Despite moving NFL kickoffs to the 35 yard line in an attempt to increase player safety, it doesn’t appear that the safety of 11 men hurtling at each other at full speed is improving at all. So is the logical conclusion that the NFL is in the preliminary stages of eliminating the kickoff altogether?
“We’re not at the point where we want to take the kickoff out of the game completely, although we may be moving in that direction,” Giants co-owner John Mara said according the Giants team website. “One of the concerns is what do you do in a situation where you’ve scored late in the game and you’re down by less than a touchdown, and it takes away the onside kick.”
“As I say, you could very well see the kickoff eliminated at some point in time in the future, but I don’t think we’re at that point yet. It still does remain an exciting play, but it’s also a dangerous play. Obviously concussions are on the top of our list in terms of our concerns for the game going forward.”
Mara suggested back in 2012 that the kickoff could go the way of the Dodo bird, and even Roger Goodell told TIME Magazine that he’d even consider replacing the kickoff. The idea at the time was to let the scoring team start on the 30 yard line and have one play to get 15 yards or turn it over on downs (or they could punt to the other team, which is broadly similar to a kickoff, which is still odd). That rule was proposed by Greg Schiano but never gained any traction.
In the meantime, many have wondered aloud whether or not the kickoff actually has much value in a sport that continues to move away from the importance of a kicking game.
If the kickoff is outlawed, then the onside kick would have to be replaced somehow as well. But all of that is hypothetical logistics until the kickoff is actually removed from the game. With one of the NFL’s most powerful men voicing his opinion on the matter, it might just push the sport forward sooner than later.
