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Happy Tournament Day, everyone.
Oh yeah, and St. Patty's Day as well. Two great events combined into one today.
We know how Tom Zbikowski is spending his time during the NFL lockout, and with the football world put on hold for the time being, Chad Ochocinco has talked about wanting to join Zbikowski in the boxing ring for a charity match.
But first, Ochocinco is going to try his hand at yet another sport.
The Bengals wide receiver will be spending the better part of next week taking part in a tryout with Sporting Kansas City, a Major League Soccer team.
Football, boxing, soccer - Ocho just can't make up his mind about what sport he wants to play, can he?
Meanwhile, there were some interesting pieces of news that came out of a conference call yesterday with competition committee chairman Rich McKay.
McKay said that the committee - which is responsible for making all rule changes in the NFL - will vote on two big proposals, one of which could seriously change how kickoffs are handled, especially here in Baltimore.
That proposal involves moving kickoffs from the 30- to the 35-yard line, and going hand-in-hand with that rule change, touchbacks would result in the ball being placed at the 25, not the 20-yard line. In addition, the returning team would no longer be allowed to use a wedge of any kind, even the two-man wedge which was permitted last year. The idea of the proposal is to increase player safety.
This could take away a major advantage that the Ravens had last year, when Billy Cundiff was booting kickoffs at a 50 percent clip. Cundiff's 40 touchbacks tied an NFL single-season record, and often forced opposing offenses to work a long field multiple times a game.
The new rule - if approved - would make touchbacks easier to record. Kicking off from the 35, the bulk of NFL kickers should be able to reach the end zone on kicks in decent weather, eliminating Cundiff's edge over his kicking competition.
In addition, if the proposal passes, touchbacks would be less valuable to the kicking team. If the receiving team starts at the 25, Cundiff's elite leg strength would be less of a benefit, and the Ravens might decide that they would like Cundiff to adjust the trajectory on his kickoffs, aiming to have a higher kick which lands just short of the goal line and forces a return.
Either way, the edge that the Ravens had on kickoffs last year would likely decrease.
At the same time, the Ravens had the worst kickoff coverage in the league last year, allowing 26 yards per return.
When you consider that statistic, you realize that the Baltimore coaching staff might be OK with more Cundiff touchbacks and the opposing team getting the ball at the 25-yard line, after all.
