Goodell / Kickoffs / Playoffs

quote:

Goodell's days as commissioner are numbered.

Based on what? To you me and the lamp posts here he may sound like a moron but he really only needs to satisfy the owners. I would think some of the ideas we're hearing from him have some connection to his empolyers' wishes.

Football without kickoffs or point after attempts isn't football.
Might as well throw punting in here, as well. If KO's bite the dust, punts can't be far behind.

quote:

Originally posted by Fedya:
The GBP Rules and GB Fan For Life are both trying to inject logic into the legal system. If it gets to a jury, the case is likely to be decided by emotion.

Social Justice?

I fully expect coal miners to start a successful class action lawsuit for black lung.

Successful for the lawyers, perhaps, Henry.
Bastards.

Whatever faults I might find with Goodell he's managed to never under his watch have a game cancelled due to labor negotiations. That's a huge plus in my book.

All this safety sensitivity is preparation for style of game that can be played 18 times a season. Once we see that's the direction of growth they're going to go for it. The owners want it and they'll tweak the game until they can make it feasible.

I hate the defenseless player rules as a fan but from a safety perspective it's hard to argue. It has had an affect on cases of serious injury.

I just want some balance between the offense and defense. It's not fair to half the game that all the rules changes only affect one side of the ball. Get rid of the chop block and the throwing at the feet of the screen back. I don't think the offense should get a mulligan when the defense reads a play and covers it correctly. At the very least spot the ball where the QB throws it in the dirt. Otherwise force him to put it in play past the line of scrimmage. Defense is exciting and too much of it is missing from the game.

quote:

Originally posted by titmfatied:
Whatever faults I might find with Goodell he's managed to never under his watch have a game cancelled due to labor negotiations. That's a huge plus in my book.

That has nothing to do with Goodell. That idiocy was hashed out. MLB can carry that dumb ****, slow coach, mouth breather, dick slap, pea brained, narrow minded, circle jerk torch.

Oh BTW, go **** yourself MLB.

On NFLN this morning one of their main reporter guys was saying this is laying the groundwork for an 18 game schedule.

So would they be getting rid of kickoffs in college and HS as well?

quote:

Originally posted by Tdog:
yeah, seeing Todd Marinovich's name on there....wth??

No kidding. Heck he was on that ESPN movie awhile back readily admitting heavy cocaine use.

quote:

I don't think the offense should get a mulligan when the defense reads a play and covers it correctly.

it's not a mulligan, the offense loses a down. I'm not for it because it would add yet another highly judgmental call to our already confused referees.

guess what Marinovich is doing now?
http://toddmarinovich.com/
not bad stuff

To all my friends!

Football as presently played at the highest level is a blood sport. Few players come out the other end set for life. Even if they did, their lives are shortened (they die about a year younger for each year played). Then there are the health issues. Go to the alumni game and watch the players limp out onto the field. Then add in the brain injuries - guys like Jim McMahon (yes he was a jerk) headed for dementia at 50. Players killing themselves because they can see that quick slide coming.

If football ignores this, it will go the way of boxing. In the 1960s, boxing was big time. Matches were still on the radio. Golden Gloves mattered. Colleges had boxing teams. UW had a great team. Then a UW boxer died in the ring. Boxing went away over the next decade. No college teams. The only boxers left were desperate young kids with no other options. Boxing and its mutant offspring are still around, but as a sideshow for young men. Knowing the cost to the boxers, people just became uncomfortable watching.

For football to have a future, it must address the injury and brain damage issues. The NFL studies will wash down to college and high school. New rules will protect young athletes, or else parents will start to move their kids to other sports. We have seen former pros talk about forbidding their kids to play. When women and families start to turn away from the violence and the cost to the players, they will not come back. If you think the NFL can't go back to being a niche sport, think again.

Finally, add in the legal issues. The medical side is clear. We know what the costs of continuing as we are will be. High schools WILL protect athletes because they can't afford the law suits. Colleges will change how the game is played for the legal issues alone, as they don't care much about the players.

