OT: New XFL rules
So the XFL has released some new rules they're looking to implement.
This is pretty OT but I thought some of the rule changes were interesting and could find their way into college and the NFL (some were taken from college already). And for those who don't know about the XFL, it's WWF/E's Vince McMahon's second attempt at fielding a football league. The first one was...probably better than it had any right to be, and led to some innovations from a production standpoint (chief among the wire cam down the field).
Most of the rule changes are focused on speeding up the game and increasing scoring/action. Here's the rule changes that stuck out to me.
- Running clock on incompletions/guys running out of bounds outside the final 2 minutes of a half.
- To encourage returns, kickoffs happen from the 30 but nobody but the returner and kicker can move until the ball is touched; same with punts.
- There are 3 different point total options after TDs - 1, 2, and 3, with each being progressively farther from the endzone (there are no PATs).
- Overtime is a soccer/hockey-style "shootout" where each team gets 5 1-play shots to score a TD from the 5 yard line. If still tied, then rotating possession until a winner (your regular college OT rules, in effect).
- Two forward passes on a play provided the first doesn't go beyond the line of scrimmage. I assume this mostly turns screen passes into some NFL Blitz/Street-style double passes.
- 1 foot inbound constitutes a catch. That's for player safety and ease of review.
I'm a bit dubious about the ability of this league to survive, and "player safety" concerns coming from the same outfit that treats every wrestler as a "contractor" so they don't have to cover medical costs is a bit rich, but it does feel like a "different" type of football and not the more recent "regular football with guys who aren't good enough to play in the NFL" attempts that inevitably just feel like a slog.
January 7th, 2020 at 10:33 AM ^
Interesting, also I love the NFL Street shout out my buddies and I played that like crazy in college.
January 7th, 2020 at 10:34 AM ^
How many suplexes can each time do? That's the big question
January 7th, 2020 at 10:53 AM ^
Brass knuckles will also be hidden in the goalpost padding to be brought out at such times the refs deem appropriate.
January 7th, 2020 at 10:56 AM ^
Nice! Also, overtime should be decided by suspending a gatorade cooler from the sky-track, and having a full blown ladder match
January 7th, 2020 at 1:04 PM ^
OP also forgot to mention the rule allowing any one of the players on defense to carry a folding metal chair. The player with the chair is exempt from being called for any personal fowl. It will be interesting to see if the defenses can mess with the QB's pre-snap reads by passing the chair around.
January 7th, 2020 at 1:47 PM ^
Wait, the league has CHICKENS too?
January 7th, 2020 at 3:14 PM ^
I heard that the metal chair can be replaced by a 2X4...
January 7th, 2020 at 7:14 PM ^
Hacksaw!
January 7th, 2020 at 10:34 AM ^
Anyone who appreciates the work that football players do should be rooting for the XFL. If the league has staying power, it will provide financial leverage for football players, both college and pro.
P.S. The rules sound neat.
January 7th, 2020 at 1:02 PM ^
I agree with you. And if memory serves, it will also provide employment for a lot of hard working strippers on the sidelines. Talk about an under-appreciated group of blue-collar workers.
January 7th, 2020 at 5:02 PM ^
Half the teams will have a big chested pretty head coach that is somewhat meek and the other half will have some muscular angry beeeoch, with a big chest, as their head coach. The game starts with the head coaches and refs meeting for the coin flip. Fists will fly pregame...
Welcome to the Jungle will make a comeback as a team introduction song.
January 7th, 2020 at 10:36 AM ^
Pat McAfee revealed his idea for updated NFL OT rules and I thought those were really interesting.
He proposed just playing a 10 minute quarter like normal football. If it is still tied after that, then teams alternate sudden death 2 point conversions. If it's still going after 5 rounds each, then each team alternates field goals while going further back after each one until one misses.
January 7th, 2020 at 11:02 AM ^
Hate the FG idea. I'd rather see a sudden death where the team with the ball wins if they score, loses if they don't. They could bid for the right to play offense. Winning bid is the one that's furthest away.
January 7th, 2020 at 11:21 AM ^
Well, McAfee was a kicker/punter...so I think he's favoriting that part of the game.
January 7th, 2020 at 1:48 PM ^
I think that playoff OT should just be one additional quarter and whoever is ahead at the end of the quarter wins. After that, use the current OT rules.
January 8th, 2020 at 4:03 PM ^
So you think playoff games should be able to end in ties...?
January 8th, 2020 at 9:13 PM ^
I think he is saying play one regular quarter, then go to a quarter with the current playoff OT rules. So it would not end in a tie.
