NCAA proposed football rule changes

[biteyoudawg]

<div class="ncaaContentHeader" style="overflow-x: hidden; overflow-y: hidden; font-family: arial; font-size: 11px; float: left; width: 640px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); "><div class="panel-pane pane-views pane-article"><div class="pane-content"><div class="view view-article view-id-article view-display-id-block_1 view-dom-id-1"><div class="view-content"><div class="views-row views-row-1 views-row-odd views-row-first views-row-last"><div class="views-field-title"><span class="field-content"><h1 style="margin-top: 15px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 20px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; list-style-type: none; list-style-position: outside; list-style-image: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; font-family: RockwellBold, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 34px; line-height: 34px; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); ">Committee proposes several new rules</h1></span></div><div class="views-field-field-subheadline-value" style="font-family: Rockwell, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 20px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 20px; margin-top: -15px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 20px; margin-left: 0px; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); "><span class="field-content">Kickoffs would move to the 35-yard line to enhance safety</span></div><div class="views-field-field-taut-byline-value" style="font-size: 12px; "><span class="field-content"><div class="authorPicture" style="float: left; margin-bottom: -3px; "><div class="picture"></div></div><span class="authorName" style="font-weight: bold; ">Ty Halpin, NCAA.com</span></span></div><div class="views-field-changed" style="font-size: 10px; font-weight: bold; "><span class="field-content"><div class="ncaaTextResize" style="float: right; margin-top: 5px; background-image: url(http://i.cdn.turner.com/d...social_UI_Elements.png); background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; width: 110px; height: 17px; overflow-x: hidden; overflow-y: hidden; background-position: -480px -20px; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; "><div class="ncaaTextResizeLarge">[url="http://www.ncaa.com/news/ncaa/article/2012-02-09/committee-proposes-several-new-rules#anchorTop"]</div><div class="ncaaTextResizeSmall">http://www.ncaa.com/news/ncaa/article/2012-02-09/committee-proposes-several-new-rules#anchorTop</div></span></div><span class="lastUpdated" style="color: rgb(92, 119, 136); ">Last Updated</span>- February 9, 2012 6:35 GMT</div><div class="views-field-mail" style="margin-bottom: 4px; color: rgb(101, 101, 101); font-size: 10px; "><span class="field-content">Contact|Archive|RSS</span></div></div></div></div></div></div><div class="ncaaClear" style="clear: both; height: 0px; width: 0px; font-family: arial, sans-serif, helvetica; font-size: 11px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); "></div><div class="ncaaContentText" style="font-family: arial, sans-serif, helvetica; font-size: 11px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); "><a name="anchorTop" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; list-style-type: none; list-style-position: outside; list-style-image: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; color: rgb(0, 101, 168); ">[/url]<p style="margin-top: 10px; margin-right: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; list-style-type: none; list-style-position: outside; list-style-image: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px; ">The NCAA Football Rules Committee, which met Tuesday-Thursday in Charlotte, N.C., has recommended several rules proposals intended to enhance student-athlete safety for the 2012 season. Even though it is a non-rules change year as part of the two-year cycle process, these rule changes can be proposed for immediate implementation because they directly impact student-athlete safety.</p><p style="margin-top: 10px; margin-right: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; list-style-type: none; list-style-position: outside; list-style-image: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px; ">“In all of our proposals, we are continuing the annual effort to find ways to make our game safer where we can,” said Scot Dapp, chair of the committee and athletics director at Moravian College. “Without question, these changes will enhance student-athlete safety and we feel very comfortable based on the data we collected that the impact will be significant.”</p><p style="margin-top: 10px; margin-right: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; list-style-type: none; list-style-position: outside; list-style-image: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px; ">The proposed changes include:
• Kickoff and Touchback Starting Lines Moved. The committee voted to move the kickoff to the 35-yard line (currently set at the 30-yard line), and to require that kicking team players must be no further than five yards from the 35 at the kick, which is intended to limit the running start kicking teams have during the play. The committee also voted to move the touchback distance on free kicks to the 25-yard line instead of the 20-yard line to encourage more touchbacks. NCAA data indicates injuries during kickoffs occur more often than in other phases of the game.</p><p style="margin-top: 10px; margin-right: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; list-style-type: none; list-style-position: outside; list-style-image: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px; ">• Loss of Helmet During Play. If a player loses his helmet (other than as the result of a foul by the opponent, like a facemask), it will be treated like an injury. The player must leave the game and is not allowed to participate for the next play. Current injury timeout rules guard against using this rule to gain an advantage from stopping the clock. Additionally, if a player loses his helmet, he must not continue to participate in play to protect him from injury. Data collected during the 2011 season indicated that helmets came off of players more than two times per game.</p><p style="margin-top: 10px; margin-right: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; list-style-type: none; list-style-position: outside; list-style-image: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px; ">• Blocking Below the Waist. The intent of the changes made last season were to only allow blocking below the waist when the opposing player is likely to be prepared for this contact, but the opposite impact was discovered in some cases. To clarify the intent, the committee approved wording that essentially allows offensive players in the tackle box at the snap that are not in motion to block below the waist legally without restriction. All other players are restricted from blocking below the waist with a few exceptions (e.g. straight ahead blocks).</p><p style="margin-top: 10px; margin-right: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; list-style-type: none; list-style-position: outside; list-style-image: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px; ">• Shield Blocking Scheme on Punting Plays. The committee reviewed several examples of shield blocking, which has become a popular blocking scheme for punting teams. In several cases, a receiving team player attempts to jump over this type of scheme in the backfield to block a punt. In some cases, these players are contacted and end up flipping in the air and landing on their head or shoulders. The committee is extremely concerned about this type of action and proposed a rule similar to the leaping rule on place kicks that does not allow the receiving team to jump over blockers, unless the player jumps straight up or between two players.</p><p style="margin-top: 10px; margin-right: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; list-style-type: none; list-style-position: outside; list-style-image: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px; ">Additional Protection to Kick Returner. Through officiating interpretation, the committee approved a recommendation to provide a kick returner additional protection to complete a catch before allowing contact by the kicking team.</p><p style="margin-top: 10px; margin-right: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; list-style-type: none; list-style-position: outside; list-style-image: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px; ">All rules change recommendations must be approved by the Playing Rules Oversight Panel, which meets via conference call Feb. 21. The proposals will first be sent to the NCAA membership for comment.</p></div>