Nostalgia for the game as it was played in the 1970s is crap IMNSHO. There is plenty of room for solid defenses in today's game. The Bears, Giants and Niners are built on that and they do quite well. Not every change will improve the game or make it safer, but the league will continue to try things. The main effect of skipping extra points will be how it affects commercials. If a punt replaces kickoffs, then there is still room for trick plays.

Football is fortunate in being able to evolve with the times. Hockey has some limits. They mess with the end lines and such, but the game is hard to modify greatly. The NFL can change rules and the entire game changes. The no contact after 5 yards rule changed everything, for example. If we played by Lombardi rules, the passing game would shrink down.

While I don't welcome every rule change (touching the QB shouldn't always be a penalty), for the long term future of the NFL, I do welcome the emphasis on player safety.

quote:

their lives are shortened

Proven false by other posters on this board in other threads.

Regarding Boxing...explain the popularity of MMA.

I still say they buy their tickets and they know what they're getting into.
as Henry started with coal miners, what about ALL the other occupations that take a toll on a human's body, nervous system, mind. should they all sue and have their jobs redesigned and/or eliminated? and if so, how will anything get done?

it's a chosen profession that's a game. nobody needs to play football. they know what can happen. if they don't, they're kidding themselves. yet, they still do it. and now we're supposed to change the game so they can't hurt themselves even tho the game is about inflicting pain, about besting the guy across from you physically.

it's all lose-lose down this road, but if that's where it's going bye-bye football. glad I got to enjoy it while it was real.

Double check me on this, I may be off

Let's say a team wins the toss at the start of the game and elects to "kick off" now they get the ball at their 30, its 4th and 15 and they convert to make the first down.

They keep the ball, drive down field and score and have to "kick off" again. They get the ball again at their own 30, 4th and 15 -- correct? They go for the first and make it...

They drive down the field and score a touchdown. Instead of kicking off they get the ball yet again with a 4th and 15. Teams would design specific plays, formations and players for that 4th and 15 play and the successful ones would rarely give the ball to the other team. It puts WAY too much power in the opening coin toss

When they pissed and moaned about the overtime rules, they said it wasn't fair for only one team to get the ball- but it seems like this new rule would do just that. In a game like last night's contest- the uber-talented Broncos offense would have 25 drives, the Raiders only 5 by the time the game was over. Dumb

Current NFL reminds me of a marriage gone bad. "I love you sooooo much.... now I'm going to change you and make you better"

I'll also comment on the old-timers limping onto the field - those are the guys who played decades ago under more violent rules - we really don't know how todays' super-trained athletes with patty-cake rules will fare in 10 or 20 years.

Sure its a major bummer to see your heroes get old and gimpy, but that's called aging and it happens to everybody. No doubt football makes it worse, but so far Father Time is undefeated and no amount of rules changes is going to stop that from happening.

The NFL will continue to evolve with money being the main driving force and we all get to choose if we want to continue to watch moneyball or not. But we have no say, that much is glaringly apparent- our only role is to keep sending money

You are technically correct but if it is so easy to design plays for 4th and 15 at your own 30...why do teams punt on 4th and 2 at the 50 yard line?

Why do teams punt at all?

I see Satori's point, and if teams no longer need KO teams, they could come up with a 4th and 15 team. Maybe keep a couple of 6'7" WR and just play jump ball - and likely get a PI for the 1st anyway.

quote:

Originally posted by FreeSafety:
...why do teams punt on 4th and 2 at the 50 yard line?

cause they're ?

Yup.

I see Satori's point as well. But why don't teams just adapt that philosophy right now when it comes to punts? Have a 4th down team instead of a punt team.

Honestly can't think of a good reason other than the percentages. I think this idea from Goodell is a smoke-screen ploy for the real plan they will go with for eliminating KOs.

Aesthetically, I'm torn. Special Teams play should be important IMO and having a great return man should be a nice advantage.

But the vast majority of kickoffs are usually a bunch of guys with long running starts colliding with eachother and the ball ending up around the 20 anyway.

quote:

Originally posted by Hungry5:
I see Satori's point, and if teams no longer need KO teams, they could come up with a 4th and 15 team. Maybe keep a couple of 6'7" WR and just play jump ball - and likely get a PI for the 1st anyway.

