Bobref

It’s like anything else. Players will adjust. Nobody has a problem anymore with horse collar tackles. Same thing here. Move along. Nothing to see.

In an effort to have more kickoffs returned, but also limit those injury-producing high speed collisions, the NFL has radically modified the kickoff procedure. Now, the teams will line up closer together, and won’t start moving until the kick is touched by a receiver, or hits the ground. Here are the details of the new procedure: ALIGNMENT All kicking team players other than the kicker will line up with one foot on the receiving team’s B40 yard line Kicker cannot cross the 50-yard line until ball touches the ground or player in landing zone or end zone The 10 kicking team players cannot move until the ball hits the ground or player in the landing zone or the end zone The receiving team will line up as follows: Setup Zone – a 5-yard area from the B35 to the B30 yard line where at least 9 receiving team players must line up At least 7 players with foot on the B35 yard line (restraining line) with alignment requirements (outside numbers, numbers to hashes, and inside hashes) Players not on the restraining line must be lined up in setup zone outside the hash marks All players in the setup zone cannot move until the kick has hit the ground or a player in the landing zone or the end zone A maximum of 2 returners may line up in the landing zone and can move at any time prior to, or during, the kick LANDING ZONE Landing zone is the area between the receiving team’s goal line and its 20-yard line. Any kick that hits short of the landing zone – treated like kickoff out of bounds and ball spotted at B40 yard line; play would be blown dead as soon as kick lands short of the landing zone Any kick that hits in the landing zone - must be returned Any kick that hits in the landing zone and then goes into the end zone – must be returned or downed by receiving team – if downed then touchback to B20 yard line Kick hits in end zone, stays inbounds - returned or downed – if downed then touchback to B35 yard line Any kick that goes out of the back of the end zone (in the air or bounces) – touchback to B35 yard line MISCELLANEOUS No fair catch or signal is allowed. Officials will blow the play dead If conditions cause ball to fall off tee twice, then kicker will be allowed to use kicking stick to keep the ball in place. The closest covering official will pick up the stick immediately after the kick

Since 2018, states have taken in $4.33 billion in tax revenue from sports betting. Sports betting is now legal in 38 states plus the District of Columbia, with states raking in $4.33 billion in tax revenue since the Supreme Court ruled in 2018 that states could legalize sports betting. And that’s just the tax revenue. The amount wagered is many multiples of that. With that much money in play, it seems a foregone conclusion that there will be those who want to get a slice of that by manipulating outcomes. There is a potential gambling scandal brewing in the NBA right now, springing from the proliferation of “prop” bets based on individual statistics. It’s a lot easier for a single player to influence statistics like 3 pt. shot attempts, assists, turnovers, etc., than to determine the outcome of a game. The confluence of gambling and fantasy sports creates unlimited opportunities to skew results. The NFL and other leagues are now so heavily invested in sports gambling that anything that suggests to bettors that the games are not on the up and up will be dealt with swiftly and severely. And it is spreading to college sports as well … which are not nearly as closely monitored as pro sports. Look for lifetime bans and criminal prosecutions. We have been used to TV networks exerting major influence on game times, pace of play, and other aspects of the games. Is the day far off when the large gambling concerns like Bally, Draft Kings, MGM, etc., will have that type of influence?

The NFL Competition Committee has voted to ban the “hip drop” tackle. Can’t wait to hear all the meatheads. “Just make it flag football!”

More confused than ever now. 🤪😜

Once again, I haven’t kept up. Are the right wingers for or against seeding?

Exactly. There’s the problem. Schools vote their individual interests. No one is interested in what’s best for Indiana high school football.

Progress

Get off my lawn!

An awful lot of great memories on that field — which was always rock hard by November.

WHME Ch. 46 is reporting that Glenn has found their new coach. “Ron Brown, who had a very successful run as head football coach at Triton and has been serving as an assistant principal at Glenn, has been named the new head football coach at Glenn. Brown was 17-8 in his last 2 seasons at Triton in 2017-2018 including a sectional title.” https://www.facebook.com/groups/1722423207993391/permalink/3834517973450560/

Don’t tell that to @Coach Nowlin. He was the President of the “We Can’t Get Luke Getsy Out Of Town Fast Enough Club.”

I really believe that JF will be a top 10 QB in the NFL someday. I wouldn’t have said that even 2 years ago that a QB with that skill set could be a winner in the League. But Lamar Jackson has made a believer out of me. Fields can be a bigger, faster version of Lamar if he gets some coaching.

This has all the earmarks of a self-fulfilling prophecy, I fear.

Happy St. Patrick’s Day to all the “Irish” out there, from the Fightin’ Irish!

Until Russ sucks. That’s why I said Week 6.

This is just interesting as heck … from the Steelers’ side. How does anyone think Russel Wilson is going to feel about this? I foresee a world class pout from diva Russ. I also predict Fields will be the starter by Week 6, if not before. Ryan Poles has now officially pushed all his chips to the center of the table.

A program on the rise. They’ve only had varsity football for a decade!

Bernie’s 15 minutes were up long ago.

Did someone forget about the offensive line? The first thing a rookie QB needs is a little extra time to process all the information. I know they have recently signed several guys to 1 yr. deals. I never heard of any of them. Looks like they’re just shuffling the deck. I’m sure they’ll make up for it in the draft. Otherwise, these highly-touted receivers will be useless. And I like the Swift signing, but again, who is going to block for him?

No doubt whatsoever. Probably the best player with his hand in the dirt since Reggie White. But — and I heard this on the radio today — please stop with the comparisons to Lawrence Taylor as the greatest defensive player of all time. LT completely revolutionized the way 2 different positions — offensive tackle and outside linebacker — were played. They had to invent a new position (“edge rusher”) to describe what he did. Just read The Blind Side. Or, you can just ask Joe Theismann. 😉

I never imagined you’d think otherwise.

Do you think the determination whether to build another school is going to be influenced, and to what extent, by the perception that a mega-school, like Carmel, has a greater chance of athletic success? I mean, if it’s really “all about the kids,” doesn’t that favor multiple schools, i.e., more opportunities for participation? How similar is this situation to the one that Hamilton Southeastern faced years ago … and resolved by building Fishers?

I would pay to see that! 😂🤣😅

Wow! I may have to finagle my first trip to Linton.