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Four-Down Football

(550 words / August 2012) Mark Starr, a Newsweek sports columnist, complained that, a onceenthralling [NFL] game has become a bore. Here were his specific indictments:
Injuries: The NFL doesnt have enough starsat least stars left standing. Defenses: Theyre too good and too dull at the same time. All come from the same computer: they bend but dont break, making the short, dump-off pass the staple of every offense and kickers the most feared scoring weapon. If you expect touchdowns, youre watching the wrong game. The kicking game: The prospect of kickers dominating the game is not appealing. [They] have made field goals virtually automatic and, to boot, ruined the most exciting play in football, the kickoff return. [Because kickoffs now regularly reach the end zone.] The college game: Boston College 41, Notre Dame 39. Thats a touchdown more than was scored the same weekend in four NFL thrillers combined. BC-Notre Dame featured 50 first downs, 900 yards total offense, a faked punt, a successful onside kick early in the game, and a running-back-toquarterback pass for a 2-point conversion. The NFL had better wake up. Mark Starr, Fumbling Away the Game, Newsweek, Dec. 13, 1993, p. 81

Roger Knights

A few months later the NFL made a few rule changes, but they were insufficient, IMO. OTOH, the change I propose below would raise not only the games quantityits scoresbut its quality as well: After a failure-to-convert on fourth down, the team taking possession would be bumped back 10 or 15 yards from the line of scrimmage. Thus, losing possession on fourth down would no longer be potentially catastrophic. This lessened risk would shift going for it on 4th down out of the rare, desperation-play category, delighting most players, announcers, and fans, who like to see such attempts. The major result would be a higher ratio of touchdowns-to-field-goals and an increase in scoring. Thats because fewer scoring drives would be interrupted by punts and field goal attempts. And if possession were lost on 4th down, the other team would start its drive significantly closer to the goal line than after a punt, increasing its scoring. A minor effect would be fewer injuries due to the violent collisions that occur during punt returns (of which thered be fewer). An extra wrinkle would be to decrease the length of the bump-back as a team advances downfield. For instance, it might be 25 yards if the team is on its own 20-yard line, 20 yards at midfield, and only 10 yards if at the opponents 20-yard line. The rationale would be to reduce the downside of a 4th-down turnover when inside ones own territory, and

increase the downside when inside the oppositions territory. Another wrinkle would be to make comebacks easier, to retain fan interest. Accordingly, the bump-back could be greater in desperation situations, as determined by a formula that took into account the distance from the goal line, the time remaining, and the score. If the NFL doesnt see the need for a more interesting game, the Canadian league, or another minor league, might. If the XFL had implemented this change, rather than the minor spice-ups it did, it might be with us today. Football has only three true downs todaydowns that are offensive, I mean. It needs four.

Short Version of Four Down Football


Roger Knights / 206-932-5446 / 187 Words After a team fails to convert on fourth down, the team taking possession should be bumped back 10 or more yards from the line of scrimmage. This would make losing possession on fourth down no longer potentially catastrophic. This would mean that teams would more often go for it on 4th down, delighting most players and fans. The major result would be a higher ratio of touchdowns-to-field-goals and an increase in scoring. Thats because fewer scoring drives would be interrupted by punts and field goal attempts. And if possession were lost on 4th down, the team taking possession would start its drive significantly closer to the goal line than after a punt, increasing its scoring. An extra tweak would be to decrease the length of the bump-back as a team advances downfield, from, say 20 to 10 yards. This would reduce the catastrophic downside of a 4th-down turnover when deep inside ones own territory. Another benefit would be a reduction in injuries due to the violent collisions that occur during punt returns (of which thered be fewer). Perhaps Canadian football might be an early adopter.

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