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03 Feb 2010
The Wedge's Ban On Kick Returns, Part II
Our friend Jonathan Adler at the Harvard Sports Analysis Collective breaks down the impact of a full season without the wedge on kick return distance.
6 comments, Last at 04 Feb 2010, 3:41pm by Phil Osopher
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Comments
Re: The Wedge's Ban On Kick Returns, Part II
Wow, a typo in the first sentence.
(effected/affected)
Those Harvard guys....
Re: The Wedge's Ban On Kick Returns, Part II
Good point. It's fixed.
"You see, you're in for a lifetime of "And you went to Harvard?" Accidentally give the wrong amount of change in a transaction and it's "And you went to Harvard?" Ask the guy at the hardware store how these jumper cables work and hear, "And you went to Harvard?" Forget just once that your underwear goes inside your pants and it's "and you went to Harvard." Get your head stuck in your niece's dollhouse because you wanted to see what it was like to be a giant and it's "Uncle Conan, you went to Harvard!?'" ~Conan
Re: The Wedge's Ban On Kick Returns, Part II
Classic
Re: The Wedge's Ban On Kick Returns, Part II
My interpretation of this is that the wedge return, the dominant kickoff return strategy at almost every level of football, did not offer much of an advantage. The NFL teams that I saw this year really only revised their return strategies to employ two-man wedge returns that the return teams largely ignored (limited sample size). I wonder if there is a coach out there who may come up with a new strategy for returns - attacking gunners earlier, walls or cross-blocking to create seams.
Re: The Wedge's Ban On Kick Returns, Part II
I think what is being missed here is that wedges got formed all the time and were almost never called. This rule change was a joke. Early in preseason teams went with two pairs of blockers spread wide apart, then in ensuing games inched them closer and closer together to see what they could get away with. During the regular season 3 and 4 man wedges were being formed all the time - and clearly with intent.
Re: The Wedge's Ban On Kick Returns, Part II
Yeah, my impression was that the "ban" was in name only.
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