That's my main concern... PI... or worse yet, defensive holding for a 5 yd penalty and automatic 1st down.

What if the kicker stayed at the 35 yard line, but the other 10 guys are lined up further down the field, like say the opponents 40 yard line. That would reduce the speeds of the collisions

The coverage team would have to wait until the ball sailed over their heads before running down the field to cover it. Not sure how to handle an onsides in that scenario, but the league isn't anti-kickoff, they are anti-concussion/injury

quote:

Originally posted by Hungry5:
I see Satori's point, and if teams no longer need KO teams, they could come up with a 4th and 15 team. Maybe keep a couple of 6'7" WR and just play jump ball - and likely get a PI for the 1st anyway.

Interesting take. There are many players on each team only because of their special teams prowess.

quote:

Originally posted by FreeSafety:
You are technically correct but if it is so easy to design plays for 4th and 15 at your own 30...why do teams punt on 4th and 2 at the 50 yard line?

Why do teams punt at all?

Thats now being put up for debate by stat geeks who hypothesize that you shouldn't punt at all. The Saber-metrics era of football is coming soon.

i want to see more drop kicks.

I remember this story from last year about Pulaski Academy (ARK).

link

@AlbertBreer
Goodell just said at his presser that the league will look at expanding the playoffs to 14 or 16 teams


Mo money, mo money, mo money

16 of the 32 teams make the playoffs?

Injured players will never return from injury. Half the teams make the playoffs means regular season games mean less. That means less emphasis on playing well during the regular season and a lessening of the quality of play on the field.

28 NFL teams with 10 playoff spots is what I'd like to see.

No money in less product as long as the demand is high. But I know that you know that.

I'm trying to remember -- Has Goodell ever come up with a good idea?

I don't think these are necessarily Goodell's ideas. The league has meetings. Goodell does interviews and mentions ideas that were talked about at the meetings.

I doubt Roger is sitting around all alone schememing up crazy ideas that the owners don't like.

quote:

Originally posted by FreeSafety:
16 of the 32 teams make the playoffs?

Injured players will never return from injury. Half the teams make the playoffs means regular season games mean less. That means less emphasis on playing well during the regular season and a lessening of the quality of play on the field.

28 NFL teams with 10 playoff spots is what I'd like to see.

I can handle the 32 teams, but half of them making it to the POs would be bad for the game.

Three weeks left and the playoff's are up for grabs. If it ain't broke...

Thoughts from Crabtree:

quote:

personably id love to see r preseason longer n reg season expanded to 82 games (like mba) n play;offs could be like triple elimnation thing?

That dude is one funny mofo.

Not that we have any reason to put a 16-team playoff past Rog and the owners, but the timing suggests this was more about finding any subject at all that would steal some tweets from the Tags ruling.

More from Goodell

someone takes their Creating an Image 101 Class a little too far... cheesenrice
so badell is in love with timmy just like the rest of the zealots - great. hire him for NFL player relations cuz he's great, super, young, terrific and extraordinary!!!

http://profootballtalk.nbcspor...ts-tebow-in-the-nfl/

quote:

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell would be among those reading on, based on his comments to Steve Wyche of NFL Network regarding whether it’s good to have Tebow in the league.

“Well, he’s a great young man,” Goodell said of Tebow. “And I try to stay out of the decisions about who should be playing in the NFL and on what team. But as a young man, he’s just a super young guy, and I sure hope he’s part of the NFL going forward. He’s just a terrific young man and represents all of the values that I think all of our players do. I’m very proud of our players. I think, as a group, they’re extraordinary young men, and I love to see the things they’re doing in the community. They’re obviously great athletes on the field, but these are great young men, and Tim’s a good example of that.”

To be fair to Goodumdum, who I hate, what is he supposed to say about Tim? "Him and his beliefs are too over the top for me...I hope his stay in the NFL is short!" He can't profess his preference for some players over others, even though I'm sure he does prefer the ones who are good for business. Mike Vick and Tim Teblow create more discussion and sell more jerseys than Johnny Jolly so of course he shows them more favor.