New York Giants owner John Mara envisions end to kickoffs

[Galax Steeler]

New York Giants owner John Mara, a member of the NFL's Competition Committee, says he can see a day in which kickoffs will be eliminated from football.

“We had a lot of discussions about whether we should eliminate it and if we did, what we could do in its place,” Mara told Giants.com. “There’s no consensus on it right now, but I could see the day in the future where that play could be taken out of the game. You see it evolving toward that.”
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Last year, the league moved kickoffs from the 30-yard line to the 35 as a safety measure, which Mara says is the committee’s top priority. He adds that the increase in touchbacks last year coincided with a decrease in concussions. Although there is little interest in eliminating kickoffs at this point, Mara pointed out that "There was no support for moving the kickoff back to the 30 yard-line."

Mara says the NFL won’t eliminate the kickoff until it has the right plan for how to get rid of it, but he seems to think the play is fundamentally unsafe.

http://www.nfl.com/news/story/09000d5d82850481/article/new-york-giants-owner-john-mara-envisions-end-to-kickoffs?module=HP11_headline_stack

What a douche bag

[zulater]

No kickoffs would mean no onsides kicks, which would eliminate the late drama in a lot of games. The league would be stupid to do this. That's not to say they wont, but if they do, the slippery slope to irrelevance will have been breached.

[ALLD]

It would be like taking the opening jump out of basketball or the faceoff out of hockey.

[Count Steeler]

Think of all the exciting plays from kick off returns. This would be a big mistake. It was a touchdown on the opening kickoff against the Titans 2 years ago when Ben was still suspended, that set the tone for that game and gave us the win.

I did not like it when they announced they would have kickoffs from the 35. Don't like it now.

[The Patriot]

Disgusting.

[SteelGhost]

It would be a wrong change IMHO.

[steelerdude15]

I hope they don't make such a change.

[SMR]

Mr. Mara,

Yes, you do have a right to an opinion.
But, shut up.

[fansince'76]

If they don't move kickoffs back to the 30, I wouldn't mind. Not a big fan of the "20 minutes of commercials, kickoff, touchback, then 20 more minutes of commercials" cycle that occurs now...

[fansince'76]

Mara says the NFL won’t eliminate the kickoff until it has the right plan for how to get rid of it, but he seems to think the play is fundamentally unsafe.

The entire goddamn game is fundamentally unsafe! :doh:

[Count Steeler]

The entire goddamn game is fundamentally unsafe! :doh:

Video games would eliminate all MAJOR injuries.

[steelreserve]

Well, Mr. Mara, if you haven't come up with a good idea about what would replace a kickoff, how about this: Have all the WRs line up across from each other at midfield and throw their helmets at each other, and see which team has more guys get knocked out cold. If it's a tie, the starting quarterbacks remove their helmets and take turns hitting each other in the head with a lead pipe until one suffers a concussion.

So that would keep the excitement of a kickoff AND improve player safety. Well, maybe not the second one, but at least I'm 50% right compared to Mara's 0%.

[zulater]

So if they eliminate the kickoff they'll need a way for a trailing team to continue to mount a comeback by "stealing" a possession away from the leader. In other words an onsides kick substitute. Any suggestions?

I'm thinking something along the lines of the captains playing Yahtzee at midfield. :lol:

Seriously I think the onsides kick will be what saves the kickoff in the NFL. There's so many games that you're compelled to watch right up until the final gun because any lead less than 17 points ( two td's and 2 point conversions) is still in jeopardy because the trailing team has the means to regain possession after a score.

Eliminate kickoffs and you'll be able to tune 75% of games out midway through the 4th quarter without fear of missing anything substantial. The onsides kick is the perfect risk- reward potential momentum shifter. There's nothing they can come up with to substitute for it that would maintain the current balance.

[silver & black]

Pretty soon, I won't feel the need to waste my Sundays watching my Raiders lose. I'll be able to spend Sundays on the golf course having fun.... while being aggravated to death. :chuckle:

Thank you NFL... for setting me straight about priorities.:thumbsup:

[ALLD]

Another good idea would be to put the goal post on the 20yd line and change FGs to 5 points.

[BigNastyDefense]

That would be fucking retarded. If they were to seriously do this, I would probably quit watching football all together.

Do they not understand the football is an inherently violent sport to begin with? There are always going to be injuries, always going to be concussions. The players don't HAVE to play the game if they don't WANT to. Every player contract should have a clause in it that the player will not sue the team, league, or anyone associated with the team or league over injuries and the after-effects of them down the road when they are retired.

These days, the players should fully well know the dangers to playing the game of football for a career. If they don't want to take the chance of long-term problems...then they can go find another job that pays them a whole lot less. They can put those college degrees that some of them got to work, and the others could go back and get their degree.

[BnG_Hevn]

The solution would be a coin toss. If you wanted to try an on sides kick and you initiate the coin toss and lose, then the opponents get the ball at your 35 yard line.

Only thing to consider is how to skew the odds from 50/50 to whatever the winning % for them are today.

I've seen movies where they have "watered down" sports that are set in the future. Pretty soon it will BE that future. I think the beginning is this country becoming socialist, led by a bunch of politically correct whackos.

[86WARD]

Can't do a coin toss. Roll dice..."snake eyes" gets ya the ball...or defer the roll to the other team with the same end result. "snake eyes" gets you the ball...lol.

What's the worst that could happen? Hurt wrist? Beats players getting concussions.

[86WARD]

And not little dice. Those big price is right dice...

[oneforthetoe]

Wow they moved fast on this.

The official new kickoff rules:

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Oqw3HgaijTM/TxcrYpgpdlI/AAAAAAAAAag/c9NcMHs--dM/s1600/rock-paper-scissors-1r0r6th.jpg