:roll:
[tweet]https://twitter.com/NCAA_FCS/status/984876009936904192[/tweet]
[tweet]https://twitter.com/NCAA_FCS/status/984876009936904192[/tweet]
Might quibble with the yard line (20 might be better), but this one I have no particular problem with. Since a kickoff is a "live" ball, the receiver pretty much has to catch it wherever it comes down. But the temptation to field a ball, rather than call a fair catch, inside the 15-20 yard line has to be huge ... even though trying to run with it has a lot of injury risk. And I assume the rule does not say the receiver can't try to make a run-back ... if he thinks poor kick coverage allows it.get'em_griz said::roll:
[tweet]https://twitter.com/NCAA_FCS/status/984876009936904192[/tweet]
IdaGriz01 said:And I assume the rule does not say the receiver can't try to make a run-back ... if he thinks poor kick coverage allows it.
Agree with the second part ... that won't change. But would slightly change the wording to "solid return game," meaning a great return runner with solid ST play out in front.dirtysoup said:I'm guessing we're going to see a lot of low line drive kicks to prevent fair catches. The other side to this is if a team has a solid returner they are still going to turn them loose.
Not totally sure, but the wording suggests that this rule applies to kickoffs, not punts.Grizzoola said:I may not be understanding the rule, but it seems to me that it does away with a punter's ability to pin the receiving team deep in their own territory. This is always an exciting play, when a punt gives the ball to the receiving team on its own 5 or even 1-yard line.
IdaGriz01 said:Not totally sure, but the wording suggests that this rule applies to kickoffs, not punts.Grizzoola said:I may not be understanding the rule, but it seems to me that it does away with a punter's ability to pin the receiving team deep in their own territory. This is always an exciting play, when a punt gives the ball to the receiving team on its own 5 or even 1-yard line.
Yes, a fair catch has always been allowed on the kickoff. Before this change, the receiving team got the ball wherever the fair catch was made (like at the 5-yard line, or out at the 30) ... unless it was in the end zone for a touchback. On a touchback, the ball was brought out to the 25-yard line, where the offense would start (used to be the 20-yard line, but they changed that five or six years ago). Now, on any fair catch made inside the 25-yard line, the offense will start at the 25-yard line.SaskGriz said:Hasn't a fair catch on a kick off always been legal? I could be wrong and like a good Canadian will accept my correction and say "sorry".
IdaGriz01 said:Yes, a fair catch has always been allowed on the kickoff. Before this change, the receiving team got the ball wherever the fair catch was made (like at the 5-yard line, or out at the 30) ... unless it was in the end zone for a touchback. On a touchback, the ball was brought out to the 25-yard line, where the offense would start (used to be the 20-yard line, but they changed that five or six years ago). Now, on any fair catch made inside the 25-yard line, the offense will start at the 25-yard line.SaskGriz said:Hasn't a fair catch on a kick off always been legal? I could be wrong and like a good Canadian will accept my correction and say "sorry".
Good point. The "high fly ball" has been a part of the on-side kick package for quite some time now. It would not surprise me to see more "long" on-side kicks tried. Either the "doink" that hits the ground hard and then tumbles high overhead, or the short loop aimed for a gap in the receiver formation. Since the receiving team will most often get the ball at the 25-yard line anyway, the risk of them getting at, say, the 30-35 yard line might be worth the chance for guys on the kicking team to recover it down there.SaskGriz said:... Thanks. I wonder how long it will be before teams start teaching their kickers to tee a ball high and try to hang it up between the 40 and 25 and let their guys go down and compete for it? Risk vs Reward.
IdaGriz01 said:"...but it also risks a bounce out of bounds and even better field position for the receiving team."
statler & waldorf said:IdaGriz01 said:"...but it also risks a bounce out of bounds and even better field position for the receiving team."
The '97 Griz-cat game in Bozeman, the infamous 'Geoff Grochelle' play. Griz down by one, 22 seconds left. I remember it well. :lol:
Grizzoola said:Hell, if safety of the players is the issue, do away w/ the kickoff. Just spot the ball on the 25 each time. .