Ivy League Rule-Change results in Zero Concussions on Kickoffs in 2016 Season

Submitted by Hugh White on

For the 2016 season, Ivy League football games featured an experiment where kickoffs were initiated from the 40 instead of the 35, in an effort to increase touchbacks, and decrease concussions. 

 

The league just released the findings of the experiment, and announced that it had seen zero concussions on kickoffs during 2016 conference play.  In previous years, kickoffs accounted for 23.4 percent of concussions, despite representing only 5.8 percent of overall plays.  

 

Link: http://www.ivyleague.com/news/2017/10/18/football-ivy-league-experimental-kickoff-rule-leads-to-significant-decrease-in-concussions.aspx

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go16blue

October 18th, 2017 at 6:15 PM ^

I heard once a rule proposal where, instead of a kickoff, the team that just scored had basically a 4th and 20 from their own 35. Most teams would punt it - a safer version of the kickoff - and if you wanted an "onsides" you could actually use your offense to go for it instead of kicking an onsides kick, which is all chance. I'd be into it. 

Joined: 04/28/2010

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South Bend Wolverine

October 18th, 2017 at 7:58 PM ^

That would be way, way better.  If you knew that every TD/FG meant 3 straight minutes of commercials, with no possibility of something awesome happening in between, you could go get a snack, hit the restroom, or just zone out & talk with your friends that you're watching with.  The way they slip that kick-off into the middle, which you have to watch even though there's only a .01% chance that anything cool will happen, makes it much harder to tune out the commercials.

Of course, that's why the TV people love it, and why I'm very pessimistic about progress.

Joined: 09/11/2009

MGoPoints: 7918

Carcajou

October 19th, 2017 at 5:10 AM ^

I'd like to see many of these commercials replaced with an automatic one-minute commercial break after each clock stoppage for injury or instant-replay. After coming back, TV can show us whatever definitive shots they need to and give the viewer to explain the call. We don't need six different angles repeated and commentators speculating.

One minute is not too long a break to interrupt flow; gives time for the situation to resolve itself; it lets TV "pay the bills"; and keeps viewers tuned and interested with a little suspense as to the outcome of the instant replay call.

Joined: 02/26/2009

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Winthorpe. Louis III

October 18th, 2017 at 10:21 PM ^

It would never happen, but it's intriguing to imagine what the modern game might look like.  Maybe a more highly skilled version of the 'Turkey Bowl' bowl games a lot of us play at Thanksgiving. There would be all sorts of implications, I'm sure. It would surely slow the speed of defensive pursuit and perhaps increase offensive production as defensive players would be less likely to 'sell out' on tackles. Violent hits leading with the head would be avoided (I would think). OTOH, knees to head and heads hitting hard ground might be as bad or worse than today's results. Somehow, howver, I think people's natural instincts for self preservation might decrease injuries overall. Do Aussie footballers suffer more serious injuries than American rules players? Seems to me that's a reasonable comparison in terms of contact (acknowledging that US players are likely bigger, faster and stronger on average). I odn't know,.. just spitballing in the hypothetical.

 

Joined: 12/19/2014

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CRISPed in the DIAG

October 18th, 2017 at 6:30 PM ^

College football used to kickoff from the 40 until....the early/mid 90's? I did a quick search and can't find when the change took place. The NFL moved from the 40 to the 35 in the early 70's and moved back to the 30 in 1994.

It seems like kickoffs give networks more commercial breaks, so I don't think we'll see them eliminated entirely.

Joined: 11/08/2010

MGoPoints: 47449

Carcajou

October 19th, 2017 at 4:43 AM ^

BTW going further back, I believe the team scoring would receive the kickoff (presumably because field position was usually considered so important).

But this is probably why you had some games like Red Grange against Miohigan in 1924 where he scored four TDs in the first quarter, or scores like Georgia Tech beating Cumberland 222-0 inn 1916.

Joined: 02/26/2009

MGoPoints: 5749

Goggles Paisano

October 18th, 2017 at 6:35 PM ^

I often don't embrace change.  I'm not a fan of replay (see Sefarian-Jenkins, Calvin Johnson, and a million other replay fuck ups and unwarranted long delays and ridiculous human interpretation of the rules).  I despise targeting for obvious reasons.  I'm all for player safety but those in power continue to take football out of football.  We see it every week - a player unloads a big hit and gets a flag...for making a great football play.  We are sadly approaching a day where kickoffs may be completely phased out of the game.  Then God forbid there will come a day when QB's will be off limits and will be wearing flags.  The game is slowly phasing itself out and that is sad.  

 

Joined: 07/30/2011

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BigHouseGoBlue

October 18th, 2017 at 7:01 PM ^

why is a touchback brought out to the 25 now? It penalizes a team for kicking it out the back of the endzone where now you can sky a kickoff and pin them deep? makes no sense what so ever if they were trying to protect the kids.

Joined: 12/19/2014

MGoPoints: 25

TESOE

October 19th, 2017 at 10:01 AM ^

it came over from europe but really started to form in the civil war. Cool exhibit in Canton on Art and Football. Worth a snoop... has some renditions of early games.  No daguerreotypes that I am aware of unfortunately. But yeah... team brawl... that is where it started.

Joined: 09/21/2009

MGoPoints: 8439

Sambojangles

October 18th, 2017 at 8:11 PM ^

This is dumb. Moving the kickoff line around is a half measure that only a committee could come up with. Either admit that the kickoff is a dangerous play and replace it with a better option, or don't. Now we just get to watch 10 guys chase a ball to the end zone 10 times a game. Nobody wants to watch that.

Joined: 12/15/2008

MGoPoints: 10985

Solecismic

October 18th, 2017 at 8:18 PM ^

At this point, the evidence suggests that the best thing to do is eliminate the kickoff. Football is a tough game as it is. The design of the kickoff means several unblocked players are hitting each other with a good, long unbroken run. That's just something you don't see with other plays (unless you're Lynn Swann returning punts - remember how he hated the fair catch). I think you can eliminate kickoffs without reasonable accusations of making the game too soft. I like the 4th-and-20 suggestion to replace onside kicks. I would change it to somewhere between 10-15 yards to better match the expected recovery rate of onside kicks. But also start at your own 25 rather than 35 with that play.

Joined: 11/27/2016

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Putt4Birdie

October 18th, 2017 at 8:36 PM ^

Hitting or passing the returning teams 30 yard line. That way long, high hang time is eliminated and on side kicks are still possible. I've always wanted to see line drive kicks right at the front line of the returning teams just for the pinball mayhem to ensue.

Joined: 07/14/2017

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93Grad

October 18th, 2017 at 9:57 PM ^

I mean honestly they are rarely impactful on the game and they are mostly full of high speed collisions. I don’t think it would impact the game much to just get rid of them and spot the ball on the 20 or 25.

Joined: 07/26/2011

MGoPoints: 13556

JamieH

October 18th, 2017 at 11:07 PM ^

As others have mentioned, the obvious solution here is to eliminate kickoffs. You can still have on-sides kicks though you would lose surprise on-siders, since you would have to declare what you are doing. But at some point, having 85% touchbacks is just stupid.

Joined: 09/05/2009

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