A Continuous Journey: 2024 NFL Offseason Thread

Hadn't thought about this, but I guess the new rules will also eliminate the squib kick to burn extra time at the end of games, right?

 

I guess they could just by making it a dead ball where it hits the guy, but there are bound to be a few accidents. This rule is gonna have kickers experimenting with all sorts of spin on it. Cutters, knuckleballs, hell maybe one of them will put some KY on it and have a Gaylord Perry tribute kick. Best play the kicking team can get is a fumble, and there will be more than a few.

 

Can they game the system by declaring an onside kick and then just bloop it or line it past the front line?

 

When I was in high school, long long long ago, our school had a Spanish exchange student who our coach tried to turn into a placekicker. Our onside kick was a blooper from Antonio, who was not a very good kicker due to his distaste for possible physical collisions. He was pretty good at getting laid, however. We tried the kick in a couple games. As often happens, the theory was great, our execution less so.

 

A couple of our area teams play 8-man football, so I've seen all sorts of variations on onside kicks. That's all they do.
As far as college or pros, though, I think I've seen the bloop work once and that was in a Pro Bowl back in the 80s or 90s.

Under the new rules, though, I'm curious if you can declare an onside kick and then still kick it deep? That way you can pull up the defense and then maybe catch them napping and win a sprint to the ball. Or squib it or bloop it and do the same thing. Or intentionally squib it just to avoid a return. Lots of ways to go with it.

And if that's the case, why not just declare an onside kick on every kickoff to cover yourself? That seems like something Belichick would've done.

 

Was it your exchange student Juan Ponce deloeon?

 

To me, the real skill will be teaching your guys not to hold when they are blocking.

It would seem to be really tough to run a trap off of that since the defender getting trapped could dodge the block and make a play, I think.

 

So this is the end of the "reverse" kick return, the Miracle in Nashville (or whatever it was called) and various other incredible kick returns.

 

There is a price to pay in the name of pretending to care about player safety to limit legal exposure and add an 18th game