But he’s got a plan that may give him a reputation for rabble-rousing.
“I’ve got a way to speed up the game, I’ve got an idea,” he said. “Get rid of the kickoff.”
Yes, he’s is serious. Richt was talking about how glad he is that the clock rules of 2007 have been abandoned, but he quickly moved the conversation along to his new-age plan. Have every possession that would have started with a kickoff begin on the 24-yard line, Richt said.
His reasoning is sound. Today’s players are too big and too fast to be running into each other with unimpeded 20-yard head starts.
“When they first started kicking off, I don’t think the collisions were like they are now,” Richt said.
Several Georgia players, including Decory Bryant, Thomas Brown and Boss Bailey, have suffered serious injuries on kickoffs in recent years. Bryant suffered a broken neck that ended his football career. Richt began thinking about how dangerous kickoffs were six years ago when he came down from the press box to coach games on the sideline and realized how violent kickoff collisions were.