The NFL Should Listen To Tom Hanks
May 27th, 2020
Bill Currie Ford general manager Sean Sullivan personally will guide you and give you a special Ira/JoeBucsFan discount. Historic 0%/84-month financing offers end very soon!
BY IRA KAUFMAN
They’re messing with my game.
NFL owners are about to vote on a dramatic proposal designed to help teams trailing late. The idea is to enhance the possibility of comebacks, but the real reason behind this proposition is to keep TV viewers from switching to another channel.
As usual, the NFL’s “partners” call the tune.
The networks basically finance the entire league, so the lords of the game are expected to offer up a gimmicky bone. Grab your beer and your popcorn and get ready for this grand experiment.
If the proposal passes, teams will have the option of attempting a 4th-and-15 snap from their own 25 rather than a kickoff following a score. This wrinkle could be implemented by a team twice per game.
The repercussions are significant.
QB Friendly
The Chiefs love the proposal because they have Patrick Mahomes, who completed 12-of-16 passes for 255 yards and three scores last year on 3rd-and-15 or longer.
“We’ve got a guy that can do 4th-and-15s,” Reid said. “He’d give us an opportunity to do that.”
The Bucs probably don’t mind, either. While Jameis Winston led the NFL with 75 completions of 20 yards or longer last season, Tom Brady finished a very respectable No. 5 with 60 long strikes. That’s an impressive number considering Brady’s pedestrian targets in Foxborough.
The Bucs are in good hands with this proposed new rule, but it’s bad for the game, writes Sage of Tampa Bay Sports Ira Kaufman.
Mike Evans and Chris Godwin are hardly pedestrian.
The genesis of this wacky idea began in 2018, when the league altered the alignment rules regarding onside kicks. From 2010-17, 16 percent of onside kick attempts were successful.
Then things changed in a major way, to the point where only 12-of-115 onside kicks (10 percent) have succeeded in the past two seasons.
Obviously, that’s not enough late drama for America’s Game. But not everyone is on board. A similar proposal was shot down a year ago, when Giants owner John Mara summed up his opposition succinctly:
“What are we, the Arena Football League?” he asked.
More Zebras
My solution is to go back to the old onside kick rules — which were presumably altered to promote safety. A 16 percent success rate is more than acceptable and this 4th-and-15 gimmick has pass interference flags written all over it.
The last thing this league needs if more of a spotlight on officials.
A DPI penalty on 4th-and-15 would give the offense a fresh set of downs against a tiring defense that has been on the field for two consecutive possessions. And while that is likely to lead to more late rallies, it’s not fair to teams that built significant leads through 55 minutes.
Remember that great scene in “League of Their Own,” when manager Tom Hanks explains the beauty of the game?
“It’s supposed to be hard,” he said. “If it were easy, everyone would do it. It’s the hard that makes it great.”
NFL comebacks are supposed to be hard. If this stunt is approved, as expected, it won’t be nearly as hard. You think pass interference calls are a problem now? Wait until you see that fourth-down flag come floating down against Carlton Davis or Jamel Dean.
As usual, Tom Hanks had it right. This proposal is all wrong.
Ira with his good friend Sean Sullivan, general manager of Bill Currie Ford, Tampa’s first family of ford. Sean will help you personally in any way he can. Click on Ira’s nose to visit BillCurrieFord.com.
May 27th, 2020 at 4:05 pm
The geniuses @ the NFL continue to take a great product and drive into the ground. The college game is easily the more attractive option of the two.
May 27th, 2020 at 5:14 pm
totally agree. the nfl is ridiculous. the league is already super competitive. the reason onside kicks only work 16 or 10% is because they theoretically shouldnt. games arent played so teams can get extra possessions because they are losing. they are losing because they are more likely than not the worse team that day. this is a stupid rule and could lead to more injuries by having the defense out there longer and it is complete crap.
May 27th, 2020 at 6:08 pm
This has to be a joke, right?! Please tell me these morons aren’t considering this!
We might as well start handing out participation trophies too, while we’re at it!
NOTHING about this is right!
May 27th, 2020 at 6:30 pm
This is 🐎💩
May 27th, 2020 at 7:16 pm
Ridiculous idea. Let’s keep some integrity in the rules of the game. I don’t want to see “He Hate Me” anytime soon either.
May 27th, 2020 at 8:34 pm
Bad idea………
May 27th, 2020 at 9:18 pm
Keep it up commish. before its all over, They wiull be placing bets on a football game…? LOL
May 27th, 2020 at 9:23 pm
Guys…………it seems as if EVERY day life is changing.
Sports will not be an exception. SMDH!!!
May 28th, 2020 at 12:05 am
100% on point Ira. These buffoons keep fixing something that isn’t broken and they will break it.
May 28th, 2020 at 1:08 am
Don’t like it at all!!!,
May 28th, 2020 at 4:02 am
As far as football goes, this has to be the dumbest idea I’ve ever heard.
I used to love going to the old Tampa Stadium, watching a horrible Bucs team, and seeing the frisbee catching dogs on the field for a halftime show
Now it’s gimmicks, 24 hours a day 365 days a year news (for roughly 48 hours of play a year), glitz and glamour, talking heads, ultra unnecessary hype, and bizzare SB halftime shows.
F the glitz and glamour and keep the focus on the game the way it is and was meant to be.
May 28th, 2020 at 8:13 am
I wish they would take the XFL’s version of kicking off, and use it. I liked that, it produced a run back almost always on the kickoffs I watched. Not as many devistating hits but solid football play.
Not sure about the onside kick, how fast and how hard can guys get hit from
players running 10-15 yards?
Exciting times, to be waiting for any sport to start back up. College, GO! DAWGS! Hockey, GO! LIGHTNING! Baseball, GO! MARLINS! Basketball GO! HEAT!
GO! BUCS!!
May 28th, 2020 at 8:42 am
Awesome article Ira and I agree, like I usually do. Yet another sissya$$ rule to ruin the sport.
May 28th, 2020 at 8:44 am
Yup stupid idea. They dug themselves in the hole to begin with.. it should be a long shot. Last thing you want is to be closer to basketball where only the last few minutes of the game ever seem to even matter… correct me if I’m wrong.. had buddies that used to watch it and that was my impression.. never seemd to matter how big of a lead a team got
May 29th, 2020 at 8:39 am
I hope they don’t do this they r ruining the sport. I believe in player safety but they’ve got ridiculous with these penalties especially when it comes to the QB