New kick off rule

[Knightstalker]

Voorhees high school in Hunterdon County NJ ran the single wing a few years ago because they had four or five big full back type runners and a couple of fast kids, one who ended single wing version of the qb.  They gave some teams night mares, I believe they went to the wishbone after they got an actual qb on the team.  To bad they couldn't play defense to go with an offence that would take most of a quarter to score.

[K-Mack]

Voorhees high school in Hunterdon County NJ ran the single wing a few years ago

That's weird that Voorhees high is in Hunterdon, N.J.; I played against Eastern from Voorhees, N.J., which isn't close to Central Jersey at all.

Anyway, I know there's a site dedicated to the Wing-T (bucksweep.org) or something. I wonder if they have some Single Wing love on there, or if there's a single wing site.

I'm just a smidge short of the football nerdiness required to go look.

[Ralph Turner]

This is the 2007 solution to the Division I-A game-length issue.

I am for anything which will lessen the number of times I have to be tortured while hearing the incredibly annoying Tribute To Troy played repeatedly during USC games.

OxyBob

The only thing torturing me is the pulchritude of the "USC Song Girls"!

[Knightstalker]

Voorhees high school in Hunterdon County NJ ran the single wing a few years ago

That's weird that Voorhees high is in Hunterdon, N.J.; I played against Eastern from Voorhees, N.J., which isn't close to Central Jersey at all.

Anyway, I know there's a site dedicated to the Wing-T (bucksweep.org) or something. I wonder if they have some Single Wing love on there, or if there's a single wing site.

I'm just a smidge short of the football nerdiness required to go look.

Voorhees high school in Hunterdon County is in the town of High Bridge and is part of the North Hunterdon school district They are maybe a mile or two from the Warren County Border, Still North Jersey to me.  There is also a Voorhees in south Jersey.

[Ralph Turner]

This is the 2007 solution to the Division I-A game-length issue.

I am for anything which will lessen the number of times I have to be tortured while hearing the incredibly annoying Tribute To Troy played repeatedly during USC games.

OxyBob

The only thing torturing me is the pulchritude of the "USC Song Girls"!

Pulchritude? Isn't it just a whole lot easier to say "Nice rack"?



OxyBob

"Nice rack" is D1 Football Bowl Subdivision;  "Pulchritude" is representative of a fine Division III education. 

[INQBScout]

Exactly. I think those sorority gals at DePauw lacked the "Pulchritude" necessary to remain at such an institution....

[kickerdad]

Funny how the college kids can kick into the endzone at will and the pros have trouble.... I know the pro's kick a new boxed ball for kick offs ,but I believe the college kids had to kick different balls for kick offs too until last year or the year before??? I guess the famed helium balls that Houston used for Erxlaban had sopmething to do with that???

No reason why D3 Kickers can't get it inside the 10 or in the endzone for that matter. The problem is the special team coaches don't make the kickers work on kickoffs as much as they should and the conditioning coaches don't force the kickers to concerntrate on their legs as much as they should. My son tells me that he does squats and lunges but no leg extensions, leg presses or calf raises. Maybe things have changed in the past 30+ years but when I came along (kicked straight on) your leg needed to be hard as the concrete. Plus you needed that whipping motion (leg speed). If I didn't get it to the goal line or in the end zone, I got a butt chewing when I got back to the side line.

Speaking of "Hunters" yea, some teams have one guy designated to take out the kicker. My son found that out the hard way last year. He had to have his Family Jewels extracted from his stomach. So yeah they better be smart as well as strong.

[PA_wesleyfan]

 My son had a ACL ,was being blocked 30 yrds away from the play and was pancaked by another player. It is still a topic that lets say was as cheap a play as there is.... The player who did the hitting came from the side line more on a sneak attack with three minutes left in the game. Same team ran the same play the following year but he was ready for it..

[Warren Thompson]

You want to shorten the game, lets go back to no substitutions except for injury and run the single wing.   Of course Warren and Frank Ubile would have to come out of retirement to coach it. 

Actually, in Virginia, a high-school team running the single-wing (Osbourn) won the state title in the biggest classification this year. The best part is the coach who installed it took over after the team had lost 32 in a row, and won a state title in four years I think.

Crosstown rival Osbourn Park and some other successful Va. teams (Oakton maybe) have employed elements of the single-wing. Osbourn's was a true single wing when I saw it though, snapping to different guys every play and having a main ballcarrier but no true QB.

Anyway, I know you were kidding, but it actually makes some sense as far as showing defenses something they've never seen. With everyone running some form of the spread these days, you actually have an opportunity to completely baffle a defense by running something proven to work, although years ago

Do a Google and you'll find any number of sites devoted to the single-wing. As K-Mack points out, there are high schools in Virginia using it. There's also an interesting offense called the "Wildcat Formation," also used by a Virginia school. (And I lift my glass to the Pittsburgh Steelers, the very last NFL team to feature the single-wing.)

Knightstalker: where do I sign up? 

[kickerdad]

Rumor has it that if the NCAA decided to move the kick off back to the 30 that they would recind the rule last year on shortening the tee to 1 inch and allow them to go back to 2 inches. . . .  Does anyone know the truth to all this... Will the tee remain at 1 inch or go back to 2?

