Banning leaps on kick attempts is right move for NFL players' safety
A horrific injury … just waiting to happen.
That’s the bottom-line scenario that has moved Carolina Panthers coach Ron Rivera to enlist in the camp seeking to outlaw the athletic, but sometimes dangerous tactic of leaping across the line of scrimmage in a single bound for a creative rush to attempt to block a kick.
“We talk about it all the time: player safety, player safety, player safety,” Rivera told USA TODAY Sports. “Well, now we have a chance to eliminate a dangerous play from the game.”
The NFL’s competition committee will propose banning a tactic that once again caused quite a stir when Seattle Seahawks linebacker Bobby Wagner leaped over the line twice against the Arizona Cardinals to make a difference in a 6-6 tie in October. Wagner blocked Chandler Catanzaro’s 39-yard, second-quarter field goal attempt, then later influenced a 24-yard miss in overtime.
At the time, Cardinals coach Bruce Arians was livid, in part because Wagner made contact with the Arizona long snapper, which is allowed by rule if the leaping player doesn’t land on an offensive player. Rivera can relate to the consternation, given that Seahawks safety Kam Chancellor leaped over the line on back-to-back field goal attempts during an NFC playoff game in January 2016.
Owners are expected to vote on the rule proposal when they gather in Phoenix next week for the league's annual meeting.
Rivera, a member of the coaches' subcommittee for competition efforts, realizes that there have not been any signature serious injuries sustained with the tactic.
“Not yet,” he warned. “That’s why this is such an important preventative measure that we can take.”
He’s right. Time to err on the side of caution. Never mind that the daredevil stunts occasionally added a “Flying Wallendas” twist on kicking attempts. The risk isn’t worth it.
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Rivera said the Panthers coach their blockers on kicking attempts, and particularly the long snapper, to simply raise up if they spot a leaper. That counteraction, though, fuels worry.
“Guys can get their feet taken out while they are in the air,” Rivera said. “That causes them to lose control and maybe land awkwardly. You would hate to see a player land on his head and sustain some type of serious head or neck injury. That would be the worst-case scenario.”
Momentum appears to be gaining steam for a rule change. NFL Players Association president Eric Winston said during the recent NFL scouting combine, during which the NFLPA had its annual meeting with the competition committee, that the union endorses a rule to scrap the tactic.
A ban would be consistent with other safety-related measures in recent years. Since 2005, the league has instituted no less than three dozen rules that were driven by safety concerns, including notable changes that abolished all chop blocks, banned horse collar tackles and better protected defenseless players. Now comes scrutiny for leaping, even though it could potentially occur on a handful of plays during any given game.
“We have a chance to do something to prevent something bad from happening,” reiterated Rivera, who played linebacker for the Chicago Bears from 1984 through 1992. “The game has changed so much since I played. Players are faster, bigger, stronger now. And there’s more awareness, when it comes to certain types of injures, particularly head injuries.”
The NFL sought to make the PAT a more exciting play, but they surely need to draw the line on the leaps for the right reasons. No thrill is worth an increased chance of a freak accident that could end a career.
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Follow Jarrett Bell on Twitter @JarrettBell
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