I ******* hate the kick offs from the 35

[F.Chowds]

Nothing but touch-backs, how ******* boring . Absolutely ruins one of the most exciting plays in football, the kick off return for a TD. With Leon,Brad Smith and Coach Westhoff over the last 8 years it has become a staple of the Jets arsenal. I mean how quick did momentum change in Pittsburgh when Brad ran the ball right down there throat last year. It just shut the whole crowd up at Heinz field.

With that being said now I know why we did not bring Brad Smith back. Yes he was verry vauleble in the wildcat package but a good chunk of his value came in returning kick offs and that has been negated this year.

Honestly I don't give a sh*t about player safety. These cats know what they are sing up for and get paid good money to do it. Goodell is leaving his indelible mark on the the game. DESTROYING IT!

[THE ILK]

Save your hate for Plaxico Burress!

[T0mShane]

Westhoff was saying that, unless you're kicking to a Devin Hester, you're better off trying trying to kick a higher, shorter ball that lands at the five. More hang time, shorter distance for the coverage team to run, you can really pin teams in bad field position if you can find a kicker capable of placing it.

[F.Chowds]

Westhoff was saying that, unless you're kicking to a Devin Hester, you're better off trying trying to kick a higher, shorter ball that lands at the five. More hang time, shorter distance for the coverage team to run, you can really pin teams in bad field position if you can find a kicker capable of placing it.

You know Tom I was think that to myself while watch some of the games. But every team is kicking it out of the end zone or to the back of the end zone. I am assuming it preseason and teams don't want to show their hand.

[ECURB]

Nothing but touch-backs, how ******* boring . Absolutely ruins one of the most exciting plays in football, the kick off return for a TD. With Leon,Brad Smith and Coach Westhoff over the last 8 years it has become a staple of the Jets arsenal. I mean how quick did momentum change in Pittsburgh when Brad ran the ball right down there throat last year. It just shut the whole crowd up at Heinz field.

With that being said now I know why we did not bring Brad Smith back. Yes he was verry vauleble in the wildcat package but a good chunk of his value came in returning kick offs and that has been negated this year.

Honestly I don't give a sh*t about player safety. These cats know what they are sing up for and get paid good money to do it. Goodell is leaving his indelible mark on the the game. DESTROYING IT!

There has been at least one returned for a TD so far... is that really that far below the average? How many are usually brought back in the first week of pre-season?

[T0mShane]

You know Tom I was think that to myself while watch some of the games. But every team is kicking it out of the end zone or to the back of the end zone. I am assuming it preseason and teams don't want to show their hand.

I'd imagine it's that, and teams just trying to figure out how to do it with the kickers they have. They're just so used to trying to boom kickoffs that asking them to hold back a bit and place it is a foreign language to these guys. As it is now, how many times have you seen a coach ask his kicker to kick away from an elite returner, and the dude kicks it out of bounds because he's not used to aiming it? It wouldn't surprise me to see teams start bring in kickoff specialists who are more sand-wedge than three-wood.

[visajets]

Its pretty much been decided teams will start most offensive series from thier own 20. With that in mind do you think Schotte is preparing for this? Could be another reason they let Brad Smith go.

[Maxman]

Its pretty much been decided teams will start most offensive series from thier own 20. With that in mind do you think Schotte is preparing for this? Could be another reason they let Brad Smith go.

This is definitely a huge factor in the Brad Smith decision. You don't pay for a premium kickoff returner when they make kickoff returns a thing of the past.

[RutgersJetFan]

This is definitely a huge factor in the Brad Smith decision. You don't pay for a premium kickoff returner when they make kickoff returns a thing of the past.

Obviously you haven't heard about the dynamic threat that Smith was as a receiver.

[FloridaJetsFan]

Obviously you haven't heard about the dynamic threat that Smith was as a receiver.

Don't forget as a quarterback too ...

[ECURB]

Can we please stop just making things up out of thin air?

There were 23 kick returns for a TD the ENTIRE 2010 season and 18 in 2009... in the NFL... TOTAL...

There has already been at least one KR for a TD this pre-season...

What is all the freaking out about?

I hate what the lockout did to JN fans... everything is a silly over reaction... everything

[RutgersJetFan]

Can we please stop just making things up out of thin air?

Mmmmmm, sweet, sweet irony.