January 7th, 2020 at 10:42 AM ^
One thing is certain. Football games take too long. Too long for the live audience, too long for the viewing audience, too long for the players. In this day and age, with the amount of advertising involved, football games are now an "ordeal" for fans that are almost not worth the investment regardless of level of fandom. I found myself very disengaged from college football this year, both Michigan and around the nation, and can only really engage football in fits and starts.
The running clock idea may have some merit. I have also thought for some time that football may want to consider 12 minute quarters.
January 7th, 2020 at 10:55 AM ^
The viewership numbers don’t support your argument. NFL viewership was up 5% in 2019, was the top rated show on every network and was responsible for 47 of the top 50 most viewed telecasts in 2019. Sunday Night Football averaged 20.5 million viewers. To put that in perspective, that’s higher rating than the average viewership in last years NBA Finals games.
This may be a case of you, personally, thinking games are too long but for the vast majority of viewers that does not appear to be the case.
January 7th, 2020 at 11:04 AM ^
Interesting data.
Yes, they take too long for me. Particularly weeknight games. The college football playoff title game won't end until after midnight. I am in the deepest part of my sleep at midnight.
January 7th, 2020 at 6:42 PM ^
You should consider moving to the West Coast. We don’t have that problem out here, game should be over by 9pm or so.
January 7th, 2020 at 10:58 AM ^
I could see the running clock making it's way into the NFL soon, at least on incompletions. Also, the 1-foot rule would definitely speed up the game because a couple times a game they'll spend 5 minutes figuring out if both feet are in bounds and that always feels like a waste.
January 7th, 2020 at 12:34 PM ^
under bettors dream
January 7th, 2020 at 1:28 PM ^
The 1-foot rule is just the college rule, and I don’t feel like it’s much easier to officiate.
Responding here to your comment about player safety: yeah, the WWE isn’t a paragon of safety, but while it owns the XFL, it doesn’t run it. The XFL is run by football people, and they appear to be empowered to do this sort of thing. Safety also affects their ability to attract players, of course.
January 7th, 2020 at 7:53 PM ^
Yeah, the 1-foot rule is from college but I think letting that be the standard in the pros would cut down on some of the delayed reviews where refs try to determine possession when both feet were in bounds. If you have one foot in, that's enough. It will undoubtedly make defenders' jobs harder, and that's a reason to maybe not put it in. But if you couple that with more lax prohibition against physicality defending and it might speed everything up.
As for the safety aspect of the XFL vis-a-vis the WWE, I recognize the ownership is different but the mandate for "more action" via a clear focus on kick returns and a running clock will likely lead to a more frenetic pace that, arguably, could cause guys to get hurt. Some of the worst collisions/injuries seem to occur on returns when guys are running full-bore at each other.
I'm interested to see how the league functions, and I do think they will try to attract players by talking up safety. But I'm just not sure if their actual rule changes completely match their statements about increased safety.
January 7th, 2020 at 11:39 AM ^
Instead of reducing the amount of football (running clock, 12 minute quarters,) what they should do is reduce the time dedicated to commercial breaks. The way to do this is borrow from soccer coverage and put those banner ads around the screen during live action. That way the advertisers still get their chance to advertise, and people might actually see the advertisers' logos instead of having people fast-forward or skip through 5 minutes of commercials as is done now.
Back in the day when folks had 19-inch screens, that wouldn't work, but now with 55-inch displays commonplace, there's plenty of screen real estate to be shared by the game and the advertisers.
January 7th, 2020 at 12:08 PM ^
In reality what they'll do is add the banner ads and keep the same number of commercials. Because money.
I totally agree that the games are too long, especially in person. It really shouldn't take 3.5 hours to play a game that has 60 minutes of actual playing time (and 20 mins at halftime).
Other than The Game, I DVR games and start watching about 60 mins in. And I still catch up to live TV before it's over sometimes.
January 7th, 2020 at 12:27 PM ^
I actually did that for The Game this year. That shit has ruined my Thanksgiving break too many times.
January 7th, 2020 at 1:39 PM ^
I got to watch it live, during my son's birthday party. On the bright side, I think my wife finally understands why we don't schedule anything that day, since my son was pissed off at his own party.
January 7th, 2020 at 1:50 PM ^
Yeah games have become interminably long due to the commercial breaks. If you have kids or a wife that wants you to actually accomplish something on the weekend, watching the games via DVR becomes almost a necessity.,
January 7th, 2020 at 10:44 AM ^
If they are already defining What A Catch is Count Me In
January 7th, 2020 at 10:45 AM ^
Is He Hate Me playing?
