2020 NFL Off-season

Rivers to Tampa?

 

And considering what Bruce Arians said about Jameis at the end of the year, I'd be shocked if he's back there. Bucs have an elite stable of wideouts with Evans, Godwin and Perriman. Perriman is a FA, but Evans and Godwin are locked up for now.

 

That's been speculated, I know, but I think Brady's a better fit for them. He really does focus on INT avoidance. Rivers not as much.

 

I only moved to Houston this summer, but I did see plenty of Texans games before then because I was in New England, and it seemed like they played every year. There's just something about the Texans where they seem like less than the sum of their parts the past couple years. I mentioned it in the wild card thread, but it was the most Texans thing ever when they just ran the ball up the middle 4 straight times late in the game, turned it over on the downs, and then had to play one more series on defense than they needed. Reid has his issues with clock and game management, but his teams have also put up really gaudy numbers, and it never seems like the Texans are doing that.

 

Well, other than when they were ahead 24-0 on the Chiefs in the second quarter in the divisional round

 

Yeah, but even then, they kind of played / he kind of coached like the game was over. It just happens every game - the offense clams up at a certain point, and better teams comeback or at least make a game of things. Fine for the regular season, doesn't work in the postseason.

 

NFL to try out onside kick alternative at Pro Bowl

Not really a fan of this - would prefer teams be allowed to use a punt in addition to the drop-kick and free kick option. The fair catch rule would require such a punt or drop kick to hit the ground in order to be in play for the kicking team. As it is now, only a small segment of the field is "in play" for an onside kick. But requiring 11 players to cover 60 yards of ground not knowing where the ball is going - while the kicking team does would be a lot more interesting - as well as minimize the five on five collisions you usually see on onside kicks.

 

There's a clock factor in the new rule, too. Most onside kicks take place with time running down or almost out. Kick clock doesn't start until ball is touched. If the 4th and 15 play starts the clock, it's gonna take a lot of time off the clock because the quarterback is going to scramble like anything to get guys open deep. So even if the "kicking" team wins the play, it kind of loses. Or do they plan to make it like an extra point where the clock doesn't run at all?

 

4th/15 on your own 25 ensures nobody would ever ever try it except in the final minute of play. Not only would the down and distance situation be low percentage, the field position would be catastrophic if you didn't make it.

To me the main ideas of this whole rule change initiative should be to create viable situations where the trailing team could come back, present several different viable options for coaches, and eliminate the kickoff situation where players are running into each other with 50-yard heads of steam.

How about this: Give the kickoff team the option of a 4th/10 play from the OPPONENT'S 40 yard line.

This would open up the following options:

1) Get the first down through a conventional pass play. (Presuming there's enough time left for one or more additional plays.)

2) If you're in the final seconds of the game, and must have a TD, you're close enough to try a Hail Mary for the end zone.

3) If the defense drops 9 guys way downfield, you could try to cross em up with a draw play, bubble screen, etc. (Leading your fan base to explode in rage if the draw play gets thrown for a loss.)

4) If the time/time outs situation was not game ending and you had confidence in your defense, you could try to punt it down and down it inside the 10. (Again, leading your fan base to erupt if it didn't work.)

5) In most conventional kickoff situations, the kicking team would simply elect to punt, not worrying too much if the ball goes into the end zone.

6) If you had a stud kicker and only time for one play, and down by 3 or fewer points, you could try a 57-yard FG.

This in effect would mean a team trailing by 11 with 10 seconds left would still have a (non-zero) chance at forcing OT:
1, score TD
2, get 2-point conversion
3, kick 57-yard FG on final "onside" play.


I like rules that give teams a lot of options. The Pro Bowl proposal really only gives you two options, and neither is very good.

 

Has there ever been an onside kick in the Pro Bowl?

 

I think I heard Pete Rose did it back in the 70s.

 

They had been doing a deal where if a team was behind (not sure by how many pts) and scored - they would get the ensuing kickoff.