[THE ILK]

Can we please stop just making things up out of thin air?

There were 23 kick returns for a TD the ENTIRE 2010 season and 18 in 2009... in the NFL... TOTAL...

There has already been at least one KR for a TD this pre-season...

What is all the freaking out about?

I hate what the lockout did to JN fans... everything is a silly over reaction... everything

IT'S NOT ONLY ABOUT TD RETURNS!!!!!!!!!!!!!

AAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!!!!!!!!!!!!

IT'S ABOUT RETURNS IN GENERAL!!!!!!!!!!

WWWWWHHHHHHHHHAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[slats]

I think Westoff also said that he expects touchbacks to be up from 18% of the time to 35%. That's a big difference. Of course, he also said that he plans to have the Jets run them out of the endzone. So we'll see what the effect is on our team.

You know who was good at that high directional kickoff thing? Mike Nugent, that's who.

[THE ILK]

I think Westoff also said that he expects touchbacks to be up from 18% of the time to 35%. That's a big difference. Of course, he also said that he plans to have the Jets run them out of the endzone. So we'll see what the effect is on our team.

You know who was good at that high directional kickoff thing? Mike Nugent, that's who.

Do you think someone would have took him in the first round this year?

[Bleedin Green]

I'd imagine it's that, and teams just trying to figure out how to do it with the kickers they have. They're just so used to trying to boom kickoffs that asking them to hold back a bit and place it is a foreign language to these guys. As it is now, how many times have you seen a coach ask his kicker to kick away from an elite returner, and the dude kicks it out of bounds because he's not used to aiming it? It wouldn't surprise me to see teams start bring in kickoff specialists who are more sand-wedge than three-wood.

The funny thing about it is Westhoff has always done this with his kickers (outside of Feely, who was incapable of doing anything but kicking line drives that were easily returnable). While Nugent certainly did suck, I remember when he was getting blasted for his kickoffs and Westhoff said he'd always much rather have a shorter, higher directed kick than a line drive into the endzone, and the Jets lack of touchbacks from all of their kickers since Westhoff took over was in part by design. The guy puts together a hell of a coverage team, and if he can get his kicker dropping the ball at about the one with more air under the ball and the coverage unit starting 5 yards closer than before, he'll do it every time, because more often than not those guys would be lucky to get it past the 20.

[war ensemble]

You know who was good at that high directional kickoff thing? Mike Nugent, that's who.

Ha, he doesn't have to go through the trouble of aiming kickoffs because if he booms it like other kickers it'll probably now land within the 5.

[Blackout]

remember, the NFL is pussifying itself

[Iceman88]

So instead of bitching about it has anybody actually watched the games? The majority of kicks are being returned, it is nowhere near the end of the world some of you make this out to be.

[slats]

So instead of bitching about it has anybody actually watched the games? The majority of kicks are being returned, it is nowhere near the end of the world some of you make this out to be.

Towards the end of the season, when the ball is cold and hard and the kickers are tired, there will be a lot of returns. And that's when the Jets will be needing them most.

[JetsFanFromQueens]

I'll be the first to admit, that I'm not a fan of the rule change.

I've enjoyed kick returners under Mike Westhoff such as Morton, Miller, Leon, Brad and Cromartie over the years, I'm also looking forward to watching what Jeremy Kerley can do as our kick returner... But I also know enough to know that this rule change could also greatly benefit the Jets as a team. We have one of the better D's around. Anytime an opposing offense is forced to start the drive at the 25 yard line (due to a touchback), they'll have to drive 75 yards for a TD; I'll consider that as an advantage for our defense.

I also have a feeling that we'll see plenty of drives starting from behind the 15 yard line as well, due to the fact that return men could get desperate trying to change the momentum of the game, returning a kick thats 8 yards deep... Therefore getting stuffed behind the 15 yard line (due to poor judgement decisions).

[slats]

I'll be the first to admit, that I'm not a fan of the rule change.

I've enjoyed kick returners under Mike Westhoff such as Morton, Miller, Leon, Brad and Cromartie over the years, I'm also looking forward to watching what Jeremy Kerley can do as our kick returner... But I also know enough to know that this rule change could also greatly benefit the Jets as a team. We have one of the better D's around. Anytime an opposing offense is forced to start the drive at the 25 yard line (due to a touchback), they'll have to drive 75 yards for a TD; I'll consider that as an advantage for our defense.

