Why the new kickoff rule could change salaries and rosters across the NFL

Antonio Brown might have limited chances in the kicking game with the new NFL rules

On Friday afternoon, as I drove through the Pennsylvania countryside, I heard a commentator on Sirius NFL radio complain that the new kickoff rule in the NFL was ruining one of the most exciting plays in the game.  (For those of you who are not aware, teams will be kicking off from their own 35 yard line instead of the 30.  This has resulted in a drastic increase in touchbacks.)  I called Sirius and explained to the commentators that this could transform rosters especially when faced with multiple injuries at a certain position.  For example, say a team loses two defensive tackles early in the season.  If they have a strong kicking game, they could decide to kick into the endzone on kickoffs (more than likely resulting in a touchback) and punt the ball out of bounds on 4th down.  The team could cut their 7th defensive back and 7th receiver who both cover kicks and sign 3 or 4 defensive tackles to shore up the weakspot left by injuries (veteran players could pick up the slack on kick coverage).  The commentator pointed out that in bad weather situations the kickers might not be able to kick the same and there is no guarantee that the kicker will kick the ball into the endzone every time.  These are valid points and I would also add that there is no guarantee that the opposing team will take a touchback--but I highly doubt that head coaches are going to risk having the returners being tackled inside their own 20 during the regular season to make the game more exciting for the fans.  Just in case you are scoring at home, this weekend's pre-season games had 140 kickoffs with 44 touchbacks (106 of those kicks made it to the endzone so that means 62 were returned) and week 1 of the 2010 pre-season saw 150 kickoffs and 26 touchbacks (63 made it to the endzone). 

Date       # of Kickoffs     Reached endzone     Touchbacks (%)    Returned

8/2010         150                        63                           26  (17%)                     124

8/2011         140                       106                          44  (31%)                      96

They almost doubled the amount of touchbacks and that was with returners bringing the ball out when deep in the endzone.  For example, during last night's Jets/Texans game, the returners were catching the ball 5-6 yards deep in the endzone and returning it.  The explanation for this was that the coaches wanted to see their young players get a chance to make a play.  Pre-season games mean nothing (see my blog post from 8/13/11) so the coaches weren't risking anything by letting the young guys return kicks that the coaches would never allow in the regular season--and you can forget the playoffs.  So let's assume a team normally receives 5 kickoffs per game.  If four of those kickoffs go into the endzone then there is no reason to hold a roster spot for a kickoff return specialist.  If guys like Devin Hester and Josh Cribbs are limited to one touch per game in the special teams area, then their value drops dramatically.  You could use your 4th string running back to return a kick just in case it doesn't make the endzone and cut your high-priced return specialist.  So you go from paying a guy like Cribbs millions of dollars per year to a reserve player who is probably around the league minimum and you save a roster spot for an area of need.  To me, this is a no-brainer. 

For the last 20 years, the NFL has tried to jazz up special teams to make them more exciting.  Initially, they moved the kickoff back from the 35 to the 30 to reduce the frequency of touchbacks, now they are going back to the old way to reduce the head-on, full-speed collisions that can result in serious injury.  The NFL introduced the K-ball to make fieldgoals more exciting.  They eliminated the wedge block so that kick coverage teams could more easily attack the ball carrier.  Some people might say that this change is the further wussification of the game.  Only time will tell what strategies that special teams coaches will use to make their units more relevant but if the numbers play out, you can extend your bathroom break after a score for an extra minute.

ap photo robert smith

Move it along people, Nothing to see here

William Gay would have trouble covering this woman right now

For those who prefer to live their life immersed in drama, you might want to stop reading now.  The Steelers lost their initial pre-season game (oh the humanity!) to the Washington Redskins on Friday night.  For some, it is the end of the Steeler empire.  For those of us living in reality, it was a pre-season game. 

There were a few things that I thought were interesting.  Yes, Big Ben overthrew Mike Wallace and Byron Leftwich overthrew Antonio Brown (who is looking better every day).  This is what happens when guys haven't played together for 6 months.  This was a recurring theme throughout the game.  There were episodes where the timing was off and that affected the defense, blocking schemes and pass patterns.  Am I concerned?  Only about injuries.  The pre-season is conducted to work out the kinks so that the regular season showcases the true abilities of the NFL's athletes.  Practice heals most wounds, especially with a veteran team where they know the playbook but just need to fine-tune the timing.  There were some other observations and here they are:

I said last year that Rashard Mendenhall had more spin moves than The Four Tops.  It appears that Isaac Redman is following in his (spinning) footsteps.  Add Hines Ward (and his DWTS moves) to the mix and we are a lead singer away from having the best 60's R&B group in the league.

Speaking of Isaac Redman, if you are going to try to tackle him, you better bring your crew because he sees the first tackler as a mild nuisance.

The more I watch William Gay in coverage, the more I need to drink while watching the game.  Right now, he couldn't cover the woman in the picture.  It just seems like WR's are always open when the ball is thrown in his direction.