[Highlander]

Kickerdad,
I have not heard anything about the NCAA bringing back the two inch tee. I have some very strong feelings about the whole situation. I do not agree with the rationale to move the tee to one inch one year and the next move the spot back to the thirty yard line. This will certainly separate those kickers who have strong legs from those who are accurate and consistant. At this level I would much rather have a kicker who can hit 90% of their FG's from 40 and in, and be able to place their K/O inside the ten yard line with good height.

[kickerdad]

Highlander, I agree. Seems like the rules committee want to make changes but they don't pay attention  or understand the down stream effects of the change. (Or they don't want to understand). I can't believe I am sitting here putting those guys down, however this one hits home and I feel for all the kickers out there D1, DII and DIII because there aren't many guys that can put the ball in the air 70 yards with the required height in order to allow the coverage team a chance to get down field. I see where this will cause a lot of good kickers to give up on kick off's and turn to FG's and PAT's only. Kickers use to pride themselves on getting the ball in the end zone or out and creating a TB. Now they will have to listen to all the Monday Morning QB's complain about the short kick off's that gave the other team good field position. They will go to look at their stats and see terrible net yards on kick off's It will deflate them early.

If any kicking coach is reading this I strongly advise you to start gettng your kickers prepared for this now and make them get in the weight room and work extra time on the kick off's. You know you will have to get in their heads and get them programmed for this. IF they care about their position they should be already working at home on their kicks. You need to drop them an email or get on the phone to them and tell them the good news.

[Pat Coleman]

A Division III head coach is now head of the rules committee. (Was not when the original timing rules changes went into place before the 2006 season.) I feel confident that the non-televised football opinion is being heard.

[K-Mack]

Kickerdad,
I have not heard anything about the NCAA bringing back the two inch tee. I have some very strong feelings about the whole situation. I do not agree with the rationale to move the tee to one inch one year and the next move the spot back to the thirty yard line. This will certainly separate those kickers who have strong legs from those who are accurate and consistant. At this level I would much rather have a kicker who can hit 90% of their FG's from 40 and in, and be able to place their K/O inside the ten yard line with good height.

Would this also increase the need to have two guys, an accurate field goal guy and a strong-legged kickoff specialist? Maybe during regular-season home games that's not an issue, but on limited travel rosters or playoff rosters, that can be a pain.

KickerDad, with regard to the 70 yards needed to reach the end zone and possible changes in kicking style necessary for some to keep their jobs ... do you think there are kickers out there who can go the full 70 if they flatten the trajectory on the kicks, but won't because those will end up being direct line drives to return men? Will the net effect be either shorter, higher kickoffs, or more directional kicks, perhaps even to up-backs, to limit field position?

While I feel your pain, personally, as a fan of the game, I like to see more kickoffs returned. While the touchback is a exhibition of one player's skill (the kicker) and an important field position strategy device, a returned kick is a much more active, exciting play to watch. I'm sure all the part-time special teamers out there will enjoy the increased activity, if the net effect is significant.

My son had a ACL

I have two! (I think)

[kickerdad]

Kickerdad,
I have not heard anything about the NCAA bringing back the two inch tee. I have some very strong feelings about the whole situation. I do not agree with the rationale to move the tee to one inch one year and the next move the spot back to the thirty yard line. This will certainly separate those kickers who have strong legs from those who are accurate and consistant. At this level I would much rather have a kicker who can hit 90% of their FG's from 40 and in, and be able to place their K/O inside the ten yard line with good height.

Would this also increase the need to have two guys, an accurate field goal guy and a strong-legged kickoff specialist? Maybe during regular-season home games that's not an issue, but on limited travel rosters or playoff rosters, that can be a pain.

KickerDad, with regard to the 70 yards needed to reach the end zone and possible changes in kicking style necessary for some to keep their jobs ... do you think there are kickers out there who can go the full 70 if they flatten the trajectory on the kicks, but won't because those will end up being direct line drives to return men? Will the net effect be either shorter, higher kickoffs, or more directional kicks, perhaps even to up-backs, to limit field position?

While I feel your pain, personally, as a fan of the game, I like to see more kickoffs returned. While the touchback is a exhibition of one player's skill (the kicker) and an important field position strategy device, a returned kick is a much more active, exciting play to watch. I'm sure all the part-time special teamers out there will enjoy the increased activity, if the net effect is significant.

My son had a ACL

I have two! (I think)

K-Mack,

My own personal preference if I was a coach, (and to set the record straight, I AM NOT) would be to kick it with great height to somewhere between the 5 and 8 yd line, and depending on the scouting report of the return men place it between hash and sideline. Giving your coverage team opportunity to get down and under it. However this will now require a stronger leg than most kickers have now and with a short tee it means as a coach, you have to come up with the correct strategy for the team you are up against. I forsee more of the high kicks to the outside up men in hopes of them calling for the fair catch somewhere around the 25 or 30. I also see some coachs going for the squib kicks to the slower up men in hopes that they will fall on it to cover and maybe even bobble. On-side kicks will become less of a worry unless you are down and time is almost out.  Direct line drives will give the runner time to generate a full head of steam and be risky business. Coverage team won't have a chance to get down field and break down for a stop. They will be chasing him like a hound after a rabbit. You lane defense will be gone before they pass the 50 yard line. That's my 2 cents worth.

As far as ACL's I had two along with a bunch of cartilage but after 6 knee operations between both knees, I now have two fake ACL's and zero Cartilage. Just bone on bone. But god I still love this game.