I also have a feeling that we'll see plenty of drives starting from behind the 15 yard line as well, due to the fact that return men could get desperate trying to change the momentum of the game, returning a kick thats 8 yards deep... Therefore getting stuffed behind the 15 yard line (due to poor judgement decisions).

That was the original proposal, but from what I can see touchbacks will still be coming out to the 20.

[Iceman88]

Towards the end of the season, when the ball is cold and hard and the kickers are tired, there will be a lot of returns. And that's when the Jets will be needing them most.

There are going to be a lot of returns no matter what. They are going to decrease some yeah but going by this thread you would think they will become non-existent.

[JetsFanFromQueens]

That was the original proposal, but from what I can see touchbacks will still be coming out to the 20.

Which is obviously more beneficial for a top rated defense such as the Jets.

[JetsFanFromQueens]

There are going to be a lot of returns no matter what. They are going to decrease some yeah but going by this thread you would think they will become non-existent.

Especially with the winds of the Meadowlands. Yes, we'll see plenty of kickoffs fly out of the endzone on kickoffs, but when kickers are being forced to kick into the winds... It won't matter that kickoffs have been moved up to the 35 yard line, when kickers are kicking against the winds of the Meadowlands... The return game will be in full effect.

Speaking of the new kickoff rule, read this article... You can't help but laugh.

"Apparently, the new kickoff rules didn't apply to the Chicago Bears early in their preseason opener. Chicago Bears head coach Lovie Smith talks to referee Jeff Triplette before a preseason game Saturday in Chicago. The Bears and kicker Robbie Gould booted their first two kickoffs from the 30-yard line instead of the 35, defying a rule change the owners voted for in March. NFL vice president of officiating Carl Johnson then called in and told officials at Soldier Field to "put a stop to it," according to Fox Sports' Mike Pereira. Bears coach Lovie Smith said he wanted to get a feel for his new kick coverage unit. ''Robbie Gould … we can put it on the 35 and he can kick it out each time,'' Smith told the Chicago Sun-Times. ''We're not really getting a good evaluation of what we can do coverage-wise on some of our players. That's what we were trying to do with it." NFL.com reports that the Bears were one of six teams to vote against the rule, aimed at limiting the number of kickoff returns, often the most dangerous plays in football. So far, the five-yard difference has dramatically decreased the number of kicks returned. As friend-of-The-Huddle Herm Edwards points out, the Bears could've just ran offsides on their first attempt, then kicked from the 30 legally".

My question is this... If the Bears were one of six teams to vote against the new rule... Who were the other 5 teams? My guess would have to be the Jets, for the simple fact Mike Westhoff has made it known, unless the kicks fly out of the endzone... We're coming out of the endzone.

[Iceman88]

Yes, we'll see plenty of kickoffs fly out of the endzone on kickoffs,

No we won't, its not like kickers were regularly kicking it 5 yards into the end zone before this rule. Only Sebastian Janikowski and his monstrosity of a leg will be booting em out of the end zone.

[JetsFanFromQueens]

No we won't, its not like kickers were regularly kicking it 5 yards into the end zone before this rule. Only Sebastian Janikowski and his monstrosity of a leg will be booting em out of the end zone.

Thats not true at all. Sebastian Janikowski isn't the only kicker in the league with a powerful leg. He's most definitely not the only kicker with the ability to kick the football out of the end-zone on kickoffs either. There are plenty of kickers who can drive the football out of the end-zone thanks to the new ruling. Lovie Smith of the Bears made it known that he wanted to get a feel for his new kick coverage unit. ''Robbie Gould … we can put it on the 35 and he can kick it out each time,'' Smith told the Chicago Sun-Times. That's just one example. Another example would have to be the very first kickoff I seen of the preseason flying out of the end-zone by I believe Stephen Gostkowski of the Patriots.

You can't say just because kickers weren't regularly kicking the ball 5 yards into the end zone before the rule change, that these same kickers won't be booming them out of the end zone after the rule change. Because they will. The new ruling now allows kickers the chance to use a new philosophy/technique/approach to kickoffs. They don't have to emphasize as much on hang time anymore, which took away from total distance of the kick, but also gave coverage units a chance to get down field before the returner actually returned the football. Now these kickers can focus more on line driving these kickoffs with less hang time and more power inorder to drive the ball out of the end-zone at ease. When kickers are kicking with the wind, it's over, the ball is flying out.

