The Sports Brewery

NFL misses the boat, again

Posted on 30. Mar, 2010 at 2:02 am by Stake in NFL Football

The NFL passed a new overtime rule for the playoffs last week that would give both teams a possession unless the first team scores a touchdown. If both teams kick field goals, or neither team scores then overtime reverts back to sudden death. Also, if a team gets a safety the game is over, like if a touchdown were scored. You will probably see teams elect to go on defense first, much like college teams do in their ‘Kansas Plan’. This is only if the coach is completely confident they can hold the opposition to a field goal at worst. By going second, a team can actually use forth down to their advantage because they know what they have to beat.

The NFL is only treating the symptom, not the problem. The problem is the position of place kicker. Something is wrong when a kicker(Janikowski) is getting 4 mil a year. Granted it’s the Raiders, but there are too many overpaid ‘kicking specialists’. How many playoff games do we have to see blown or won on some pathetic kicker and his foot? Wouldn’t you rather see a goal line stand or a couple fourth down conversions to end a game? When a team crosses the 50, most NFL coach’s sit on field goals.

What’s the logic behind ‘kicking’ an extra point? Just run a play from the same spot or further back for 2. What other sport has this sort of ‘validation’ process? You don’t see baseball players having to kick the baseball somewhere specific after each run. No where else during the football game of play is kicking the ball to score used. Punting is different and is a logistical part of the game. Why don’t they just allow people to throw the ball through the uprights, rather than kick? Instead of paying someone with a real strong leg, you find someone with a real strong arm, probably not your starting QB though.

I bet the Europeans would love to see their soccer games being decided on one single skill from some American. Example: if soccer had scoring where throwing the ball a given distance was a skill and earned your team points; and ManU picked up Masoli to throw the ball for them in these isolated instances throughout the game. You think he would have plenty of homies across the pond?

The main point of this mess is that 160 lb. turds should not be having the amount of impact on a game they do given the time they’re actually on the field. A game centering around 200-300 lb freaks of nature should not hinge upon the leg of a Gramatica or Josh Brown. I could also go without dbag’s like Jeff Reed who forget that they are the ‘kicker’ and should act appropriately.  Without kicking though, I guess we wouldn’t have got Tom Dempsey or Ace Ventura. The first, and most logical thing they (NFL) should do is make position players do the kicking.

Other  2010 Rule Changes:

• A defenseless player cannot be hit in the head or neck by an opponent who launches himself and uses his helmet, shoulder or forearm to make contact. Previously, this applied only to receivers.

• When a ballcarrier loses his helmet, the whistle will blow and the ball will be placed at the spot where the player lost it.

• The umpire will be stationed behind the offensive backfield rather than in the linebackers area.

• During a field goal or extra point, no player can line up directly across from the snapper. Previously, a player needed to have his helmet outside the snapper’s shoulder pads.

• A dead ball personal foul on the final play of the second or fourth quarters will cause a 15-yard penalty on the second-half or overtime kickoff. Previously, no penalty was enforced.

• If a punt returner makes a fair catch signal and muffs the ball, he is entitled to a “reasonable opportunity” to catch the muff before it hits the ground without interference of the coverage team. In case of a penalty, the ball will be placed at the spot of the interference but no yardage marked off.

• When a ball strikes a videoboard (as one punt did last preseason at Cowboys Stadium), guide wire or sky cam, the play is whistled dead and replayed. The game clock is reset to when the play started.

• If the clock is stopped in the final minute of either half for a replay review but would not have stopped without the review, officials will run off 10 seconds before resuming play. Either team can take a timeout to avoid the runoff.

Tags: Janikowski, Jeff Reed, Josh Brown, Martin Gramatica, NFL, Rule change