The NFL officially revamped the kickoff. After years of tradition and memorable plays, the NFL kickoff has been drastically changed so player safety could taken into consideration.
Kickoffs have been returned less often each year, leading to many people advocating for a change. Kickoffs result in many high speed collisions, leading to concussions. There have been different proposals for a new format, but one similar to the XFL was chosen by the league.
These changes keep the kickers kicking from the 35-yard line, but the 10 players on the kickoff team will line up at the receiving team’s 40-yard line. A set up zone is for the return team at the 30-yard line where nine players can set up. A maximum of two returners are allowed between the 20-yard line and the goal line. No player on the kicking team other than the kicker can move before the ball is touched by the receiver or the ground.
The purpose of this change is to encourage kick returns and prevent concussions, as opposed to the previous version that involved a running head start and very few actual returns. While the new rule sounds good on paper, there are still some large drawbacks and critics of this change.
The change almost completely redesigns an iconic part of the game. Surprise onside kicks have also been taken out as the kicking team now has to notify the refs beforehand. It‘s going to take time to see this translate to the NFL.
As unnerving and peculiar of a change as it might seem, the kickoff had been heading to its grave for nearly a decade. This change should rejuvenate the play and put more emphasis on special teams.
