SmashMouth

The NFL is planning further changes to the kickoff, hoping to reduce the number of high-speed collisions that happen on the play.

A proposed new rule that owners will vote on next week will make several changes to the kickoff. The key takeaways are:

1. The kicking team must line up within one yard of the line where the ball is kicked (typically the 35-yard line), and must have five players on each side of the kicker. That changes the rule that allowed players to line up five yards behind the spot where the ball is kicked to get a running start. Now the kicker will be able to get a running start, but everyone else will get one step at best.

2. At least eight of the 11 players on the receiving team must line up within 15 yards of their restraining line, which would typically mean between the kicking team’s 45-yard line and the receiving team’s 40-yard line.

3. At least two players on the kickoff team must be lined up outside the numbers, and two players between the numbers and the hashmark.

4. Until the ball is touched or hits the ground, players on the receiving team can’t cross the restraining line (typically the 45), or initiate a block within 15 yards of the line where the ball is kicked.

5. Wedge blocks will be eliminated. Past rule changes have limited wedge blocks to two players, but now even the two-man wedge will be banned.

6. The ball will be dead if it touches the ground in the end zone. In the past the returner could pick up the ball off the ground in the end zone and run it out, but now it would be a touchback immediately if it touches the ground in the end zone.

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foreverfan

If we return a lot more kicks for TDs, our division rivals don't return any for TDs, we stay healthy and have no turn overs, I'm for the rules changes.

Beastmode

What a train wreck. The penalties would pile up. It's watered down enough.

neugey

At this rate, just eliminate the kickoff and do a basketball tipoff of the football at the 50 yard-line. Whoever recovers the ball gets to elect if they wish to start on offense or defense and then the ball is placed at the respective 20-yard line. Crazy idea, but it would be probably be better than jacking with these kickoff rules.

AsylumGuido

Pat Kirwin and Jim Miller have been proposing their own kickoff rule change on NFL Radio's Moving the Chains show for the past few months since talk of even eliminating the kickoff has percolated. They propose replacing the kickoff with a punt. Far fewer impactful collisions take place on a punt. And instead of an onside kick the team could run a fake punt and could retain the ball if advancing it a designated ten or fifteen yards. The percentage chance of its success would probably be around the same with basically the same downside of a failed onside kick.

I see this as a far better solution than simply giving the ball to the other team without any interactive play.

Understand, of course, Kirwin and Miller (and myself) would rather not see the kickoff disappear at all.

“The pessimist sees difficulty in every opportunity. The optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty.” — Winston Churchill

jeanpierre

How many players now won't have the opportunity to play in the NFL now?

Kickoffs are going the way of CC:, Manual Transmissions, and kids playing outside...

SmashMouth

Exactly....

I still drive a car with a manual transmission, BTW.

K Major

neugey

Hmmm. Under these rules and in an alternate universe, could you imagine how crazy it would be in the Saints return to the Superdome game if Gleason's block was the first play of the game?!

foreverfan

Yea but you are still a Nerd.
You'd have a hard time scoring at that's girls football game.
You don't even know who this is.