Recently, Profootballtalk published an article discussing potential plans to eliminate an opening kickoff entirely (H/T to Abe Schwadron of TDDaily.com).
"Sean Gregory of TIME writes that one of the options being considered for replacing kickoffs entails giving the ball to the team that would have been kicking off at its own 30, automatically facing a fourth down and 15 yards to go. The team can then choose to punt or go for it, via fake punt or otherwise.
In other words, the kickoff would be replaced with the punt, and the onside kick would be replaced with a fourth-down conversion roughly half the distance of Ray Rice’s recent catch-and-run."
Obviously this concept piqued my curiosity, so I decided to run the numbers. Check out my two posts:
1) Goodell To Change Kickoff Rule? This gives an overview of the different probabilities and frequencies that would change.
2) Schiano's Suggested Kickoff Rule: When To Go For It? This looks at when it makes sense to attempt the 4th-and-15 and/or fake a punt.
Keith Goldner is the creator of Drive-By Football, and Chief Analyst at numberFire.com - The leading fantasy sports analytics platform. Follow him on twitter @drivebyfootball or check out numberFire on Facebook.
One comment about this rule (which I generally like). This is going to be extremely tough to explain to someone just learning to watch the game.
Also how far will this trickle down? Will colleges and high schools adapt the same rule?
Is it April 1 already? Don't care much for the rule.
One thing that jumps out, why does moving the punt back 5 yards (from 35 to 30) change the starting field position by 9 yards? Offhand, I'd think it would change it by 5 yards.
Are touchbacks an issue, or more/less fair catches, receiving team leaving the ball to allow it to roll into the endzone?
Kickoffs happen from the spot, while punts are snapped back to the punter. Apparently the long snap is roughly four yards...
Why have them punt from the 30? I would have thought they would set the punt at the point where it yields about the same field position as a kickoff from the 35, which would be closer to punting from the 40.
Maybe it is because converting from the 40 would give you the ball inside the other team's 45 yard line.
Ah! thanks nate. I read that wrong.