We may only be one week into the 2011 NFL season, but that doesn’t mean we can’t start interpreting just how much of an impact the shortening of kickoffs will have going forward. The answer so far is a resounding “so much”.
In 2010 there were a grand total of two kickers who recorded touchbacks on over 30 percent of their kickoffs. Billy Cundiff of the Ravens booted it into or out of the end zone a league leading 46 percent of the time, while former first rounder Sebastian Janikowski managed touchbacks just over 31 percent of the time.
Fast forward to today, one week into the NFL season, and we see a whopping 23 teams employing kickers who are currently sitting at 30 percent or higher. That’s a giant increase, and although some may dismiss it based on the small sample size, there’s really no reason to think that the results will change dramatically.
It’s time for return specialists to face the reality that they just won’t be very valuable under new kickoff rules. Even sadder, it’s time for fans to acknowledge that we have lost one of the most exciting plays in all of football in favor of *cringes* safety.
