NCAA Approves Player Safety Rules Changes

We discussed these proposed changes a couple weeks ago, but they're no longer proposals. Unless they get overridden, those rules will be on the books.

The most significant changes are on kickoffs. Kickoffs will now be from the 35-yard line, and touchbacks will come out to the 25-yard line.

3 months ago Year2 8 comments 1 recs |

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Well say goodbye to blocked punts and kickoff reutrns for TDs

by tab0017 on Feb 24, 2012 12:22 PM EST via mobile reply actions

Move the touchback forward, as well as the kicking team. Why would you wanna kick it to the endzone now? The kicking team now has a 5 yard head start

by Patrick Murphy Sux on Feb 24, 2012 8:16 PM EST reply actions

One of the other rule changes is that kicking team members have to be within five yards of the football when it’s kicked to reduce their running start and make collisions less violent.

Moving the kicking team forward is supposed to induce more touchbacks, as kickers with weaker legs could now possiblyget it in the end zone. Most coaches prefer touchbacks because they’d rather not risk a return touchdown. The NFL put the kickoff at the 35 this past year and the result was a lot more touchbacks.

Moving touchbacks out to the 25 instead of the 20 is supposed to induce the receiving team to take more touchbacks on balls kicked into the end zone. It will be tougher to beat the touchback outcome on a return, so it will probably work.

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by Year2 on Feb 24, 2012 10:07 PM EST up reply actions

It will do exactly what the rules people intend.

And by doing so, one of the most important and game changing aspects of the game. There will be a record low of reutrn TDs and the ability to flip the field on a kickoff is gone. On the aspect of punts, the ability to block a punt will drop like pre-teen panties at a justin beiber concert. More teams will begin to use the 2nd tier blockers on punts. No person has the vertical to straight jump to the height of a punt 3-5 yards after contact. Now the only way to block a punt is to split the blockers or get enough men into the backfield to overwhelm the punter. The new punt philosophy will be souly based on the return.

by tab0017 on Feb 25, 2012 1:47 AM EST via mobile up reply actions