NFL Approves New Kickoff Rule

[New World Order]

Originally Posted by Quesadilla Joe

New kickoff rule was a trip to watch for first time. Lower kicks, returners field on a hop or two. Need some shortstop/3b ball skills. Payton: “It’s a completely different play.” Said there will be “double-digit TD returns” in league this year. #9sports

— MikeKlis9NEWS (@mikeklis9news) May 11, 2024

Sorry, but I only listen to coaches with more than 1 Super Bowl

[gordonelloyd]

Good to have read this thread and especially to see the video. If I understand it correctly, the huge significance I think will be that the kicking team has to wait until the ball is fielded. I hadn’t appreciated that and it’s significance before until I saw the video. I think that will be a huge game changer for good open field runners. As others observed Miami will really benefit with hill and our rugby guy could really do well here also.

So now I understand the point made on another thread about how this may really help lesser teams.

If Butker can kick it out of the end zone every time that should be our strategy and he should be our kicker. I think he should be able to do that as he has a really strong leg. But if he can’t, I agree with others that Reid or someone else should be the kicker because we need another tackler and we don’t want Butker to be injured.

This rule change will have a lot more significance than I initially thought. It’s good for making the game more exciting as I think it will add a completely new dimension. But it’s not going to be good for us as it will give all the lesser teams in the league (and that’s all of them) another way to beat us in situations where Butker can’t kick it out. having them start an extra 5 yards up the field for touchbacks is far less significant than the risks of a long run back under these new rules.

[Chief Roundup]

Originally Posted by gordonelloyd

Good to have read this thread and especially to see the video. If I understand it correctly, the huge significance I think will be that the kicking team has to wait until the ball is fielded. I hadn’t appreciated that and it’s significance before until I saw the video. I think that will be a huge game changer for good open field runners. As others observed Miami will really benefit with hill and our rugby guy could really do well here also.

So now I understand the point made on another thread about how this may really help lesser teams.

If Butker can kick it out of the end zone every time that should be our strategy and he should be our kicker. I think he should be able to do that as he has a really strong leg. But if he can’t, I agree with others that Reid or someone else should be the kicker because we need another tackler and we don’t want Butker to be injured.

This rule change will have a lot more significance than I initially thought. It’s good for making the game more exciting as I think it will add a completely new dimension. But it’s not going to be good for us as it will give all the lesser teams in the league (and that’s all of them) another way to beat us in situations where Butker can’t kick it out. having them start an extra 5 yards up the field for touchbacks is far less significant than the risks of a long run back under these new rules.

I thought I heard that if the ball is kicked into the end zone on the fly the ball was placed at the 40 yard line, just like if it went out of bounds.

[RINGLEADER]

Originally Posted by Chief Roundup

I thought I heard that if the ball is kicked into the end zone on the fly the ball was placed at the 40 yard line, just like if it went out of bounds.

“When a kicker boots the ball into the endzone, the opposing team's returner can choose to kneel rather than attempt a return; the result is called a touchback, and the returning team would receive the ball at the 25-yard line. (Under the new rule, touchbacks will now be placed at the 30-yard line.)“

[DaFace]

Originally Posted by Chief Roundup

I thought I heard that if the ball is kicked into the end zone on the fly the ball was placed at the 40 yard line, just like if it went out of bounds.

They were tweaking some of the details until March, and the final version changed the penalty for kickoff into the end zone to the 30. It's still the 40 if the kickoff fails to get past the 20 yard line.

[BigRedChief]

I could see LRZ excelling at these type of kickoffs.

[Chief Roundup]

Originally Posted by BigRedChief

I could see LRZ excelling at these type of kickoffs.

That is why they signed him.

[Pasta Little Brioni]

Gives shit teams like Denver chances for fluke plays. For the good teams it's a terrible rule change. Just boot it through the end zone every time

[RINGLEADER]

Again, FTR, I hope Butker kicks it thru the end zone every time. We can pretend the first play of every drive was a defensive hold.

I really hate this rule change. As the other poster above noted it will only help lesser teams get chances that they can’t earn playing the actual game that takes place between kicks. There will absolutely be games that feel like the Raiders X-Mas day game where we thoroughly outclassed the Raiders even with the worst game of the season and lost because of two flukey back-to-back defensive TDs.

That’s probably the best way to put it — games will be lost to inferior teams because of “flukey” plays. And that’s a bad thing in my book.

[DaFace]

Originally Posted by RINGLEADER

Again, FTR, I hope Butker kicks it thru the end zone every time. We can pretend the first play of every drive was a defensive hold.

I really hate this rule change. As the other poster above noted it will only help lesser teams get chances that they can’t earn playing the actual game that takes place between kicks. There will absolutely be games that feel like the Raiders X-Mas day game where we thoroughly outclassed the Raiders even with the worst game of the season and lost because of two flukey back-to-back defensive TDs.

That’s probably the best way to put it — games will be lost to inferior teams because of “flukey” plays. And that’s a bad thing in my book.

The entire game of football is nothing but a collection of weird, arbitrary rules meant to create excitement. I don't see how this is any worse than the rest of them.

If you want a "pure" sport that isn't flukey, track and field might be more your style.

[RINGLEADER]

Originally Posted by DaFace

The entire game of football is nothing but a collection of weird, arbitrary rules meant to create excitement. I don't see how this is any worse than the rest of them.

If you want a "pure" sport that isn't flukey, track and field might be more your style.

Sorry, no thanks.

I’m a football lifer.

I hope you’re right, but it will not be a good look when teams hold an opponent to 120 yards of offense and lose 21-20 because three returns that would never have happened any other season.

And yes I get that you have to stop the other team. And they may find it actually reduces injuries. But I still don’t like it.

[DaFace]

Originally Posted by RINGLEADER

Sorry, no thanks.

I’m a football lifer.

I hope you’re right, but it will not be a good look when teams hold an opponent to 120 yards of offense and lose 21-20 because three returns that would never have happened any other season.

And yes I get that you have to stop the other team. And they may find it actually reduces injuries. But I still don’t like it.

Sure, but how is that any different than losing a game because:

-The offense fumbles the ball out of bounds through the end zone on the 1 inch line
-A key turnover is negated because a player who made no impact on the play was lined up 3" too far forward
-A key catch is overturned because the tip of the ball hit the ground and the ball wiggled a smidge as a result
-A team is awarded a 60-yard gain on a catch because the defender touched the receiver 10 milliseconds too early
-A team is given a first down because the defender hit a player 10 milliseconds after the runner's foot hits out of bounds
-A team is given a free first down because a pass rusher's finger grazes the face of the QB

You could come up with a dozen other examples without even having to think very hard. The entire game is all made-up bullshit. The bullshit creates drama and discussion, which creates more interest. It's literally why the NFL is so popular compared other sports.

Does this kickoff rule seem contrived and weird? Yep. But do I think anyone will think much of it in 5 years? Nah. It's just the continued evolution of this weird "sport" that we love.

[Pasta Little Brioni]

Whaaat? it's OK to call a garbage rule change what it is

[RINGLEADER]

How funny would it be on opening day on the first kickoffs to start the games we had 4-5 of them go for touchdowns?

Or what if the first three kickoffs in a game all go for touchdowns one after the other?

At what point does “an exciting rule change” become a problem?

[DaFace]

I mean, think about it, why does football even have kickers? It's a game of 11 on 11...except for the fact that the higher-scoring player on most teams is a guy who couldn't play any of those 22 positions. The only reason we don't think that's weird is that it's always been that way.