The Buffalo Bills coaching staff has been second guessed by a lot of people for not squibbing the kickoff with a 3 point lead and 13 seconds left on the clock. While I can't disagree with the second guessing, I do think the timing for kickoffs should be different.
Currently on kickoffs the clock doesn't start running until the ball is touched legally in play. This timing rule came into play in 2002. Prior to that, the clock started immediately when the ball was kicked. Personally, I think we should go back to the earlier rule. I've tried to figure out why the rule was changed in 2002, but have not been able to figure it out.
Since hang time on punts and kickoffs are both around 4 seconds, I think the rule should be consistent. If a team calls a timeout before punting, the clock starts when the ball is snapped. Along the same lines, the clock should start when the ball is kicked. Who is to say that clock operators can really tell when an onside kick is legally touched? Conversely, it is very easy to see when a ball is kicked and when the play is dead.
Had the old timing rules been in affect during yesterday's Bills game, the results may have been different and the coaches wouldn't be questioned.
Since hang time on punts and kickoffs are both around 4 seconds, I think the rule should be consistent. If a team calls a timeout before punting, the clock starts when the ball is snapped. Along the same lines, the clock should start when the ball is kicked. Who is to say that clock operators can really tell when an onside kick is legally touched? Conversely, it is very easy to see when a ball is kicked and when the play is dead.
Had the old timing rules been in affect during yesterday's Bills game, the results may have been different and the coaches wouldn't be questioned.
RSS Feed