Please advise
January 7th, 2020 at 10:53 AM ^
He's going to be the first player inducted into the XFL hall of fame, followed by Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat
January 7th, 2020 at 1:54 PM ^
No, but Jeff Badet has an Allen Iverson "Practice?!?" meme on the visor of his helmet
January 7th, 2020 at 10:52 AM ^
I actually like the rule changes.
January 7th, 2020 at 10:58 AM ^
For FGs hitting the upright should be worth 10 points, the crossbar worth 15, hitting both is worth 30, and, if they hit one upright, the other upright, crossbar, and it bounces through, they automatically win the league title.
January 7th, 2020 at 11:03 AM ^
I'd be comfortable with full Rock & Jock rules as well.
January 7th, 2020 at 11:06 AM ^
I think there's a place for another football league, the arena stuff has hung around long enough (although via many different leagues that come and go) there must be an audience.
If it can be viable, I would give the McMahons as good a shot as anyone. They know marketing and branding quite well.
I'm looking forward to the XFL cheerleaders, to be honest.
January 7th, 2020 at 11:09 AM ^
So no onside kicks? I guess I'd rather see more returns. It will be interesting to see what strategies get worked out for those.
But no fake punts and no blocked punts? No thanks. No trying to pin the opponent deep and I assume they will also make it illegal to punt out of bounds. Taking too much strategy out of the game for my taste.
January 7th, 2020 at 11:48 AM ^
Yeah I don't see how giving a returner 40+ yards of free space is going to be a good idea. Why not just eliminate kicking all together if every return is going to be massive.
January 7th, 2020 at 11:11 AM ^
I say just make it a tug-of-war type of game. Flip a coin to decide who goes first, whoever wins starts at the 50 and runs a play. Wherever the ball ends up, the next team runs a play from that spot. It then continues that way until one team scores a TD.
If the team who wins the coin toss scores on the first play, the other team gets one chance to match it.
January 7th, 2020 at 12:11 PM ^
How about a tip off, like BB, to a scrum, then go from there after the ball carrier gets tackled.
January 7th, 2020 at 4:27 PM ^
Isn't that basically rugby?
January 9th, 2020 at 2:16 AM ^
Changing all of the personnel every single play would be awful.
January 7th, 2020 at 11:17 AM ^
If the XFL wants to survive they should play in the summer, when the public is most hungry for more football, and with only baseball as a competitor. Not right after the super bowl when everyone has had their fill of football fox the prior six months, and NHL, NBA, and NCAA basketball are heating up.
Rules seem pretty good. Wondering how they deal with onside kicks?
January 7th, 2020 at 12:54 PM ^
I don't think going up against NBA and NHL playoffs is better timing than going against their regular seasons.
I think they also want to finish before NFL training camps start.
January 7th, 2020 at 11:24 AM ^
Yeah, I'll watch. I'm stupid.
From what I can tell, based on their draft in October, there are four Michigan players on XFL rosters. Bet you can't name them!
Time's up: Logan Tulley-Tillman (DC Defenders), Tyree Kinnell (DC Defenders), De'Veon Smith (Tampa Bay Vipers) and Will Campbell (Tampa Bay Vipers). Full rosters HERE.
January 7th, 2020 at 11:26 AM ^
#1 is brilliant. I've been hoping the NFL and NCAA would consider such a rule change for a while, but I would make it the final 5 minutes of a half.
#2 is dumb. Just get rid of kickoffs and . . . NO PUNTS!
#3 is OK. I'll like to see it played out.
#4 is dumb. The college rule is great, but I think they should have to go for 2 starting in OT1.
#5 is fun. I like it.
#6 is good.
HOWEVAH, none of these rules are going to save this league from failing again because it didn't learn its biggest mistake from last time (neither did the AAF): DON'T START THE SEASON RIGHT AFTER THE SUPER BOWL!!!! You don't immediately follow up the best of the best with the players that couldn't even make the league! Give it a few months and let the fans start to miss football. By late-April or early-May, football fans will be eager to watch games, even if they are being played by the also-rans.
January 7th, 2020 at 12:12 PM ^
Yep, the best time for this seems to be sometime shortly after march madness ends. Play in that April-ish to July-ish timeframe
January 7th, 2020 at 11:26 AM ^
So if I understand #2 correctly by rule there is no way to block a punt.
Interesting.
And how is "touched" defined? On a kickoff it seems pretty self explanatory that the ball is touched as soon as the kickers foot makes contact with it. But what about on Punts? Is it "touched" when the punter's foot makes contact with it? Or is it 'touched' when the punter catches the snap?