NFL Rizzi a key voice for changing touchback rules (1 Viewer)

[St.Dan]

Looks like ol' Rizz is banking on this being a positive for the sport.

Also tabled along with the OT proposal was the playoff re-seeding proposal.....

https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/44490561/sources-nfl-owners-ok-kickoff-ot-replay-rule-changes

 

[RJS]

Good for Rizzi. I'm all for getting kickoff returns back in the game. Knowing we won't go back to the old days, his proposals have been the best so far. Even if it kind of freaked me out to watch at first.

 

[Merl]

I thought they were going to need change the spot for touchbacks to the 35 instead of the 30. Too many times teams were opting to kick it deep.

 

[RadsRock]

That is the change, according to ESPN:

The touchback on kickoffs will be marked at the 35-yard line for the 2025 season, a move that league officials and special teams coaches said will prompt a significant increase in the return rate.

I suppose the reasoning is teams will try to kick it shorter. But I don't see how getting 5 more yards for a touchback is really going to increase returns.

 

[RaisingTheBar]

I like Phil but man I wish we could have retained Rizzi in some role.

 

[UFCSaint]

I like Phil but man I wish we could have retained Rizzi in some role.

Agree but it's almost impossible to retain an interim coach in what amounts to a demotion... when a new coaching staff is hired. Esp when the interim coach interviewed for the head coaching job himself.

 

[Saint KayBee]

That is the change, according to ESPN:

The touchback on kickoffs will be marked at the 35-yard line for the 2025 season, a move that league officials and special teams coaches said will prompt a significant increase in the return rate.

I suppose the reasoning is teams will try to kick it shorter. But I don't see how getting 5 more yards for a touchback is really going to increase returns.

Field position mechanics are the only thing I reckon might be the cause.

Say Team B kicks off to Team A, through the end zone, now it’s Team A’s ball at their 30. Team A gains no yards then punts the ball the league-average 47 yards (to Team B’s 23) which is then returned the league-average six yards (to their 29).

Now add five yards of field position to that. Team A punts to the 18 and Team B returns it six yards to the 24. That’s a bit of a swing. If Team B doesn’t return the ball at all, they’re backed up a bit - and part of that is because their own kick teams said to boot the ball through the end zone. If Team B kicks off in a way that forces a Team A return, it’s not likely they’ll reach the 30. Assuming the defense holds, their likelihood of starting out with better field position increases.

I could also be wrong.

 

[Bayou_City]

I wish the NFL would just return the game back to how it was.

Devin Hester will never have his records broken at this point.

The NFL needs to have permanent full healthcare coverage on all players who have played more than 3 seasons and suffered physical ailments from their job, which is this sport called, "Football".

It's absurd that the NFL is worth billions and billions and will not cover their employees medical treatment and invoices, especially when this is as close as worker's comp that they can get being professional athletes.

So to curtail having to pay, what is pennies on the dollar, they neuter and weakened the most exciting part of the game that almost always sets the tone of the game.

Kickoff is not about starting the game. It's about enforcing your will at the very start.

The kickoff team aka "Hit Squad" were your best hitters with speed that couldn't start, but they could fly down the field and lay some wood like a lumberjack.

The kick return team were the ones that could block and had speed but also couldn't start too.

I don't get it. Player safety is paramount, but making a 17 game season with 1 bye week, is a55 backward.

 

[St.Dan]

I wish the NFL would just return the game back to how it was.

Devin Hester will never have his records broken at this point.

The NFL needs to have permanent full healthcare coverage on all players who have played more than 3 seasons and suffered physical ailments from their job, which is this sport called, "Football".

It's absurd that the NFL is worth billions and billions and will not cover their employees medical treatment and invoices, especially when this is as close as worker's comp that they can get being professional athletes.

So to curtail having to pay, what is pennies on the dollar, they neuter and weakened the most exciting part of the game that almost always sets the tone of the game.

Kickoff is not about starting the game. It's about enforcing your will at the very start.

The kickoff team aka "Hit Squad" were your best hitters with speed that couldn't start, but they could fly down the field and lay some wood like a lumberjack.

The kick return team were the ones that could block and had speed but also couldn't start too.

I don't get it. Player safety is paramount, but making a 17 game season with 1 bye week, is a55 backward.

Happy you've joined the forum in recent months, as you've hit the same nail on the head as what I've been hitting since the bounty fiasco. The league didn't take care of its older-generation players over the course of time and it resulted in the class action lawsuit, which in turn was the catalyst for the bounty fiasco.

It's a matter of "won't" and not "can't" when it comes to the healthcare issue, whether it's the NFL or the federal government. There's no such thing as "can't" when you have billions floating around.

 

[RaisingTheBar]

Agree but it's almost impossible to retain an interim coach in what amounts to a demotion... when a new coaching staff is hired. Esp when the interim coach interviewed for the head coaching job himself.

Precedence withstanding I completely understand. It’s just not ever done. But from the outside looking in I don’t understand why. If the new HC/team wants them in a different role what’s the big deal. So Rizzi went from STC to IHC to STC for another team. Why couldn’t he stay STC here. Again I get the precedent that’s been set it just doesn’t make any sense to me.

 

[UFCSaint]

Precedence withstanding I completely understand. It’s just not ever done. But from the outside looking in I don’t understand why. If the new HC/team wants them in a different role what’s the big deal. So Rizzi went from STC to IHC to STC for another team. Why couldn’t he stay STC here. Again I get the precedent that’s been set it just doesn’t make any sense to me.

Agree. I liked his fire and players seemed to love him. Wish we could've kept him