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Rule changes aimed at improving safety LUCAS AT LARGE MIKE LUCAS • UWBADGERS.COM B ill Carollo, the Big Ten co- ordinator of football offi- cials, has a pretty good idea on when the momentum swung among head coaches to reduce the risk of injuries on kickoffs. Two years ago, Rutgers defen- sive tackle Eric LeGrand was para- lyzed from the neck down after suffering a spinal cord injury while attempting to make a tackle on a kickoff against Army. "They all had been talking casu- ally about making changes at rules meetings,'' Carollo said. "But that injury really struck a chord with a lot of the coaches.'' Wisconsin coach Bret Bielema didn't need any convincing; es- pecially since he has always been among the leading proponents for making the game safer for its athletes. That's part of his pledge to the parents of a prospect. "There are two things that I can guarantee your son,'' Bielema will advise them. "I can't promise him playing time and I can't promise him a degree. I'll do everything I can to help him get both. "The one thing I can guarantee you is that I will personally look out for the personal well-being of your son as much as I can and as much is physically possible. "It's something I hold pretty true — near and dear to my heart.'' True to his word, Bielema pushed for changes while serv- ing on the rules committee. "And we were able to implement a few rules this year,'' he said, "that were 10 » VARSITY AUGUST 30, 2012 strictly for the safety of our play- ers.'' Kickoffs will be from the 35- yard line — instead of the 30 — and the coverage team must stay within five yards of the ball, negat- ing a running start. Also, touch- backs will be brought out to the 25, not the 20. Last year, the NFL moved its kickoff from the 30 to the 35. Touchbacks increased by 45 per- cent. "When you're talk- ing about the health and well-being of an 18- to 22-year-old young man who has his whole life in front of him, there's nothing more important.'' "We're not trying to eliminate the kickoff,'' Carollo insisted. "But the kickoff game has been a very dangerous play for college and pro players and we're trying to mini- mize some of the injuries.'' There may be more strategy than ever. Do you attempt a sky or squib kick with the intent of pin- ning the return team inside the 25? Or, do you try to knock it out of the end zone for the touchback? Five yards of field position might not sound like much – un- less you're a defensive coordinator. Onside and/or squib kicks could be more problematic, too, because members of the cover unit won't be able to make contact with the potential returner until the second bounce. Ponder that. "Coaches are going to have to figure out how to do an onside kick differently,'' Carollo said. "I think you'll also see a little different strategy on kickoffs; maybe pooch kicks to dead areas on the field.'' Another rule change involves head gear. If a player's helmet comes off, he must leave the game for one play unless the opponent was responsible for a foul resulting in the loss of the helmet. If you continue to play without your helmet, it's a 15-yard penalty. "The whole premise behind that,'' Bielema said, "was to make our players buckle up and make those helmets more secure. It's more safety-driven than anything.'' Bielema has instructed his play- ers, "Hey, if the helmet feels like it's coming off, grab a hold of that sucker and pull it down because the rule doesn't come into effect until it's totally off your head.'' All in all, Bielema was proud of the steps taken by the rules com- mittee. "It speaks volumes,'' he said. "I know a lot of coaches had different opinions and maybe it was a little bit drastic.'' Drastic? Not if it prevents a serious injury or a reoccurrence of what happened to Eric LeGrand. "When you're talking about the health and well-being of an 18- to 22-year-old young man who has his whole life in front of him,'' Bielema said, "there's nothing more important.''