[JetsFanFromQueens]

Also... Read this article below.

The title states: Touchbacks galore on the first night of the new kickoff rule.

"With the kickoff point moving from the 30 back to the 35, the NFL hopes to reduce injuries during kickoff returns by reducing the raw number of kickoff returns.

And while it’s too early to make a reliable comparison to pre-2011 stats, the ball seems to be flying DEEO into the enz zone, AND BEYOND. (Which throws out your clam as Sebastian Janikowski being the "only" kicker who can boom kicks out of the end zone).

In the Ravens-Eagles game, five kickoffs resulted in touchbacks. In the Jaguars-Pats game, there were two touchbacks (even though 59 points were scored). The Broncos-Cowboys game has featured five touchbacks as of this posting. In Seahawks-Chargers, there has been two touchbacks as of this posting.

But perhaps the most glaring example of the new rule came on the first play of the Cardinals-Raiders game, when kicker Sebastian Janikowski boomed the ball out of the end zone — and possibly through the uprights.

Over time, the rule undoubtedly will result in more touchbacks. In turn, that will result in fewer points. And so this rule will have been one of the few changes over the years that will, over time, reduce scoring."

[Larz]

the warm summer air is going to skew the stats, and I saw knox with a 60 yard return tonight for da bears

[Iceman88]

Also... Read this article below.

The title states: Touchbacks galore on the first night of the new kickoff rule.

"With the kickoff point moving from the 30 back to the 35, the NFL hopes to reduce injuries during kickoff returns by reducing the raw number of kickoff returns.

And while it’s too early to make a reliable comparison to pre-2011 stats, the ball seems to be flying DEEO into the enz zone, AND BEYOND. (Which throws out your clam as Sebastian Janikowski being the "only" kicker who can boom kicks out of the end zone).

In the Ravens-Eagles game, five kickoffs resulted in touchbacks. In the Jaguars-Pats game, there were two touchbacks (even though 59 points were scored). The Broncos-Cowboys game has featured five touchbacks as of this posting. In Seahawks-Chargers, there has been two touchbacks as of this posting.

But perhaps the most glaring example of the new rule came on the first play of the Cardinals-Raiders game, when kicker Sebastian Janikowski boomed the ball out of the end zone — and possibly through the uprights.

Over time, the rule undoubtedly will result in more touchbacks. In turn, that will result in fewer points. And so this rule will have been one of the few changes over the years that will, over time, reduce scoring."

Yes I read PFT as well and the Pats Jaguars game had 2 touchbacks during a high scoring game. The second night touchbacks also scaled down to a normal number if you read their reports on it as well as well as Peter Kings twitter feed where he was keeping track of it over the weekend.

[joebabyny]

Can we please stop just making things up out of thin air?

There were 23 kick returns for a TD the ENTIRE 2010 season and 18 in 2009... in the NFL... TOTAL...

There has already been at least one KR for a TD this pre-season...

What is all the freaking out about?

I hate what the lockout did to JN fans... everything is a silly over reaction... everything

The issue isn't the amount of kotd's, it's the amount of touchbacks. The comparison this first preseason week to last year was absurd. Look it up.

[ECURB]

The issue isn't the amount of kotd's, it's the amount of touchbacks. The comparison this first preseason week to last year was absurd. Look it up.

5 yards will not have much effect... It will shake out fine... And I made the td response for the "taking away an exciting part of the game" cpmplainers

[Boozer76]

I don't even see the point of a kick off anymore. If safety was such an issue that they are going to dramatically alter the game like this, why not just put the ball on the 20 yard line without a kickoff at all?

[Aten]

Nothing but touch-backs, how ******* boring . Absolutely ruins one of the most exciting plays in football

Until this became a talking point precisely because of the rule change, kickoffs were considered the most exciting plays in football by roughly nobody.

[ECURB]

I don't even see the point of a kick off anymore. If safety was such an issue that they are going to dramatically alter the game like this, why not just put the ball on the 20 yard line without a kickoff at all?

Huh?

Not much has changed from last year and this just puts it back the way it was prior to changing it to the 30 yd line...