Field goals became easier because the ball now could be placed and kicked from a hash mark aligned with the goal post — a better angle for kickers than the previous location.
The shift also hindered the passing game by making it more difficult for quarterbacks to get a pre-snap read on defensive coverage and call an audible to change the play. This enabled coaches to better disguise the coverage and stifle passing attacks.
In and , passing yards per game declined. In , the NFL implemented a package of changes to reinvigorate the game by boosting the passing attack, increasing the opportunity for big plays on kickoff and punt returns, reducing the incentive to kick field goals and minimizing drive-stalling penalties. In , the NFL further freed up receivers with the illegal contact rule, restricting contact beyond 5 yards downfield.
And it loosened the interpretations of holding by offensive linemen by giving them permission to extend their arms and open their hands on pass plays. This had the desired effect of opening up the passing game and reducing conservative play calling. More changes were made in , due largely to statistical trends showing a 22 percent decline in touchdowns and a 14 percent increase in field goals in the previous decade. Many restrictions affect blocking techniques and other offensive tactics.
The committee also favored defenses by placing limitations on the chop block — part of its ongoing mission to protect players from injury as much as possible while keeping the game fair, competitive and exciting. In a chop block, an offensive lineman blocks a defensive lineman high while another offensive player comes in and blocks him low. Offenses used the technique effectively, especially for running plays, but it resulted in knee injuries for defensive linemen.
From to , the league placed increasingly stricter restrictions on when and who could use the chop block. Whether for fairness, safety or entertainment, the NFL remains open to change. In the NFL wanted to make field goals easier to reduce the number of tie games, so it moved goal posts from the back of the end zone to the goal line.
It worked: The number of field goals doubled, and ties, which occurred in roughly 20 percent of all games played in , dropped to less than 5 percent of games in Nearly 40 years later, circumstances had changed: Kickers were now more specialized and field goals had become too easy.
By , the three-pointers accounted for nearly a quarter of all scoring. In , the NFL responded by returning the goal posts to the back of the end zone. Kickers, however, have become so proficient that the long-term impact has been minimal. Field goals regularly account for more than 20 percent of all scoring in a season. Is there anything the NFL could or should do?
Would the game be better off, or worse? As with every other rules change in its history, the NFL must carefully weigh all of those factors and more before making a change.
All rights reserved. Privacy Policy NFL. Evolution of the Kickoff Start Sorry, your browser's a dinosaur. And dinosaurs can't watch HTML5 video. In , after statistics showed the rate dropping precipitously, the league moved the kick to the yard line.
That boosted the return rate to 88 percent in the season from 68 percent the previous year. In the s, kickoff-play injuries became a concern. In , the league moved the kicking line back to the yard line to reduce the return rate; it also limited running starts by the kicking team. For Every Change, A Reason The impetus for a rules change can come from almost anywhere — controversies over plays or players, unusual circumstances and trends in scoring, injuries and penalties.
The Game Changers Like with the game, certain games in NFL history stand out for their impact on the rules of the game. See the Game Changers. The Holy Roller Oakland won a game against San Diego as time expired when quarterback Ken Stabler fumbled the ball forward and two other Raiders intentionally threw or batted it forward until one of them could fall on it in the end zone for a touchdown.
Did the ball touch the ground or not? Were two feet in or not? When we go into subjective, which is, 'Was this enough for a foul? Did he grab him enough? Was the restriction enough? The fact that whether a ball was caught or not caught -- we might disagree once in a times , but about 99 percent of the time we are going to agree because we can see it on replay.
That's not true in a subjective world, so I think when you did what we did which was try to catch that really egregious big-time play and put that standard of clear and obvious, even then, I think you're adding a subjective standard to a subjective play and I think we set ourselves up for not having agreement on results, and I think that showed itself during the year.
The rule truly did not make as much of a difference on the game as we all expected. It wasn't often that the league went back on their original ruling once the challenge flag was thrown. Plus, McKay does make a great point about subjectivity. Players are wide-open far less frequently in the NFL, and while players still get a step or two and catch bombs, there are far more plays in which defensive backs get lost and have to desperately try to catch up with a receiver and locate the ball on the fly.
In those cases, defensive backs will be coached to tackle their receivers and take the yard penalty. It would also lessen one WR advantage, since offensive pass interference in the NFL only costs the offense 10 yards.
Between , the NFL had 0. The wide-open spread option offense part was more entertaining , but this one should work fine too. Next up: college overtime rules? Cookie banner We use cookies and other tracking technologies to improve your browsing experience on our site, show personalized content and targeted ads, analyze site traffic, and understand where our audiences come from.
0コメント