Personally, I’d like to make American football a lot more like rugby in two major ways. One, you have to touch the ball to the ground in the end zone and not just have the ball cross the plane of the end zone in order to have a touchdown. (Which means that in rugby, the defense can keep the ball up in the air, so to speak, in order to prevent the touchdown because the offensive player isn’t able to put the ball onto the ground.) Two, the extra point (two points, really) are kicked from about 20 yards out but at the point where the man who scored the try (touchdown) ran the ball into the end zone. Thus, if the guy ran into the end zone did so at the sideline, that’s where the extra point is kicked from. That makes for some very wicked angles to kick at, and extra points are /not/ a given. (Oh, and for rugby extra points, the kicker never faces any defensive rush to try to block the kick.)
I like Joe Sixpack’s idea as well; been saying roughly the same thing myself for years. I also think that field goals should diminish in value the farther away from the goal line you kick it; say, 3 points inside the 20, 2 pts inside the 30, 1 pt beyond that. After all, isn’t the point of this TEAM sport to advance the ball to the goal line? With a 60 yarder, you get half a touchdown after barely crossing midfield…
Well after due consideration of all of the great suggestions to improve football made by the previous posters, I am exercising my authority as the arbiter of all proposed rule changes to respond to these requests.
@ George: I know. :) American football is, of course, an off-shoot of rugby. I remember some very old Popeye cartoons as a kid where Popeye and other players actually touch the football down in the end zone as they still do today in rugby. If I were to ever get involved in coaching American football, I’d try to incorporate some rugby tactics into the gameplan. There are some plays in rugby that would flip out American crowds and players.
I’d like to see the NFL adopt the CFL’s “single” where when a kicked/punted ball goes into the endzone and isn’t returned, the receiving team gets the ball at the 35 (they have big fields up north) – but the kicking team gets a point. No more free trips to the 20!
dunner99rok almost 13 years ago
Personally, I’d like to make American football a lot more like rugby in two major ways. One, you have to touch the ball to the ground in the end zone and not just have the ball cross the plane of the end zone in order to have a touchdown. (Which means that in rugby, the defense can keep the ball up in the air, so to speak, in order to prevent the touchdown because the offensive player isn’t able to put the ball onto the ground.) Two, the extra point (two points, really) are kicked from about 20 yards out but at the point where the man who scored the try (touchdown) ran the ball into the end zone. Thus, if the guy ran into the end zone did so at the sideline, that’s where the extra point is kicked from. That makes for some very wicked angles to kick at, and extra points are /not/ a given. (Oh, and for rugby extra points, the kicker never faces any defensive rush to try to block the kick.)
cooganm Premium Member almost 13 years ago
I like Joe Sixpack’s idea as well; been saying roughly the same thing myself for years. I also think that field goals should diminish in value the farther away from the goal line you kick it; say, 3 points inside the 20, 2 pts inside the 30, 1 pt beyond that. After all, isn’t the point of this TEAM sport to advance the ball to the goal line? With a 60 yarder, you get half a touchdown after barely crossing midfield…
Nighthawks Premium Member almost 13 years ago
how about just making the point after like a two point try but for just the extra point. the easy kick for the extra point is ….too easy
pnorman1 almost 13 years ago
Well after due consideration of all of the great suggestions to improve football made by the previous posters, I am exercising my authority as the arbiter of all proposed rule changes to respond to these requests.
NO! Thank you for your participation.
georgelcsmith almost 13 years ago
@JDsg Many years ago, a touchdown in American football was just like a rugby touchdown.
Joseph Houk almost 13 years ago
That wouldn’t be my choice for a rule change. I’d do away with kickoffs after scores.
dunner99rok almost 13 years ago
@ George: I know. :) American football is, of course, an off-shoot of rugby. I remember some very old Popeye cartoons as a kid where Popeye and other players actually touch the football down in the end zone as they still do today in rugby. If I were to ever get involved in coaching American football, I’d try to incorporate some rugby tactics into the gameplan. There are some plays in rugby that would flip out American crowds and players.
Whitecamry almost 13 years ago
We still have touching the ball on the endzone ground; it’s called “spiking.”
Whitecamry almost 13 years ago
I’d like to see the NFL adopt the CFL’s “single” where when a kicked/punted ball goes into the endzone and isn’t returned, the receiving team gets the ball at the 35 (they have big fields up north) – but the kicking team gets a point. No more free trips to the 20!