Chris Maragos is determined to fight the NFL if they continue tweaking the rules surrounding the Kickoff. To their credit, the NFL is primarily focused on trying to make the kickoff safer, though the Philadelphia Special teams ace doesn’t seem especially interested in this argument. NFL sportsbook betting is alight with talk of the conflict between these two sides.
The NFL will do anything to reduce high-speed collisions, many of which seemingly occur on kickoffs, resulting in devastating injuries.
Stephen Jones, a competition committee member, doesn’t seem ready to give quota in this arena, suggesting that anyone arguing about the NFL’s actions doesn’t care about the safety of players.
Though, he will be hard pressed to convince Maragos that the NFL is doing anything other than Meddling; for Maragos, the kickoff couldn’t get any safer, the special teams Ace saying on multiple occasions that his safety has felt compromised during a kickoff.
According to Maragos, the kickoff only seems chaotic, and hence, dangerous because people are viewing it from the outside. Inside the action, players have more than enough control over events.
Several years ago, the NFL made a decision to move the kickoff from the 30-yard line to the 35-yardline. The goal was to reduce the number of returns, cutting injury rates as a result. It seems like they are less than amused by the results, though, choosing this moment to take additional steps to curtail injuries.
According to Dean Blandino (Vice President of Officiating), there is still no final word on the NFL changes regarding Kickoff rules. Blandino has spoken to the concerned parties on a number of occasions in an effort to appease worries and gain an understanding of the position of those people on the ground.
Blandino agrees that a lot more dialogue is necessary before any decisions can be made. However, he doesn’t think that the NFL would ever decide to eliminate the kickoff as a whole, especially considering the manner in which it drives the game.
For the NFL, the negative attention they have been receiving as a result of the concussions story is worth taking steps to create the image that the game is becoming safer.
The kickoff’s reputation as a dangerous play leaves NFL executives in a difficult position. They have to find a way of reducing injury rates. Maragos has refused to accept the idea that altering the rules of the kickoff will change things.
For Maragos, there is no replacing the kickoff, not when it has played such a critical role in ushering so many players through the gate to stardom, especially those individuals that are not good enough to be stars on offense or defense.
Maragos would point to people like Tennessee tight end Delanie Walker and Minnesota receiver Adam Thielen both of whom have succeeded immensely because of special teams.
The NFL’s determination to reduce the volatility of returns, punts and the like could make the journey to the top that much more difficult, or so Maragos argues. At this point, it is difficult to see the NFL taking Maragos’ position on this issue, especially considering all the complaints they keep fielding about player safety.