Replacing the Onsides Rule

[fifteenandoh]

just a crazy idea...

what if....

you made the rule that the Kicking Team can only recover a "Muff" if the ball is inside the Opponents 20 yard line...

*but a team that is losing has the option of keeping the ball on their own 35 yard line with No First Downs.

in other words...
they have 4 plays to score a Touchdown, kick a Field Goal, Punt, or Turnover on Downs.

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I think this would cut down on the number of concussions during the Onsides Kick.
plus it would reduce the number of Kickoffs.
and also add a level of excitement for games that are somewhat out of reach.

it would make it very difficult for teams to score Touchdowns in this scenario...
but a string of Field Goals is possible.
and if they aren't in range, they could punt on 4th down.

I don't know... its just an idea... curious what others might think.

 

[ConvenientParking]

Getting rid of onside kicks would do very little for concussions. How often do you see more than one (if any) in a game? I can see where punts and regular kickoffs are potentially more dangerous than 3 yds and a cloud. It is interesting strategically. You'd need to gain ~30 yds in three downs to get in range for a punt that would be comparable to a kickoff in terms of field position.

 

[fifteenandoh]

After Rutgers defensive tackle Eric LeGrand was paralyzed in 2010 while making a tackle on a kickoff, then-Rutgers coach Greg Schiano called for kickoffs to be abolished. The most unique part of Schiano's idea was to put the ball back in the hands of the team that scored. Under Schiano's plan, instead of a kickoff, the kicking team would have a fourth-and-15 from its own 30. The team could either punt, which is considered a safer play than a kickoff, or try to convert a fourth-and-15 that would replace the onside kick as a strategic gamble.

http://www.cbssports.com/college-fo...skeptical-about-potentially-banning-kickoffs/

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I don't like the 4th and 15 idea...
I also don't like the idea of eliminating Kickoffs...
I would not be opposed to reducing the number of kickoffs by giving the losing team that scores a limited opportunity to score again.

 

[BioHawk]

Has there ever been a study on the occurrences of concussions on kickoffs vs. any other kind of play?

 

[ichawk24]

http://yaledailynews.com/blog/2016/07/20/ivy-league-pilots-new-kickoffs-touchbacks-rule/

Kickoff returns account for 23.4 percent of concussions in football games, even though they represent only 5.8 percent of overall plays.

 

[fifteenandoh]

yah.. I was looking into this last night... if you replaced the Onsides Kick Rule with my No First Downs Rule..... sorta speak....

there would be on average, 2 to 3 fewer Kickoffs per game.... that is, if teams opted for the free No First Downs play.

it would have to be that you can only take advantage of it if your team scores and they are still losing in points.

I don't know if its a good idea or not... just a crazy thought I had.

 

[Titanhawk2]

Since the ball is always live on a kickoff, you can't "muff" the return

 

[fifteenandoh]

Since the ball is always live on a kickoff, you can't "muff" the return

yes... you are correct...
I should have probably phrased that differently....

let me say it this way....
the ball is only live once it reaches the opponents 20 yard line...
under the current rule... the ball becomes live after it goes 10 yards or is touched by the opponent.

the reason why I suggest this is because... I could envision a scenario where teams will often times try squib kicks in the hopes of getting the ball to touch an opposing player...

by making the rule Inside the 20.... this eliminates the motivation for squib kicks for this purpose.....

which in turn would encourage more kicks into the end zone... which would reduce the number of kickoff returns..

I'm not opposed to kickoffs at all...
but I would be in favor for reducing the number of them for the sake of preventing injuries.

~thanks for the comment

 

[rivercityjazzman]

yes... you are correct...
I should have probably phrased that differently....

let me say it this way....
the ball is only live once it reaches the opponents 20 yard line...
under the current rule... the ball becomes live after it goes 10 yards or is touched by the opponent.

the reason why I suggest this is because... I could envision a scenario where teams will often times try squib kicks in the hopes of getting the ball to touch an opposing player...

by making the rule Inside the 20.... this eliminates the motivation for squib kicks for this purpose.....

which in turn would encourage more kicks into the end zone... which would reduce the number of kickoff returns..

I'm not opposed to kickoffs at all...
but I would be in favor for reducing the number of them for the sake of preventing injuries.

~thanks for the comment

Interesting discussion and it's one worth having, to be sure. I like your ideas. It may be worthwhile, from an analytics standpoint, to offer alternatives to an onside kick that safer from a concussion standpoint, but are equally probable in terms of leading to a score. With that in mind, I don't know if starting at the 30 would be the correct spot, but I like the concept.

 

[Titanhawk2]

I just don't recall a lot of concussions occurring from on-side kicks. Most of the receiving team is not even involved and those on the kicking team are going for the ball. Concussions on kickoffs come from guys getting a 40 yard start to drill a guy.

 

[fifteenandoh]

I just don't recall a lot of concussions occurring from on-side kicks. Most of the receiving team is not even involved and those on the kicking team are going for the ball. Concussions on kickoffs come from guys getting a 40 yard start to drill a guy.

that's true... concussions on onsides are rare... and hard to measure, for sure...
but they do happen... people do get drilled....

but... as I stated above... I am not in favor of eliminating Kickoffs.... I don't like that idea at all..... however.... I would be in favor of reducing the number of Kickoffs...

because as you pointed out... concussions occur on Kickoffs.
by removing the Onsides... you then can reduce the number of Kickoffs.
~thanks

 

[myteamcanbeatupyourteam]

The only way you eliminate concussions in football is to make it touch football, even then you will still have them. When you figure out a way for the brain to NOT slam against the skull, you will have eliminated concussions.