Maybe a controlled scrimmage agains’t another team, completely free for spectators, might be an option but I don’t think this would work at the pro level. I know the OUA did have these, not sure if they still do.
Some teams do have controlled scrimmages against other teams in the NFL, and they also charge for them too or have preferred access for seat license holders.
Most fans could not care less though.
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Mike Tomlin of the Steelers also expressed some thoughts along these lines.
For now I agree with Sean Payton, for under the new rules, I fear that the league will be about back where we started on this one by October.
There’s more discussion in the NFL Rules thread.
The Denver Broncos coach was asked about the new kickoff rule on Saturday, and apparently, he’s a little worried that the new rule might not end up fixing anything. If returners thrive in the new kickoff formation, then teams will just start kicking touchbacks again, which is what the NFL was trying to avoid when it approved the new rule.
“If the analytics tell me that the average drive start or average return is past the 30, well, what do you think is going to start happening? Touchbacks,” Payton said, via the Denver Post. “We’re going to be right back to where we were, and that’s the last thing we want. We’ve got to pay attention to that.”
To fix that problem, the Broncos coach would make one key change to the new kickoff rule: If the ball gets kicked out of the end zone, then the receiving team would get a touchback that goes all the way out to the 35, instead of the 30, which is where the ball will currently be going under the new rule.
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NFL Cut Timeline 2024
Well we can be pleased this year that the final farting around in preseason is on 25 August with three games that Sunday, instead of dragging to the very end of August.
Final cuts to rosters of no more than 53 players are due on 27 August.
Then it’s a week of some horse trading and business to get rosters under the salary cap before rosters are set by Wednesday, 4 September, one day before the first game of the season.
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A bit of a dust up between two teams that play each other tomorrow.
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anybody else see Mathew Stafford catch his own pass down field for a TD?
It was in a practice scrimmage with another team I believe
+ Demarcus Robinson 
in joint training camp with DAL #Rams #RamsHouse https://t.co/9EeB9t3RXu” / X
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How about a rouge of sorts? If you kick it through the endzone on a kickoff, the receiving team gets a single point. 
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And they are not even going to consider anything of the sort of course, though a discussion about either scrapping this new kickoff or revising it is inevitable, for it’s only a one-year trial.
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To be honest, the NFL is in a catch 22 situation of sorts on this one. Basically no way out to get it “perfect” as they would like to see it. Sorry NFL, you can’t get it perfect on this one, no way. This isn’t chess, its sports with muscular movements etc. chess is strictly mental and absolutely nothing physical for outcomes, sports isn’t. But we’ll see if the NFL can figure this out, they should. But if they think the NFL is exactly like chess, well gues what, they lose like any sport that involves physicallness for the outomes.
Should be interesting, but they let open the Pandoras Box doing what they’ve done, so we shall see. If they think they can control exactly what they want on the kickoffs in a mental manner like chess, the NFL is stupid beyond stupid. Again, we’ll see what they do. Time will tell. Hey, you want to play chess on a board with no physicallness or otherwise. Can’t have your cake and eat it too NFL. Sorrrrrrry, it doesn’t work like that.
Sort of like the CFL with the Command Centre, they think the CC was going to make things perfect, like chess purely mental, guess what? Wrong and dumby thinking if you thought so.
Physical sports is not purely mental like chess, we know it, everyone knows it but do these league people know it? I don’t think they know this to be honest. You want chess, go for chess, physical sports isn’t chess despite strategy that uses “chess-like” inferences within a physical sport. There many opportunities for chance to happen in sports with outcomes on plays and then there is weather involved. Chance plays nothing or close to nothing in chess as far as I know, I don’t play chess but I suppose some chance is involved with flip as to who goes first, if I have that right, or on the day of the match one player gets sick.
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They want the kickoff to be an exciting play - but it can’t be unless they make massive changes - say make it 6 on 6 and add the halo so you can’t just blast straight at the guy with the ball, because he can beat you if you don’t maintain lane discipline.
I remember the first time I took one of my uncles (from Montana) to a CFL game he was sure he was going to see someone die with the live ball and no fair catch on punts. Once he saw the halo (and Gizmo) in action he said - the NFL needs something like that…
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Over 100 years ago, football was even more brutal and death was frequent. One reform was to get rid of the flying wedge on kickoffs. 10 players formed a running V (hands joined, I believe) and the runner was on the inside.
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…it took rugby much longer and many more gruesome injuries to finally outlaw it.
Which is funny because they are miles ahead now when it comes to prevention of, punishment for, and treatment of head injuries. If football followed and put it on the guy making the hit to avoid head contact the way rugby does - there would be far less concussions.
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The early reviews are in as NFL teams adjust to the new kickoff.
The NFL was hoping the new rule would lead to more returns and that’s exactly what happened. In the 16 preseason games that were played this week, there were a total of 127 kickoffs with 82% of them getting returned. If the regular-season number looks anything like that, it would be a monstrous jump over the 2023 season when just 22% of the kickoffs were returned.
I would note that it’s the preseason, so there is a vast training incentive to return kicks, including especially when most of the players on the field during kickoffs now are going to be cut.
As Sean Payton forewarned as noted in a previous post and with whom I agree, under the current rules, I see the number of kicks returned going down later in the game. I favour his proposed adjustment.
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An interesting article on the 49’ers Aiyuk, currently mired in a contract dispute. The author makes a compelling case that he may be the best receiver in the NFL.
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Another interesting article. NFL is starting to heat up!
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5 yards up makes sense. I also agree with Peyton on this. Mike Florio discusses Peyton’s suggestion here and says these 5 yards changes it somewhat without question:
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Wow this game in November is at AT&T Stadium in Arlington. It’ll be just like old times with the legendary Jim Nantz, also a CFL fan and site friend, on the call for this game for the first time in 31 years!
Jim Nantz was kind enough to share a story, which of course means stop whatever you are doing and listen up.
In those days, CBS had the best production for the NFL too, for it was better than NBC.
But Monday Night Football was awesome too in those days on ABC.
Here is how the story starts, and click the link for the rest.
The last time CBS had Eagles and Cowboys, CBS had the NFC package and NBC had the AFC package. CBS has carried the NFC package of games since the NFL television contracts awarded packages to the NFC and AFC following the 1970 merger. Times were changing around the NFL with their television package, which CBS became aware of prior to that Eagles-Cowboys broadcast.
Jim Nantz, who was the play-by-play announcer of the last Eagles-Cowboys game to air on CBS, shared an interesting story involving Cowboys owner Jerry Jones that happened the night before (the game aired on Halloween in 1993).
“All of a sudden, Mr. Jerry Jones sticks his head in the room,” Nantz said. “He points to me as I walk out and says to me, ‘You know what’s going on with these TV negotiations?’ I don’t know what he’s talking about. He says, ‘You’re gonna lose the NFL if you’re not careful.’”
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With regards to the contract dispute, this article was from yesterday, and well the news-flow is slow again it seems though normal for preseason in August:
https://www.nfl.com/news/steelers-have-deal-in-place-to-acquire-brandon-aiyuk-49ers-await-wr-s-answer-on-long-term-contract-offer
NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport reported Tuesday that the Pittsburgh Steelers and San Francisco 49ers have agreed upon parameters for a trade that would send Aiyuk to Pittsburgh, per sources. But Aiyuk also has a long-term contract offer from the 49ers, who have actively tried to keep him, if he wants to stay in San Francisco, Rapoport reported.
I’m sure Russell Wilson would love to throw to Aiyuk too.
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And bring on the backup as the number one in Minnesota…
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