End to Kickoffs in the NFL?

While in many ways football is too barbaric and needs to be done with, I find myself among those that are screaming back at the gladiator "No, I'm not yet entertained. Now do a flip."

While I do continuously ponder this hypocrisy of mine and of the country's, the NFL seeks to change the game again in the name of safety. A couple of years ago, they changed the kickoff line from the 30 to the 35 to make it so that there were a lot more touch backs. Now the league is considering getting rid of kickoffs altogether. Apparently they are not happy with barely any of the remaining kickoffs actually returned.

The proposal calls for the ball to be put on the 30 and for it to be 4th and 15 for the team that just scored or that is starting off a half. The team would have the option of punting the ball or simply going for it on 4th down to replace the onside kick.

Let's cut the PR for a second and just admit that football is a dangerous sport. It's in the same category as boxing in that the players suffer a lot both physically and mentally in their post football lives. Maybe the pain isn't as bad as boxing but it's obviously still there.

That being said, this proposal doesn't change a thing about the brutality of the sport. You are still knocking heads together (mostly with players who don't get the ratings) and there will still be devastating injuries. All this change does is just take away from the game's entertainment as a kickoff returned for a TD is the most exciting thing to watch.

While I sort out my hypocrisy and further my interest into "actual football," I don't think this is a good thing for the sport as it would make the game less exciting.

P.S. Pick up the slack, Chelsea. We need a win against Sunderland damn it.