Notebook: No more kickoffs? Slocum ponders change

One way or another, the kickoff might not be in the NFL much longer.

Time magazine on Thursday had a story on NFL commissioner Roger Goodell that included his mention of the league considering eliminating the kickoff for player-safety reasons. The alternative Goodell floated is giving the ball to the kickoff team at its 30-yard line facing a fourth-and-15. The team can try to convert the first down, punt the ball or run a fake punt.

The idea is to eliminate the high-speed collisions of a kickoff but still give the kicking team a chance to get the ball back, as it has under current rules with an onside ...