After years of simply trying to reduce the number of kickoffs Authentic Cameron Jordan Jersey , changes finally are being made to the kickoff play in an effort to make it safer. So how safe does the “most dangerous play in the game” have to become before the NFL will choose permanently to keep it?
In a new online question-and-answer session with fans, Packers CEO Mark Murphy offers a summary regarding the current status of the kickoff.
“As we鈥檝e discussed here before, the kickoff is by far the most dangerous play in the game,” Murphy writes. “You are five times more likely to suffer a concussion on a kickoff than a play from scrimmage. The kickoff is so dangerous because the collisions are often at full speed. I was part of the meeting this week in New York. The discussions were very productive. The special teams coaches came forward with a number of recommendations that should make the play safer. The recommendations included eliminating the two-man wedge, eliminating the running start for the kickoff coverage team, and requiring eight players on the return team to be within 15 yards of their restraining line. The changes should make the play more like the punt Elias Lindholm Jersey , where blockers are running alongside the players on the coverage unit. We鈥檙e very hopeful that these changes will result in fewer injuries on a kickoff, but we will continue to monitor this closely. We鈥檙e hopeful that these change will allow us to keep the kickoff in the game.”
Murphy, who previously has made it clear that the kickoff play remains on a “short leash” and that it could still go away, doesn’t elaborate on how safe the kickoff must become in order to save it. But if the concussion rate during kickoffs remains five times greater than in normal scrimmage plays, there’s surely an ideal ratio that the NFL hopes to achieve.
Is it 1:1? Or is 2:1 good enough? No one has provided that information, yet.
That said http://www.greenbaypackersteamonline.com/lance-kendricks-jersey , there’s a good chance that this is less about reducing concussions and more about removing from the game a play that carries with it the greatest risk of a catastrophic — and possibly fatal — injury.
Nearly nine years ago, then-Bengals quarterback Carson Palmer created a stir with a matter-of-fact assessment of the risk of playing NFL football:聽 鈥淭he truth of the matter is . . . somebody is going to die here in the NFL. It鈥檚 going to happen.鈥?The “most dangerous play in the game” presents the greatest risk of that, since players who are moving in opposite directions at full speed and who dip their helmets at impact risk the kind of upper spinal cord injury that will induce paralysis and, even worse, end life.
Think of the consequences to the NFL if a player pays the ultimate price. Congress instantly would convene hearings and commence drafting legislation. Debates would emerge about the morality of watching football (those debates already have popped up from time to time regarding chronic the health risks of the game). Eventually, a federal commission with the power to oversee and regulate football could emerge Henry Anderson Jersey , which likely is the we-know-what’s-best-for-us NFL’s worst-case business scenario.
So even if avoiding a fatality isn’t the impetus for the ongoing examination of the kickoff, it should be. And it’s no surprise that the NFL won’t say “we don’t want someone to die on the field” when addressing its concerns about the play. The fact that people in the league routinely call it “the most dangerous play in the game” has to give the league’s lawyers nearly as many chest pains as an FBI raid on their offices, apartments, and/or hotel rooms. If people like Murphy were to admit that the league fears a fatality — and if a fatality were to happen — it could be game over, literally.
Free agent cornerback Vontae Davis has met with the San Francisco 49ers and Oakland Raiders about upgrading their secondaries.
A person familiar with Davis' plans says he met with the Raiders on Wednesday after meeting with 49ers the previous day. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the meetings were not made public. Davis has also reportedly met with Cleveland and Buffalo
Davis is a two-time Pro Bowler who is on the open market after being released by Indianapolis last November. Because he was cut, Davis can sign with a team immediately instead of waiting for the start of the new league year next month.
Davis lost his starting job midway through last season and then did not travel with the team for a game in Houston for "non-injury" reasons. Davis was then cut a few days later.
Davis said before the release that he had been hampered all season by a torn groin suffered in the third preseason game but the Colts said they were unaware of lingering problems from the injury.
Opposing quarterbacks had a 79.5 passer rating when targeting Davis in 2015-16 Youth Jake McCabe Jersey , according to SportRadar. But he struggled last season, allowing a 105.7 rating.
Davis spent his first three seasons with Miami after being a first-round pick in 2009. He was traded to the Colts before the 2012 season and was voted to the Pro Bowl in 2014 and '15.
Davis has 22 career interceptions with 97 passes defensed and two sacks.
The Raiders and 49ers are both in need of upgrades at cornerback. San Francisco could lose starter Dontae Johnson in free agency next month after having traded Rashard Robinson during the season. The only cornerbacks under contract who played more than a handful of snaps last season are 2017 third-round pick Ahkello Witherspoon and slot cornerback K'Waun Williams.
Oakland released starter David Amerson earlier this month and could also cut starter Sean Smith in order to create more salary cap room. Slot cornerback TJ Carrie is eligible to be a free agent, leaving last year's first-round pick Gareon Conley as the only projected starter currently under contract. C0nley played just two games as a rookie because of injuries.