The NFL tinkered with kickoffs last season, reducing, it says, the number of injuries during games. One owner said the league eventually might go further — and eliminate the kickoff all together. New York Giants owner John Mara, a member of the competition committee, told Giants.com that he could see a day when that happens.
“We had a lot of discussions about whether we should eliminate it and if we did what we could do in its place,” he said. “There’s no consensus on it right now, but I could see the day in the future where that play could be taken out of the game. …
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“Nobody would go that far now.”
The NFL moved the kickoff line to the 30 from the 35, and the league saw a 40 percent decrease in concussions, according to Mara. It also saw only 53.5 percent of kickoffs returned, a record low. But get rid of the kickoff completely? Seems a bit of a stretch — and bad news for players who make their living covering kicks.
– John Keim
