Good thing Devin Hester is about at the age to retire. We would have never known who he was with these weak rules. Dante Hall either. Will we eliminate the punt next as well?

...because Hester and Hall's carreers were established in their HIGH SCHOOL FRESHMAN years??? So much so, that it's unreasonable to think they could have ever been successful without returning KO's, in their FRESHMAN year of HS??

 

Seriously, what a sophomoric response...

 

Ha, you like the way I did that

I will now attempt to explain my viewpoint(s) on this subject.....

 

 

1. Younger kids do not generally perform kick-offs successfully. This is my argument for keeping it, especially in frosh and JV games. If we are planning on keeping KO's at the varsity level and in college, the kickers need developed and that needs practice and skill.

 

2. I am a team doctor and have been for years. I have only had 1 injury on a KO in 20+ years and 0 concussions. I am all about safety but my numbers don't show me how doing away with KO's will make the game safer.

 

I seen zero injuries on kickoffs last year.

...because Hester and Hall's carreers were established in their HIGH SCHOOL FRESHMAN years??? So much so, that it's unreasonable to think they could have ever been successful without returning KO's, in their FRESHMAN year of HS??

 

Seriously, what a sophomoric response...

 

Ha, you like the way I did that

 

How do they get good at returning kicks if they never return one before their junior year of high school?

How do they get good at returning kicks if they never return one before their junior year of high school?

 

Practice?

...because Hester and Hall's carreers were established in their HIGH SCHOOL FRESHMAN years??? So much so, that it's unreasonable to think they could have ever been successful without returning KO's, in their FRESHMAN year of HS??

 

Seriously, what a sophomoric response...

 

Ha, you like the way I did that��

 

Considering this will hit the NFL sooner than later. You tried though, you really did.

Considering this will hit the NFL sooner than later.

 

Well, you're making it kinda easy...

 

Sorry, Bud, but you don't know that and the basis for your argument lacks logic. There are plenty of example of pro athletes that didn't play their primary sport until later, even some who transitioned while in college. I still believe training and practice work. But please, educate me on how not having kickoff in freshman football will stunt one's pro prospects.

Practice?

 

So we don't want them to do it in games because it's dangerous, but we're going to do it enough in practice to be good at it?

So we don't want them to do it in games because it's dangerous, but we're going to do it enough in practice to be good at it?

 

You're manipulating my words to fit your logic. I never implied they should practice a skill that they wouldn't be expected to execute in a game. How does anyone get good at something they've never done before?

 

My point being that there seems to be great resistance to ANY change for the fear of being called "soft". And a prime example is the transitions in rules that have occurred as equipment technology advanced. Do you feel we shouldn't have gone to hard shell helmets because it made people soft? Maybe you do. But that's not my opinion. I prefer to think that as we understand more about the game, we can adjust. Perhaps I'm in the minority in thinking that just because something changes that doesn't mean its been ruined.

 

I love football most of all sports. Played a little in the way back. But I'm not naive enough to think that it can't be made better for the long run.

You're manipulating my words to fit your logic. I never implied they should practice a skill that they wouldn't be expected to execute in a game. How does anyone get good at something they've never done before?

 

My point being that there seems to be great resistance to ANY change for the fear of being called "soft". And a prime example is the transitions in rules that have occurred as equipment technology advanced. Do you feel we shouldn't have gone to hard shell helmets because it made people soft? Maybe you do. But that's not my opinion. I prefer to think that as we understand more about the game, we can adjust. Perhaps I'm in the minority in thinking that just because something changes that doesn't mean its been ruined.

 

I love football most of all sports. Played a little in the way back. But I'm not naive enough to think that it can't be made better for the long run.

 

How did I manipulate what you said? You inferred they could work on their skill in practice, and I presented a challenge to that theory based on the argument that kickoffs are too dangerous to have in the game...

 

Adapting the equipment and completely removing 1/3 of the game are not even in the same realm.

How did I manipulate what you said? You inferred they could work on their skill in practice, and I presented a challenge to that theory based on the argument that kickoffs are too dangerous to have in the game...

 

Adapting the equipment and completely removing 1/3 of the game are not even in the same realm.

 

Realisticly, kickoffs are far from 1/3 of the game. Kickoffs make up around 5-8% of the total plays in a NFL game (7-10 a game). And you really wouldn't be removing a play, you'd just be replacing it with another play, as the first offensive play would take the place of a kickoff. I have no idea what those numbers look like for high school, but I really don't think kickoffs would be missed all that much.

 

As far as the practice portion, as I've mentioned a couple times, very few teams (and probably just about zero at the college and profesional level) are practicing kickoffs live.

How did I manipulate what you said? You inferred they could work on their skill in practice, and I presented a challenge to that theory based on the argument that kickoffs are too dangerous to have in the game...

 

Adapting the equipment and completely removing 1/3 of the game are not even in the same realm.

 

You’re wasting your breath.

Well, you're making it kinda easy...

 

Sorry, Bud, but you don't know that and the basis for your argument lacks logic. There are plenty of example of pro athletes that didn't play their primary sport until later, even some who transitioned while in college. I still believe training and practice work. But please, educate me on how not having kickoff in freshman football will stunt one's pro prospects.

 

I applaud your effort.

I applaud your effort.

 

Well stated. You've almost convinced me with this.

Realisticly, kickoffs are far from 1/3 of the game. Kickoffs make up around 5-8% of the total plays in a NFL game (7-10 a game). And you really wouldn't be removing a play, you'd just be replacing it with another play, as the first offensive play would take the place of a kickoff. I have no idea what those numbers look like for high school, but I really don't think kickoffs would be missed all that much.

 

As far as the practice portion, as I've mentioned a couple times, very few teams (and probably just about zero at the college and profesional level) are practicing kickoffs live.

 

Realistically, serious injuries don't happen on kickoffs as often as some people want to believe.