The NFL finally got its first kickoff return for a touchdown in 2016, the latest point in a season it has happened in 37 years. That distinction coincides with a new NFL rule that has encouraged teams to use high, short kickoffs that can be covered more effectively.According to the Elias Sports Bureau, the last time the first touchdown off a kickoff return happened in Week 6 or later was in 1979. Sunday, the Philadelphia Eagles Wendell Smallwood broke the ice by taking back a Washington Redskins kickoff 86 yards at FedEx Field.Smallwoods return was the shortest kickoff return for a touchdown since 2013, according to Elias.Smallwood caught Sundays kickoff at the 14-yard line, in part because the Redskins had been assessed a 15-yard penalty after tight end Vernon Davis took a jump shot with the ball after scoring a touchdown. After the penalty, the Redskins kicked from the 20-yard line instead of the 35.?Washingtons first three kickoffs all were touchbacks.Davis, who was celebrating his first touchdown catch of the season, took a jump shot with the ball, shooting it over the goal post to draw the penalty. Officials penalized Davis for excessive celebration, using the ball as a prop.The Redskins won Sundays game, 27-20.NFL strategy has been upended this season by a one-year experiment that the NFL hoped would reduce the total number of kickoff returns and improve player safety. The rule calls for touchbacks this season to be marked at the 25-yard line instead of the 20. But instead of incentivizing returners to take a touchback more frequently, it has instead led to a swell of shorter kicks that teams hope will force returns and ultimately pin returners well inside the 25-yard line.Through Week 5, NFL teams were kicking into the end zone 79 percent of the time, down from nearly 92 percent last season. Returns were up about seven percent over last year as well, confirming the experiment has produced the opposite of the desired effect.ESPNs John Keim contributed to this report.Mariners Jerseys 2020 . Jay Feely kicked a 41-yard field goal in overtime, and the Cardinals edged the Tennessee Titans 37-34 in overtime after blowing a 17-point lead late in the fourth quarter. Mariners Jerseys 2019 . Parker had 26 points and eight assists and San Antonio beat Toronto 112-99 Monday night. "We won that game because of Tony Parkers aggressiveness," Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said. "His juice; his aggression all night long. https://www.cheapmariners.com/ .Y. - Detroit goaltender Jonas Gustavsson has earned NHL first star of the week honours after winning in his first three appearances of the season. Seattle Mariners Pro Shop . -- Arizona knocked off some quality opponents, rolled over a few overmatched ones and grinded out victories even when things didnt go so well. Wholesale Mariners Jerseys . Brett Kulak and Jackson Houck of the Vancouver Giants were each charged with assault causing bodily harm on Aug. 18, according to the B.C. court services.Public reaction to three Nebraska players kneeling in protest during the national anthem was divided, based on emails sent to a pair of top school officials. The emails were first obtained by SB Nation and were reported Wednesday by the Omaha World-Herald.The majority of some 150 emails to Hank Bounds, president of the University of Nebraska system, supported the players right to protest. But most of the 50 or so messages sent to Nebraska chancellor Ronnie Green cast the actions in a negative light.Cornhuskers players Michael Rose-Ivey, Mohamed Barry and DaiShon Neal kneeled during the national anthem before the Sept. 24 game at Northwestern. Several other players throughout college football have performed similar protests during the anthem this season.Nebraska regent and former Omaha mayor Hal Daub was one of the loudest critics of the protest. Daub emailed Bounds shortly after the game and asked for the players names and their scholarship status.This could have legs in this conservative state, Daub wrote in his email to Bounds. Daub later wrote: I will have more to say about this in the future if this fringe conduct continues to be condoned. Hank, small occurrences can get out of control. I am deeply concerned. And I am embarrassed.Bounds has said he completely opposes punishing the players or limiting their ability tto express their opinions.dddddddddddd Nebraska football coach Mike Riley has also said he will stand by the players and their right to protest.Some Nebraska fans, including Lincoln lawyer Earl Scudder, supported the players.Bravo! he wrote to Green. Im not certain whether my law school classmate, Hal Daub, passed Constitutional Law, but, if he did, hes forgotten what he learned.But others, like Bill and Evonne Williams, saw it differently. They forwarded an email from a woman whose husband died while serving in Afghanistan.Easy for some to wave the freedom of speech flag the Williamses wrote, but the pain caused Gold Star family members by their actions needs to be considered as well.After the protest, Rose-Ivey said he had gotten an enormous amount of racially charged hate messages, something, he said, the players didnt expect. He said some of the messages used the n word and some said we deserved to be lynched or shot.Even Pete Ricketts, the governor of Nebraska weighed in, calling the protest disgraceful and disrespectful. That prompted Rose-Ivey tweet at Ricketts, asking for the chance to sit down and discuss the issue. Ricketts responded, saying we will get something set up right away! ' ' '
