The NFL and College Football leagues always look for ways to improve the game. Recently, that has meant trying to shorten the game and keep players on the field and away from injuries. But there has been one area of the game that has not improved in recent years and has actually gotten progressively worse.
Kickoffs.
This past season, only 21.8% of all kickoffs were even returned, amounting to just over one in every five in the NFL, and college wasn’t much better. For some teams, including the Rams and Colts, they averaged less than one return per game. Even the Packers, who led the league in kick returns, averaged only 1.7 returns per game. In the Super Bowl, there was not a single kickoff returned. This isn’t great for ratings, and it certainly makes coaches not want to put a lot of focus or resources into the kickoff.
But change is coming, or at least it feels that way.
NFL Rules Committee Likely to Propose a Change
In a report released by Fox News, the NFL competition committee reportedly talked about a rule change that will likely adopt a model that will fit how the XFL did kickoffs last year.
In the XFL, kickoffs were taken from the kicking team’s 30-yard line. The members of the kicking team lined up at the receiving team’s 35-yard line, and blockers on the receiving team lined up on their own 30-yard line. Nobody is allowed to move besides the kicker and return man until either the ball has been caught or the ball has been on the ground for at least three seconds.
This style of kickoff led to almost every kick being returned, and it also led to few injuries since the defenders didn’t get a full sprint down the field before making a tackle.
For this method, or a method similar to pass, it would have to pass with 24 votes (out of 32). There have been no reports of how different teams would feel about a change, but the fan reaction is very positive, suggesting that the change will likely pass if put up for an official vote.
Other Rule Changes Likely to be Brought Up
The kickoff change is surely going to be the one that gets the most buzz. However, other potential rule changes could also come up. One that would make a lot of sense would be to address the onside kick rule. The recent changes to the onside kick have made it nearly impossible for a team to recover. In fact, the percentage of successful attempts sits at 5.6%, down from 18% before the recent rule changes were put in place.
To fix this, the NFL should consider looking once again at the XFL model, where a team gets a single 4th and 12 play from their own 33-yard line. For the NFL, it could be a different down and distance, but the concept still seems fairer than kicking an onside and relying on a lucky bounce that only happens 5% of the time.
Other rules that the league could adopt include the following:
- Reducing the offensive holding penalty to five yards
- Re-defining illegal hits
- Clarifying overtime rules in the postseason
- Banning certain types of tackling, particularly below the waist
- Clarifying fines and fees for violations
Of course, not all of these rules will take effect or even be discussed this off-season, but there are at least reports of whispers and fan support behind these potential changes.
There were 13 touchbacks (and zero returns) on 13 kickoffs during Super Bowl LVIII. That comes when the NFL has said that it has been analyzing the XFL kickoff model among the potential modifications to the kickoff that could be implemented this offseason.
— MarkMaske (@MarkMaske) February 17, 2024
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