NFL to Eliminate the Kickoff?

I have heard this rumor of discussions being had about the NFL eliminating the kickoff from the game.  I highly doubt it will come to that, except if it’s a trade-off for something else the league wants….like an 18 game schedule.

The NFL and NFLPA came to agreement last year on a new CBA, but it left a lot of things up for future consideration, which means a constant state of high level negotiations will exist, including leaking positions to get a reaction from the other side.  This dance will continue for a while.

The idea of completely doing away with the kickoff is one that bothers most purists, and should bother a union that is supposed to protect the jobs of their players.  Moving the kickoff to the 35 last year increased the number of touchbacks form 16% to around 45%, so it served it’s purpose.  Continuing to find ways to tweak the system and the rules to make the game safer is fine with most people, but a complete change of procedure and removing the possibility of an exciting play is a bad idea.