, onside kicks are so rarely successful that they are basically irrelevant. To me it's pretty disappointing when you see a team start to make an epic comeback and start heating up on offense but then the comeback falls short just because they are unable to recover an onside kick at the end.
 
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