NFL to test out two potential rule changes in Pro Bowl

MadCardDisease

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Change to remove the Kickoffs and Onside Kicks after scoring:

After a successful field goal or extra point try attempt, the scoring team will have options with no kickoff.

The scoring team, Team A, will have the following options:

1. Team A may elect to give Team B the ball at Team B's 25-yard line, beginning a new series of downs with a first-and-10.

2. Team A may elect to take the ball at its own 25-yard line for a fourth-and-15 play. If Team A is successful in making a first down, Team A will maintain possession and a new series of downs will continue as normal. If Team A is unsuccessful in making a first down, the result will be a turnover on downs and Team B will take possession at the dead-ball spot.

WR False Start change:

The second rule change for the Pro Bowl pertains to false starts by a flexed wide receiver:

It is not a false start if a flexed, eligible receiver in a two-point stance who flinches or picks up one foot, as long as his other foot remains partially on the ground and he resets for one second prior to the snap. A receiver who fits this exception is not considered to be "in motion" for the purposes of the Illegal Shift rules.
 
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Chris_Sanders

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Yep. Just a 50% greater likelihood of conversion

As of Nov. 21, the league-wide success rate for onside kicks was just 8 percent. In 2011, Football Outsiders crunched the numbers using college football data and found that teams have a 12.5 percent chance of converting on 4th-and-15.Dec 16, 2018
 

AZCrazy

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What problem is this trying to solve?
Things weren't confusing enough?
 

slanidrac16

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Picture this. Mahomes and the Chiefs march down the field and score a touchdown . 10 play 7 minute drive. They elect to take the ball, make the first down and march down the field score a td in 9 plays 6 minutes. Up 14-0 in the first quarter they elect to once again take the ball 4th and 15 and make it again....then, we’ll you can see how stupid this could be.
 

daves

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Picture this. Mahomes and the Chiefs march down the field and score a touchdown . 10 play 7 minute drive. They elect to take the ball, make the first down and march down the field score a td in 9 plays 6 minutes. Up 14-0 in the first quarter they elect to once again take the ball 4th and 15 and make it again....then, we’ll you can see how stupid this could be.
How is that different from electing to onside kick every time? Perhaps the chances of making the 4th & 15 are "too high" - fine, so make it a 4th & 20. Sure you can come up with a hypothetical scenario in which a team converts the first down repeatedly and then scores every time - but it's highly unlikely, just as is recovering an onside kick repeatedly. Far more likely in your scenario, the Chiefs score their TD, elect to take the ball, and give it up on downs to the other team on the 25 yard line, leading to an easy score for the opponent and the Chiefs losing all their momentum. Or they convert the 4th and 15, but then have to punt shortly after.

Historically i think onside kicks were around 10%, and after the recent kickoff rule changes, they're now lower, likely "too low" if you want a team to have any reasonable chance of coming back from more than one score down as the clock winds down.

If the league is trying to phase out kickoffs, I prefer the idea of giving the scoring team the ball with a 4th & 20 (say) from around their 35, and having the option to punt or go for it, as on any other 4th down play. They could even run a fake punt! (Forget the option to just give the ball to the other team on their 25.) I think this would yield a range of outcomes most similar to the old onside kick rule. (Apparently punts result in far fewer injuries than kickoffs.)

...dave
 

wit3card

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I would like the punt Idea, but than it has to be around the 35 yard line, just because good punts go 45 yards that would mean you have a chance for around @ the opponent 20 yard line and if your punting team is really good even inside the 10, and in the same time first and 10 on the own 35 is somehow stoppable to no points, but first and 10 on 25 is always at least a FG.
 

AZman5103

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4th and 15 is too short IMO. Think of how many 15 yard passes are completed in a game. If they want it to be the equivalent of an onside kick, it needs to be like 4th and 20 minimum.

I would also say in order to make this...and games in general more fair to the defense, they need to eliminate the automatic 1st down on 5 yard defensive holding/contact penalties. Imagine its 4th and 15 with the game on the line, and you end up getting a new set of downs because of a illegal contact or hands to the face or some crap.

Automatic 1st downs on 5 yard penalties is ludicrous.
 

slanidrac16

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How is that different from electing to onside kick every time? Perhaps the chances of making the 4th & 15 are "too high" - fine, so make it a 4th & 20. Sure you can come up with a hypothetical scenario in which a team converts the first down repeatedly and then scores every time - but it's highly unlikely, just as is recovering an onside kick repeatedly. Far more likely in your scenario, the Chiefs score their TD, elect to take the ball, and give it up on downs to the other team on the 25 yard line, leading to an easy score for the opponent and the Chiefs losing all their momentum. Or they convert the 4th and 15, but then have to punt shortly after.

Historically i think onside kicks were around 10%, and after the recent kickoff rule changes, they're now lower, likely "too low" if you want a team to have any reasonable chance of coming back from more than one score down as the clock winds down.

If the league is trying to phase out kickoffs, I prefer the idea of giving the scoring team the ball with a 4th & 20 (say) from around their 35, and having the option to punt or go for it, as on any other 4th down play. They could even run a fake punt! (Forget the option to just give the ball to the other team on their 25.) I think this would yield a range of outcomes most similar to the old onside kick rule. (Apparently punts result in far fewer injuries than kickoffs.)

...dave
Theoretically a dominant offense could prevent a lesser team from touching the ball. The only way I could understand this is a team would have to be trailing.
 

Skipper1111

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Removing kickoffs will ruin the game for me, it’s one of the most exciting parts of the game.
They are going too far in trying to make the game “safe”. And are going to ruin the game eventually, imo.
 
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I don't understand why the league thinks they have to screw with the rules every freakin' year!! :nono:
 

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