Professional Football Researchers Association Forum

More a pet peeve than a dumb idea but you have several players with 99 yrd receptions and Tony Dorsett and Derrick Henry with 99 yrd runs ... so why do other players have punt, kickoff, fumble, interception returns over 100 yards ? If a field is 100 yards long between endzones, shouldnt a play be no longer than 99 yards, regardless of situation ?

Brian wolf wrote:More a pet peeve than a dumb idea but you have several players with 99 yrd receptions and Tony Dorsett and Derrick Henry with 99 yrd runs ... so why do other players have punt, kickoff, fumble, interception returns over 100 yards ? If a field is 100 yards long between endzones, shouldnt a play be no longer than 99 yards, regardless of situation ?

I think it's pretty simple, really. A play from scrimmage can be no longer than 99 yards because the farthest starting point is the offensive team's 1-yard line. But if the ball is live in the end zone, as it is in the other cases you mention, obviously a return can cover more than 99 yards. I honestly don't understand why you have a problem with that.

Which brings up a question: Can a receiver theoretically have a YAC of more than 99 yards? Say the line of scrimmage is a team's own 1-yd line. A back takes a swing pass a couple yards deep in the EZ and goes all the way for a TD. Officially it's a 99-yd score but YAC would be 101 or 102, right? Or wrong?

Can't do that with a run, of course. IIRC Dorsett's run is unofficially considered the longest at 99 2/3 yards, since the 'Boys were lined up on the 1-foot line on that particular run.

RichardBak wrote:Which brings up a question: Can a receiver theoretically have a YAC of more than 99 yards? Say the line of scrimmage is a team's own 1-yd line. A back takes a swing pass a couple yards deep in the EZ and goes all the way for a TD. Officially it's a 99-yd score but YAC would be 101 or 102, right? Or wrong?

Can't do that with a run, of course. IIRC Dorsett's run is unofficially considered the longest at 99 2/3 yards, since the 'Boys were lined up on the 1-foot line on that particular run.

Interesting question. Is YAC even an official statistic? If not, I guess you can do it any way you want

For years, the NFL guide listed the shortest TD pass as 4 inches, from Isbell to Hutson. I always wondered about that because, from working with my dad in the press box, I knew it officially had to be a 1-yard pass.

Madden came up with the YAC yard stat I believe. Only he called it RAC yards at first -- running after the catch. The first I can remember that stat showing up was when he was talking about Jerry Rice.

As this season wears on, I am really getting on board with the 14-game season idea as the best. I've mostly known 16-game seasons and can only remember the 76 and 77 14-game seasons -- but 17 games seems too much. 18 is going to be way too much. Plus, 7 playoff teams now. I wouldn't be surprised if they ran it to 8 to even it out. We'll see a lot of 8-8 and probably a fair number of 7-9 teams (well, I guess I should say 9-9 and 8-10) in the playoffs. Get ready to study up on tie-breaker rules because there are going to be a LOT of mediocre teams in the playoff hunt late in the season and many will probably end up with identical records.

Of course, revenue is king, and the more games, the more dollars. But more games also equals more injuries.

I remain absolutely baffled that people would yearn for fewer games.

There's a football game that means something. Your team is playing.... bad?!?

I want to see the old highlights. Wish more old games were preserved. This is a football historians site. Soak it in, for God's sake. Utter bafflement on this issue.

More games doesnt mean better games and 16 should be the limit. Players already cant stay in the lineups due to injuries and thurs night games are ridiculous. Of course, more games means more mediocre teams in the postseason. It was cool seeing a 9-7 Giants team go all the way by getting hot but that should only happen once in awhile. Las Vegas of course, loves high seed upsets.

Doesn't matter how many games the Lions play---their seasons always seem to last forever.

But I share the sentiment that there's too many teams in the postseason. The NFL is on the cusp of becoming the NHL (or even MLB with that stupid one-game PO). What good is the regular season if mediocrity is rewarded and an 8-9 team conceivably can get hot and/or lucky, win 4 in a row in Jan/Feb and wind up champs?

I feel the same about college bowl games, of which there are now 48 or 49? I just shake my head every time I hear some college kid or coach on a 5-6 team getting all amped over the idea that "If we win today, we'll be 6-6 and bowl worthy." Oh boy!

But $$$$, not sustained excellence, rules. A few more years of greed and the World Series will end in late November and the Super Bowl will be played in March. And every regional pizza chain and garden supply company will be sponsoring a bowl game (actually they already are). I'll probably live to see the College FB playoffs grow from 4 to 8 to 16 teams. It's the American way------more, baby, more.

The "extra games" to date are simply replacing preseason games. Are people here pining away for the days of six preseason games? Players got hurt and even killed in preseason too. Or Jack Kemp going out for the year in a intersquad scrimmage. Contact is much more limited now in anything that isn't a meaningful game. Rather have the players get paid for a game that actually matters than get paid $50 a game for ones that don't so some owner can force another "home game" onto the season ticket buyers.

The owners have always been wrong and greedy trying to force 20 games and six preseason games on the fans. Simply stop doing it. Have just two or three preseason games and stick with 16 regular season games and the 12 postseason team limit but it just wont happen. Preseason games have always been a joke except for hustling fringe players trying to make a team.

If the NFL ever gets to 16 team postseasons, they may eliminate winning divisions and do like the NBA with seeding strictly based on records ...