 

[kired]

This was posted during the basketball game last night so doubt many people saw it.

But this change would be HUGE for us since special teams has been a weakpoint. Kicking off from the 35 should add a few more touchbacks, and having touchbacks come out to the 25 would be nice too since we have not been the best at returning kicks.

The helmet rule may not be so good for us since ours seem to come off a lot...

 

[RebelBruiser]

I like the 35 yard line rule, hate the 25 yard line touchback rule.

Why not just go back and let teams kick from the 40 like they did way back when? There should be an advantage to having a kicker with a strong leg. Lord knows we got killed a whole bunch in 05 or 06, can't remember when, when we had a kicker that couldn't kick it past the 10 yardline. We were bad enough, but on every kickoff we gave up 10-15 yards of field position to our defense right off the bat.

That's a part of the game. Also, I think it's an advantage to have a great kick returner to use as a weapon, and you shouldn't have that negated too much.

Just have colleges go to the NFL rules. I still don't understand why the NCAA likes to keep this separation between their game and the NFL. The sport is the same. Use the same general rules The NCAA likes to put a few wrinkles in just to prove they're different from the NFL, even though the NFL does it right 9 times out of 10.

 

[lazlow]

we'll still find the one 3* PK in the nation that can only get it to the 5.

 

[GloryDawg]

I think it should be even tougher. Either the guys are not wearing them correctly so that they do come off or the helmets are not design correctly. I think it is the first. I think many of these guys want their faces to be seen on TV and if they take the helmet off intentionally it is a penalty. The show boat rule. However if it just comes off they have a few second before they have to put them back on and then everyone can see them. I just think they were letting their helmets come off on purpose. Just my opinion.