It came up this week that Roger Goodell and NFL were considering removing kickoffs from football all together.
This comes just a season and a half after the league moved kickoffs forward five yards to increase the amount of touchbacks and reducing the chance of injury. It worked out just as expected, with the side effect of giving fans the opportunity to see even longer runbacks if the returner were daring enough to take it out of the end zone.
Now, we could see a switch to a format where the scoring team would have the option of either punting it away (with the potential for fair catches by the receiving team) or going for it with a pseudo-4th-and-15 play.
So, you would still get a chance for exciting returns, the kicking team does have the chance to keep the ball and – best of all – there’s less of a chance for injuries.
Some will say that it’s sacrilege to eliminate kickoffs – I would have been in that camp before all these concussion stories – but the reality is that the game has to evolve with the times.
The lines are from 5Dimes and the home teams are in CAPS
Kansas City + 7 over CLEVELAND
Is it wrong to think that the Belcher murder-suicide could have galvanized the Chiefs? Either way, the Browns should never be giving seven points.
PITTSBURGH -7 over San Diego
I’m assuming Big Ben is going to be back for this one, meaning the Chargers don’t stand a chance.
INDIANAPOLIS -5 over Tennessee
I’d never bet on the Colts at home just in case we see some sort of Chuckstrong display.
JACKSONVILLE +2.5 over New York Jets
How shot is Mark Sanchez’s confidence now after being benched? And could it have gotten worse than it already was?
Chicago -2.5 over MINNESOTA
The Bears may be banged up but the Vikings have zero passing game.
CAROLINA +3.5 over Atlanta
That extra half-point is a killer for me. The Falcons have been winning close one almost every week.
TAMPA BAY -9 over Philadelphia
How has Andy Reid not noticed that firing coaches and IR’ing players every week has a negative effect on the team?
St. Louis +2.5 over BUFFALO
The Bills season is essentially over and the Rams are still in the thick of things.
Dallas +3 over CINCINNATI
I really don’t feel good about this pick, but it kind of feels right. It’ll probably end up in a tie.
SAN FRANCISCO -11.5 over Miami
Do the Dolphins have any skill players that could possibly threaten the 49ers defence? Yeah, I didn’t think so either.
NEW YORK GIANTS -4.5 over New Orleans
That Giants Super Bowl run took a slight detour with that loss in Washington, but that ride should pick back up right here.
GREEN BAY -7 over Detroit
The Lions haven’t won in Green Bay in 21 years. I don’t see that changing this week.
Houston +3 over NEW ENGLAND
This game could very well decide who hosts the AFC final and I surprisingly feel better about the visitor.
This week: 0-1
Last week: 5-9-1
This season:Â 94-93-9