NFL: Concussions down on kickoffs...
Moving kickoffs up 5 yards last season did exactly what the NFL sought, reducing concussions.
"The kickoff rule had an effect on the game," said Rich McKay, chairman of the league's competition committee. "There was a 40-percent reduction in concussions on that play."
The league repeatedly has said the change to kicking off from the 35-yard line was done solely for player safety. McKay said Monday at the owners meetings it served that purpose. But he admitted surprise that total kickoff returns dropped 53 percent.
For all plays, concussions were down 12.5 percent, from 218 in 321 games in 2010 to 190 in 320 games last season. There was no Hall of Fame game last year because of the lockout.
http://espn.go.com/nfl/story/_/id/7740025/rich-mckay-says-nfl-kickoff-tweak-reduced-concussions
Proves things can be done to improve player safety without turning the NFL into a glorified version of the Arena League..