In the long run (the 2011 season), I think the lockout will benefit the Steelers due to our advanced age on defense.  In the last 3 years, this veteran team has played more games than any other team in the league.  Our guys needed rest this spring, not more minicamp or OTA reps.  Be patient Steeler fans and don't panic unless we don't see any progress by the end of the 3rd preseason game.



James Harrison is...............the Goodell Hunter!!!

Coming to your television this fall.   See the man who must hunt down the most dangerous man in professional football.  

He is.........the Goodell Hunter!!!

Dissent in the Harbaugh family?

I think most people are aware of the deep roots that football has in the Harbaugh family.  Jim Harbaugh was a QB in the NFL (and almost pulled off a major upset in the 1996 AFC championship in Three Rivers Stadium) and is now the head coach of the San Francisco 49ers.  John Harbaugh is the head coach of the much-hated Baltimore Ravens.  And their father was a coach for decades.  John Harbaugh has recently been mixing it up through the press with Steeler players.  He might need to focus more on what is going on at home.  It appears by the picture posted here, that his own family might be coming apart at the seams.  We will continue to monitor the situation, LOL.

The Top 5 reasons to play Renegade and the Top 5 reasons when NOT to play Renegade

In the last 8 years, the STYX song "Renegade" has become an anthem for Steeler fans.  Heinz Field literally explodes when the video screen goes black and the song slowly begins its ascent (see video).  Within a minute, the whole stadium is a frenzy of rabid fans waving Terrible Towels.  What if we played Renegade when certain situations cropped up in our lives?  Here are the top 5 reasons to play Renegade, and the top 5 reasons when you should NOT play Renegade.  If you have your own reason, feel free to leave a comment below.

Top 5 reasons to play “Renegade”

1)    The Steelers just scored to go ahead with less than a minute to play in the game

2)    You won the lottery

3)    Your pre-nup was upheld during your divorce hearing

4)    You won a free trip to the superbowl and the Steelers are in it (feel free to loop Renegade for this one)

5)    Before, during or after any divisional and/or playoff game

Top 5 reasons when NOT to play “Renegade”

1)    You just proved to your wife that she is wrong during an argument

2)    Your son just got tackled by a neighborhood girl (Britney OWNS you, son)

3)    Your 15yr old daughter just told you she is pregnant by a 23yr old married guy…….who has 2 kids already

4)    Bruce Arians just signed a lifetime contract with the Steelers (this should probably be higher on the list)

5)    Your mother-in-law is moving in with you for the foreseeable future

Goodell signs with Eagles

The Philadelphia Eagles have been aggressive throughout the post-lockout free agent signing period.  Today, they might have scored the ultimate coup in free agency history.  Roger Goodell, the commissioner of the NFL, signed a 5 year, $100 million contract with another $100 million in signing bonus money.  Immediately after signing the monster deal, Goodell instituted a new NFL rule whereby it is illegal to tackle him.  Any violation of this rule would result in a fine, suspension or permanent ban from the league.  Reporters asked Goodell about his new status as a player.  Goodell said, “Players made comments during the lockout that I wasn’t worthy of being the commissioner because I didn’t play in the NFL.  Well, after much consideration, I have decided to take my talents to South Philly”.  No word yet on what position Goodell might play. 

NOTE: This article is all in jest.  I have no evidence that Goodell has signed any agreement with the Eagles.

Photo taken by: JASON DeCROW / Associated Press

Baron Batch challenges the Steeler linebackers

The Steelers finally got down to hitting each other this weekend and Twitter lit up Sunday afternoon with camp attendees commenting about how rookie running back Baron Batch had taken on the Steeler linebackers in the "backs vs backers" drill and more than held his own (see link below courtesy of Steelers.com).  Batch, who at 5'10" and 203lbs, is one of the smallest players on the team, had the opportunity to pass block against Jason Worilds and James Harrison.  Both Worilds and Harrison came rushing in a violent fashion, but in multiple instances, Batch blocked them sufficiently so that the QB was not touched.  Although Mike Tomlin stated his approval during the drill, he refrained from giving any praise to Batch when reporters questioned him after practice (this is a common practice of Tomlin's in dealing with rookies).  The Steelers have today off so look for more hitting tomorrow.

In free agent news, the Steelers re-signed Mewelde Moore and William Gay. Again, the Steelers are still over the salary cap so they can't be aggressive with signing new players.  It is expected that they will restructure some veteran deals to get under the cap and possibly free up some extra funds to add more outside free agents to the roster.  Those restructurings probably won't be signed until after this Thursday since players can't practice until Friday if they restructure their deal this week (CBA rules). 

http://ow.ly/5RWQl   Batch Blocking video

http://twitter.com/#!/baron_batch  follow Baron Batch on Twitter

picture courtesy Chaz Palla, Pittsburgh Tribune Review