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NFL should adopt these intriguing rules from Alliance of American Football, after AAF's promising debut
By Darryl Slater | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com | Posted February 17,
The Alliance of American Football — more commonly known as the AAF — got off to a promising start last weekend. The AAF also happens to have some rules that differ greatly from the NFL ... and they're quite intriguing. Here are some of those rules the NFL should consider adopting.
Kickoff eliminated
The AAF has no kickoffs at all. Instead, teams start at the 25-yard line at the opening of the game and second half and after opponents score.
Why this could make sense for NFL
The NFL has largely eliminated the kickoff already, in terms of it being a play of any importance or intrigue. Plus, the kickoff is widely regarded as a dangerous play. So what's the point? Consider that just five kickoffs were returned for touchdowns in the entire 2018 NFL regular season. The NFL already brings the ball out to the 25 on kickoff touchbacks anyway. On an average per-game basis last season, an NFL team returned just 1.9 kickoffs.
Mandatory 2-point conversions
No extra points in the AAF. You have to go for two points after every touchdown.
Why this could make sense for NFL
Hey, if quarterbacks are going to be highly paid in the NFL, let's keep them on the field in critical situations, right? The NFL extra point is no longer automatic, now that it's a 33-yard kick. But mandatory two-point conversions would be a heck of a lot more exciting. Nobody is paying to see kickers kick extra points.
Tweaked overtime
In the AAF, each team gets a chance to score in overtime, no matter what. In the NFL, if the team that wins the coin toss scores a touchdown on its initial drive of overtime, the game is over and the other team doesn't get a chance to respond. In the AAF, each team gets the ball at the 10-yard with a chance to score a touchdown plus a two-point conversion. The game ends in a tie if the teams are tied at the end of one rotation.
Why this could make sense for NFL
Look, we don't like the tie aspect here. Give teams, say, two or three rotations before ending a game in a tie. The college overtime system can be insanely long, because there are no ties. But one rotation isn't enough.
We do like that both teams get the ball in overtime. How lame was that AFC Championship Game ending, as the Patriots won the coin toss and scored a touchdown, and Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs didn't get a chance to respond? That just seems silly, doesn't it?
Addition of sky judge
The AAF has a ninth official in the press box who can call penalties or tell the referee to pick up a flag. The thinking here is that the official in the press box has a different and potentially better perspective on the play. The sky judge does not have the benefit of replay in making his decisions. In the final five minutes of a game, though, he can rule on pass interference.
Why this could make sense for NFL
There aren't easy answers here, in terms of how the NFL can avoid a debacle like the end of the Rams-Saints NFC Championship Game. Make pass interference a reviewable call, with replay? Allow a sky judge official to overrule the on-field officials? But the AAF could be on to something here, in terms of giving the on-field officials some help. The whole goal, obviously, is to get the call right. So on-field officials should embrace this, right? The NFL would be wise to consider adding a sky judge official like the AAF has, especially in light of that brutal finish to the NFC title game.
One AAF difference we don't like ...
No more than five defenders can rush on a play in the AAF. That's not the only blitzing limitation. Players can't blitz from more than 2 yards outside the line or from more than 5 yards off the line of scrimmage. This is a drastic change from the NFL. Plus, any player aligned on the line of scrimmage counts as a rusher, even if he doesn't actually rush the passer. Sorry, but this is a lame rule that puts the defense at too much of a disadvantage. It tilts the game far too much in the offense's favor.
NFL should adopt these intriguing rules from Alliance of American Football, after AAF's promising debut
By Darryl Slater | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com | Posted February 17,
The Alliance of American Football — more commonly known as the AAF — got off to a promising start last weekend. The AAF also happens to have some rules that differ greatly from the NFL ... and they're quite intriguing. Here are some of those rules the NFL should consider adopting.
Kickoff eliminated
The AAF has no kickoffs at all. Instead, teams start at the 25-yard line at the opening of the game and second half and after opponents score.
Why this could make sense for NFL
The NFL has largely eliminated the kickoff already, in terms of it being a play of any importance or intrigue. Plus, the kickoff is widely regarded as a dangerous play. So what's the point? Consider that just five kickoffs were returned for touchdowns in the entire 2018 NFL regular season. The NFL already brings the ball out to the 25 on kickoff touchbacks anyway. On an average per-game basis last season, an NFL team returned just 1.9 kickoffs.
Mandatory 2-point conversions
No extra points in the AAF. You have to go for two points after every touchdown.
Why this could make sense for NFL
Hey, if quarterbacks are going to be highly paid in the NFL, let's keep them on the field in critical situations, right? The NFL extra point is no longer automatic, now that it's a 33-yard kick. But mandatory two-point conversions would be a heck of a lot more exciting. Nobody is paying to see kickers kick extra points.
Tweaked overtime
In the AAF, each team gets a chance to score in overtime, no matter what. In the NFL, if the team that wins the coin toss scores a touchdown on its initial drive of overtime, the game is over and the other team doesn't get a chance to respond. In the AAF, each team gets the ball at the 10-yard with a chance to score a touchdown plus a two-point conversion. The game ends in a tie if the teams are tied at the end of one rotation.
Why this could make sense for NFL
Look, we don't like the tie aspect here. Give teams, say, two or three rotations before ending a game in a tie. The college overtime system can be insanely long, because there are no ties. But one rotation isn't enough.
We do like that both teams get the ball in overtime. How lame was that AFC Championship Game ending, as the Patriots won the coin toss and scored a touchdown, and Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs didn't get a chance to respond? That just seems silly, doesn't it?
Addition of sky judge
The AAF has a ninth official in the press box who can call penalties or tell the referee to pick up a flag. The thinking here is that the official in the press box has a different and potentially better perspective on the play. The sky judge does not have the benefit of replay in making his decisions. In the final five minutes of a game, though, he can rule on pass interference.
Why this could make sense for NFL
There aren't easy answers here, in terms of how the NFL can avoid a debacle like the end of the Rams-Saints NFC Championship Game. Make pass interference a reviewable call, with replay? Allow a sky judge official to overrule the on-field officials? But the AAF could be on to something here, in terms of giving the on-field officials some help. The whole goal, obviously, is to get the call right. So on-field officials should embrace this, right? The NFL would be wise to consider adding a sky judge official like the AAF has, especially in light of that brutal finish to the NFC title game.
One AAF difference we don't like ...
No more than five defenders can rush on a play in the AAF. That's not the only blitzing limitation. Players can't blitz from more than 2 yards outside the line or from more than 5 yards off the line of scrimmage. This is a drastic change from the NFL. Plus, any player aligned on the line of scrimmage counts as a rusher, even if he doesn't actually rush the passer. Sorry, but this is a lame rule that puts the defense at too much of a disadvantage. It tilts the game far too much in the offense's favor.
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