Thread: New York Giants owner John Mara envisions end to kickoffs

Originally Posted by Northman

But thats my point. If your going to go to that level to ensure safety than take out the sack. Remember Doom plowing Tom Brady into the turf? That could of seriously injured Brady. There are a million things that can happen in a football game that can cause serious injury. Who was the LB for Detroit years ago that was left unconscious or something on the field? Spielman i think? And he was just making a routine tackle. Football itself is entertaining, so is the hits that we see. It gets us (at least me) pumped up when watching it but i also understand that injuries will happen, it always has and always will. If you take away everything that makes it entertaining than you just go and ruin the game and it becomes pointless to even play it.

Taking away the kickoff would be far from "taking away everything that's entertaining" about football. Obviously you can't get rid of tackling because that would fundamentally change the game too much. I think the game could survive without kickoffs though. Yeah they are exciting but it's also a pretty cheap and gimmicky way to score.

The KO return is one of the most exciting plays in football and the on-side kickoff increases late game strategy. I wouldn't want to see either removed. But how would you replace it? A punt? Giving the other team the ball at the 35? The 25? The 20? What if there's a penalty assessed on the kickoff - does it apply to where you spot the ball?

I always thought the PAT was the most pointless (pardon the pun) play in football. Just give them seven points unless they elect to try for two.

Speaking of NFL rules......check out the BRONCO fan

http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com...turn-to-games/

If there is no more kickoffs or onside kicks football will be awful to watch. In alot of games you will know you are out by the time the fourth rolls around. When down by a few scores you need big plays to get back in it. Returns for td's and onside kicks are the quickest way to get a shitty game into a battle to the end.

The NFL is becoming less and less exciting. It will really suck if they get rid of kickoffs.

Originally Posted by DenBronx

The NFL is becoming less and less exciting. It will really suck if they get rid of kickoffs.

All in the name of " Player Safety". News flash, football is a dangerous, violent sport. The wussification of the NFL under Goodell reminds me of Not For Long as the most popular sport in America if you keep diluting the product.

Originally Posted by Canmore

All in the name of " Player Safety". News flash, football is a dangerous, violent sport. The wussification of the NFL under Goodell reminds me of Not For Long as the most popular sport in America if you keep diluting the product.

How can you put this all on Goodell when nearly 1200 former players and counting,from all decades, are coming forward and suing because of the safety of the NFL? I'm not saying Goodell isn't a reason but given the circumstances, he and the NFL Safety Committee are covering their asses because of the lawsuits that have been increasing over the last some years. Perhaps, people should tell the former players they knew it was a collision sport and many injuries do occur. IMO, they're the ones leading the crusade for all these new safety rules.

Originally Posted by Nomad

How can you put this all on Goodell when nearly 1200 former players and counting,from all decades, are coming forward and suing because of the safety of the NFL? I'm not saying Goodell isn't a reason but given the circumstances, he and the NFL Safety Committee are covering their asses because of the lawsuits that have been increasing over the last some years. Perhaps, people should tell the former players they knew it was a collision sport and many injuries do occur. IMO, they're the ones leading the crusade for all these new safety rules.

Goodell is the one running the show. He is the one coming up with all the new rule changes. Now we are rumoring doing away with kickoffs. Any sane individual knows that running head first into another person doing the same thing is inherently dangerous. They are making millions of dollars to do this. The rumored rule change is ludicrous.

Originally Posted by Nomad

How can you put this all on Goodell when nearly 1200 former players and counting,from all decades, are coming forward and suing because of the safety of the NFL? I'm not saying Goodell isn't a reason but given the circumstances, he and the NFL Safety Committee are covering their asses because of the lawsuits that have been increasing over the last some years. Perhaps, people should tell the former players they knew it was a collision sport and many injuries do occur. IMO, they're the ones leading the crusade for all these new safety rules.

No, they didn't know all of the risks. No one knew back then how much it would really screw up their brains once they got into their 50's and 60's. Yeah they knew it was dangerous, but I don't think anyone was really aware of how royally they would be screwed up later in life from all of the head trauma.

Also, even if they did know they risks, that doesn't mean they don't have the right to try to petition to make the game safer. Yeah it's a violent sport and players who sign up for it know that, but that doesn't mean they don't have the right to as safe a workplace environment as possible.

Originally Posted by Canmore

Goodell is the one running the show. He is the one coming up with all the new rule changes. Now we are rumoring doing away with kickoffs. Any sane individual knows that running head first into another person doing the same thing is inherently dangerous. They are making millions of dollars to do this. The rumored rule change is ludicrous.

I agree that any person with common sense knows that if you bash your head enough, it will mess a person up. Again, lawsuits against the NFL is the driving force for these safety rules. What do you suggest the NFL do....keep paying the lawsuits as they come and leave the game the same. Have players sign a waiver stating the NFL isn't liable for future health problems as they retire?

Originally Posted by BaileyTheBest

No, they didn't know all of the risks. No one knew back then how much it would really screw up their brains once they got into their 50's and 60's. Yeah they knew it was dangerous, but I don't think anyone was really aware of how royally they would be screwed up later in life from all of the head trauma.

Also, even if they did know they risks, that doesn't mean they don't have the right to try to petition to make the game safer. Yeah it's a violent sport and players who sign up for it know that, but that doesn't mean they don't have the right to as safe a workplace environment as possible.

And this is why the rules are changing.

Originally Posted by Nomad

I agree that any person with common sense knows that if you bash your head enough, it will mess a person up. Again, lawsuits against the NFL is the driving force for these safety rules. What do you suggest the NFL do....keep paying the lawsuits as they come and leave the game the same. Have players sign a waiver stating the NFL isn't liable for future health problems as they retire?



And this is why the rules are changing.

I don't have a solution. Wish I did. Still, I don't want to see the integrity of the game altered and eliminating the kickoff is messing with the game. I've learned to live with the defenseless receiver rule. It appears the players are too, but removing the kickoff from the game? Come on.

Originally Posted by Canmore

I don't have a solution. Wish I did. Still, I don't want to see the integrity of the game altered and eliminating the kickoff is messing with the game. I've learned to live with the defenseless receiver rule. It appears the players are too, but removing the kickoff from the game? Come on.

I agree and I'm not advocating for rule changes but giving my opinion why the rule changes are happening.

The lawsuit is mostly because the NFLPA and the league has conspired to dick with the old-timers on health benefits so the lawsuits are largely a money grab to get what they believe ought to be theirs. Even a star player in the NFL back in the '70s and '80s made a few hundred thou a season, not millions. True, some of the veteran players have debilitating health issues brought on by playing football but many are in this just to cash in on the settlement money just like a bunch of smokers have.

After all, how can the NFL prove the head injuries are not their fault? They'll have to settle and then the pay-out bonanza will begin.

The other problem is that there are helmets designed to protect the head from violent collisions. NASCAR has them. But they don't look like the current NFL helmets and the league would be all but admitting they outfitted players in a defective product design all these years for esoteric reasons.

The rule changes wont dramatically drop player injuries. They just want the appearance that they are doing something.

We could have a chicken placed on teh 20 yard line, and have him run around until he poops, and that is where the team will take possession of the ball.

Originally Posted by Nomad

Speaking of NFL rules......check out the BRONCO fan

http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com...turn-to-games/

Hhahhahhahhahahaa!