In his weekly column, Matt Cauz looks into the decline in kick return TDs over the latter part of the decade. He suggests that perhaps officials should start looking the other way on illegal blocks and holding on kick returns to spruce up the excitement much the same way reciever offsides are generally ignored.
Now I'm of the opinion that anything obviously over the neutral zone is called regarding reciever offsides. I don't think its as big an oversight as some claim.
I definitely would not want an encouragement of 'looking the other way' or 'keeping the whistles in their pockets' as the NHL would have it. If anything, rules themselves can be tweaked but I think football can pride itself in not having to play blind to the rules when entertainment dictates. Its entertaining unto itself.
It's not like there is a huge increase in the amount of TD returns that are being whistled back. This suggestion would have no immediate impact.
It would have no impact until people began noticing that refs are not calling anything on returns. Then the league would be ridiculed for having poor officiating. Or at least, the riducule of the officiating would increase even more than it happens now.
if it were a matter of just telling players “DON’T DO IT!” we’d be saved…
but the intelligence of some of these guys who just can’t seem to grasp the idea that you don’t hit the guy from behind! if the player already has run past him WHY ARE YOU TOUCHING HIM???
you wanna get the idea in their heads fast?
start letting players go who can’t seem to follow the rules!!
