Three days ago, the NFL announced a range of new kickoff rules in an effort to keep players safe. For a play type that has come under considerable fire recently, it’s a fine effort that curtails the likelihood that players running full-speed in opposite directions can collide with each other on the open field.
Baltimore Ravens head coach John Harbaugh proposes going further, to put it lightly:
Of course the team with Justin Tucker, one of the best kickers in the league, is arguing for kicking points. (We won’t say anything of Joe Flacco in this space.) Harbaugh and Tucker have advocated for this proposal in the past, after a game in which Tucker kicked a ball 75 yards through the goalposts. So, you know, an objective proposal.
Look, whether a joke or not, let’s consider this idea on its merits. This may be Harbaugh’s version of the galaxy brain meme, but sometimes, galaxy brain leads to the best ideas. Never be afraid to think creatively!
It would certainly be neat to see this become a skill among kickers that adds value to the position, and there’s no doubt that it would also benefit player safety, although traditionalists may be less a fan of how the opportunity to score an extra point during kickoffs would change the math of the game, especially in late-game situations.
Anyway, all of this is a long-winded way of reasoning that the guy reaching for Tucker as his kicker in the ninth round of your fantasy draft may yet be justified.
