Post by griz on Aug 4, 2011 16:00:29 GMT -5
bleacherreport.com/tb/baqhH
NFL rule changes could hurt Tennessee Titans kick-return game
The Titans finally found a kick returner they could brag about in 2010, but just how valuable Pro Bowl selection Marc Mariani will be this season remains to be seen.
The NFL’s decision last March to move kickoffs up from the 30-yard line to the 35 is expected to increase touchbacks by a significant amount, which could negate the special-teams advantage the Titans had in 2010.
Mariani was one of the few bright spots for the Titans (6-10). The seventh-round pick out of Montana set a franchise record with 1,530 kick-return yards, took one kickoff back for a touchdown and proved a consistent threat with the ball in his hands.
Will the league’s move cut the legs out from underneath him this season?
“It’s going to take the number of returns down for sure, so I guess you could say that’s frustrating, yeah,” Mariani said. “That means the ones we do hit, we have to make them count. That’s what we’re working on right now.”
NFL owners said they made the decision for safety purposes, pointing out a high number of concussions resulting from kickoff plays. A league spokesman didn’t respond to a request Wednesday for specific data in that regard, but players have generally been sympathetic to the idea.
“I do support the decision,” Mariani said. “At the end of the day, the committee had to make some decisions to protect the guys out there that are working so hard on the coverage team and in front of me.”
But what kind of impact will it have on the game’s excitement level? Teams returned more than 80 percent of kickoffs last season and scored 23 touchdowns, the second-highest total in NFL history.
Falcons President Rich McKay was quoted as saying he believes the new rule will increase touchbacks by anywhere from 5 to 15 percent. That wouldn’t be a surprise, considering that over the last six seasons, touchback percentage has increased — without any rules changes — from 9.1 percent in 2005 to 16.4 percent last year.
“You don’t want to take too much from the game,” said Titans linebacker Gerald McRath, who plays on the kickoff return and coverage units. “I’m anxious to see what fans think about it more than the players. Guys like Devin Hester and (Mariani) … people get off their seats, stand up and watch them. It’s a special play. Now it may not be.”
There is, of course, the possibility that kickoff teams may choose to use the new rule to their advantage in a different manner.
Because kickers are 5 yards farther upfield, they may try to pop high kicks just outside the end zone, allowing quick-arriving coverage units to pin teams deep in their own territory.
“You just don’t know what a kicker’s intentions will be,” Titans Coach Mike Munchak said. “It’ll be interesting to see how it plays out in the preseason.”
Mariani said the new rule would demand patience of kick returners who might get anxious because of their lack of chances.
“They’re going to want to take balls out that they normally wouldn’t, just because they’re looking for an opportunity,” Mariani said. “They have to be smart about what they return.”
Just how many chances they even get, however, remains the biggest question.
“There’s definitely going to be a few kickoffs that go straight into the stands,” Mariani said. “Hopefully the NFL lets those fans keep the balls that go up there. If they want to change the rules on them, they may as well reward the fans a little bit.”
NFL rule changes could hurt Tennessee Titans kick-return game
The Titans finally found a kick returner they could brag about in 2010, but just how valuable Pro Bowl selection Marc Mariani will be this season remains to be seen.
The NFL’s decision last March to move kickoffs up from the 30-yard line to the 35 is expected to increase touchbacks by a significant amount, which could negate the special-teams advantage the Titans had in 2010.
Mariani was one of the few bright spots for the Titans (6-10). The seventh-round pick out of Montana set a franchise record with 1,530 kick-return yards, took one kickoff back for a touchdown and proved a consistent threat with the ball in his hands.
Will the league’s move cut the legs out from underneath him this season?
“It’s going to take the number of returns down for sure, so I guess you could say that’s frustrating, yeah,” Mariani said. “That means the ones we do hit, we have to make them count. That’s what we’re working on right now.”
NFL owners said they made the decision for safety purposes, pointing out a high number of concussions resulting from kickoff plays. A league spokesman didn’t respond to a request Wednesday for specific data in that regard, but players have generally been sympathetic to the idea.
“I do support the decision,” Mariani said. “At the end of the day, the committee had to make some decisions to protect the guys out there that are working so hard on the coverage team and in front of me.”
But what kind of impact will it have on the game’s excitement level? Teams returned more than 80 percent of kickoffs last season and scored 23 touchdowns, the second-highest total in NFL history.
Falcons President Rich McKay was quoted as saying he believes the new rule will increase touchbacks by anywhere from 5 to 15 percent. That wouldn’t be a surprise, considering that over the last six seasons, touchback percentage has increased — without any rules changes — from 9.1 percent in 2005 to 16.4 percent last year.
“You don’t want to take too much from the game,” said Titans linebacker Gerald McRath, who plays on the kickoff return and coverage units. “I’m anxious to see what fans think about it more than the players. Guys like Devin Hester and (Mariani) … people get off their seats, stand up and watch them. It’s a special play. Now it may not be.”
There is, of course, the possibility that kickoff teams may choose to use the new rule to their advantage in a different manner.
Because kickers are 5 yards farther upfield, they may try to pop high kicks just outside the end zone, allowing quick-arriving coverage units to pin teams deep in their own territory.
“You just don’t know what a kicker’s intentions will be,” Titans Coach Mike Munchak said. “It’ll be interesting to see how it plays out in the preseason.”
Mariani said the new rule would demand patience of kick returners who might get anxious because of their lack of chances.
“They’re going to want to take balls out that they normally wouldn’t, just because they’re looking for an opportunity,” Mariani said. “They have to be smart about what they return.”
Just how many chances they even get, however, remains the biggest question.
“There’s definitely going to be a few kickoffs that go straight into the stands,” Mariani said. “Hopefully the NFL lets those fans keep the balls that go up there. If they want to change the rules on them, they may as well reward the fans a little bit.”