The kickoff, R Shawn Pton, the coach of the Broncos, is saying something that we have been mentioning for a while.
So obviously, obviously it’s worth my time to talk about it because it supports one of my takes that some might have said is a little kooky.
I said months ago: by the time we get to the middle of the Season trade deadline, Tuesday, after week nine half of the teams will be just kicking the ball out of the end zone and giving up the 30 yard line, because it’s not worth the risk of somebody returning that kickoff for a touchdown.
And we’re going to see that the average field position isn’t much short of the 30.
And during the Hall of Fame game on Thursday night you see the guy catch the ball during that 20 yard Landing Zone, the zero and the 20, and it’s like two or three strides
And you’re at the 25 and some of the early drives are like around the 26, 27, 28.
Xfl experience is that 27 or 28 yard line is the average starting field position.
So just kick it out of the end zone, give up the 30.
I think some coaches are going to do that to start the season with the attitude of we’ll let somebody else be the guinea pigs for this new rule.
I’m not going to pin my career on One Long touchdown on a kickoff that causes me to lose a game that ultimately keeps me out of the playoffs.
I’m not doing that.
Payton’s point from Saturday was: they just need to move the Touchback point to the 35 and remember, as originally envisioned, that’s where the Touchback point was.
It was on the weekend before the vote in late March that the 35 magically became the 30 and Pton would like to, because it it.
It is confusing.
It is confusing to the average fan, especially people who haven’t been paying attention during the offseason.
You tune in for the Hall of Fame game or one of the preseason games, or you just wait until week one.
Ravens Chiefs September 5 on Nbc.
You tune in: welcome back football.
I haven’t watched since the Super Bowl.
What the hell am I looking at?
Why are all those guys?
Why are they lined up there?
Why are the other?
Why is the other team five yards?
What?
What’s going on here?
So when it’s time to explain it to people, what they have to say now is okay.
If the ball’s kicked out of bounds, it goes to the 40.
If the ball’s short of the landing Zone, it goes to the 40.
If the ball’s kicked into the end zone and not return, it goes to the 30.
If it’s kicked into the landing Zone and rolls into the end zone and isn’t returned, it goes to the 20.
It’s just too much.
And Payton’s idea is let’s have two numbers: 20 and 35.
It goes to the 20.
If it hits in that 20 yard box, goes into the end zone and isn’t returned, it goes to the 35 if anything else happens, if it’s kicked out of bounds.
If it hits the landing Zone and goes out of bounds, if it’s kicked out of the end zone, if it lands short of the landing Zone, which starts at the 20, it goes to the 35.
I like that
And I’m behind that, and he says we’re pushing for that.
And here’s the key.
Last week it was reported that the commissioner is pushing for a special League meeting.
August 27, 3 weeks from today.
Today, tomorrow, tomorrow, 3 weeks from Tomorrow.
Close enough on this issue of private equity and Yada, Yada, hey, you got all the owners together.
The preseason will be over.
By then.
Let’s move the 30 to the 35 and see.
The problem is the data is going to be misleading because, as Payton said Saturday and as we explained last week, folks aren’t going to show their hands during the preseason.
They’re not going to let everyone know what they’re thinking about doing with this kickoff rule until the season starts.
And maybe that’s when all of a sudden everyone’s banging it out of the end zone.
Oh, we’ll go ahead and kick it off during the preseason.
Make them think that, yeah, all these balls are going to be in play, all these kicks are going to be in play.
Oh it’s great.
Look at all these returns.
And then here comes the regular season.
Screw that, I’m kicking it into the front row.
You take the 30.
I’ll Trust my defense.
I’ll not pin my career to keeping Tyreek Hill from running a kickoff back for a touchdown.
So hopefully, hopefully, the Nfl will understand that nothing’s really going to change.
You know they’ve hyped this rule up as, oh, look at all these extra plays- 1,00 extra plays or whatever.
With the Touchback point at the 30, I mean think about it, think about it, even Beyond, just saying strategically: we’re never going to kick off and put the ball in play.
As Payton said, if you’re leading by two scores in the second half, why are you going to put the ball in play?
Kick it out of the end zone and give him the 30 and make him go 70 yards.
Don’t run the risk of a kick that gets taken to the house.
And now you’re two-score lead is a one-score lead.
That’s just smart.
It makes sense.
The 35 changes a little bit.
That five yards can change it- 30 versus the 35.
Hopefully the powers that be will realize we’re going to get closer to what it is we want.
If we make it the 35 now, maybe they won’t get 24 votes.
Maybe some of the teams voted for this change with the shift from the 35 to the 30, knowing that if all else fails, my team will just kick the ball out of the end zone, and I like it that way.
We can always.
It’s kind of like your own personal kill switch.
Stop the ride on this new rule instead of waiting until the season ends.
You can just say we’re done with this.
We’re just going to kick it out of the end zone like before, and we’ll give you the 30 instead of the 25.
Again, though, by the trade deadline, I think half the league is going to be kicking it out of the end zone unless they change the Touchback point from the 30 to the 35.
Hi, it’s Mike Florio.
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