Thanks for the breakdown. I can see a bunch of coach-scheme innovations coming. And anything is better than the commercial-extra point-commercials-kick off into the endzone-commercial interludes between plays worth watching.
thanks for speaking truth to power. The instant a touchdown is confirmed, I hit ten-twelve jumps on the DVD for a five-six minute hop (except for two point conversion attempts). If the receiving team isn't past their 35 when the offense is out, I just see if the score changed for the made extra point and am done with that boring ritual nonsense. This new rule also looks boring, but not as boring as a thuderfoot touchback. Maybe there will be fewer blocks in the back and holds as well. I'd bet more yards were lost on those than gained on all the successful returns (relative to the 25 touchback spot). Thanks Isaac for the numerous XFL clips. It looks like a low risk gamble if coaches try schemes. I do wonder if the muff factor is going to be a bigger deal - that damn ball ain't round! And you know there is going to be a ton of punching at the ball for turnovers with more people swarming at slow moving runners.
Cleveland Browns' kicker Don Cockroft back in 1980 used to kick the ball higher, instead of farther, and that resulted in lots of kickoff returns and the Browns setting a record that year for the shortest average kickoff return for a season. There's a coach-scheme scenario for you.
Yes safer ones... This was the compromise. Have you seen modern day , I call them missle tackles and clotheslines on kickoffs.@@tyronewilson7890 Plus it'll be better than the 23% return rate we saw and maybe teams will find ways to return more for TDs who knows.
NFL officials are now saying they should have made it the 35 but it's going to be the 30. Probably just getting teams to kick through the endzone this year. They'll most likely change it to the 35 next year 2025 season.
It used to be at the SB at the moment of kickoffs, there would be tons of noise and cameras would flash from the crowd because the kickoff was an exciting way to start the game. In the last SB I don't think either of these happened and everyone just waited through the formality of kicking the ball til the offense and defense came on the field. So at this point I would say some sort of kickoff is better than the formality we used to have.
A few corrections regarding the rules, since you showed the XFL style kickoff, which is slightly different from the newly approved rules. 1) A ball kicked directly into the endzone is a touchback to the 30 yard line, not 35. 2) The return team will line up with 7 men on the 30, 2 on the 25, and 2 returners back deep. This will allow for more layered blocking schemes, and make the line drive kick less effective. 3) Players on each team (besides returners) will be able to move once the ball makes contact with the ground or a player. 4) The football must be downed by a player if it lands or rolls into the endzone. No more immediate touchback if the ball directly impacts the endzone.
Okay that is a good clarification thank you. I like the ability for teams to create formations and blocking schemes. I think this will breath some life into the kickoff. Will be fun to see how coaches play with it.
They should just do what Jon Bois suggested and give the team that just scored the ball at their own 30/35 on a 4th and 15. In most situations, you're going to punt, but if you're trying to make a comeback, you can still go for it. 4th and 15 or even 4th and 20 have a *much* higher conversion rate than onside kicks ever did so two or even three score games would be much more interesting when the clock got below 5 minutes
The main issue is what about penalties. You'd have to eliminate automatic first downs and make DPI at most a 10 or 15 yard penalty and no automatic first down. And it would have to be much harder than 4th and 15, maybe 4th and 25 from your own 20 or 25.
@@jandrew1994 Fair point about the penalties but I certainly don't want it to be harder to convert. I'm all for removing as much garbage time as possible.
Kickers will learn how to kick line drive knuckleballs that max out maybe 20 feet high. Just high enough to clear the lines then bounce and skip off randomly at speed. Good luck fielding that cleanly. This system will last one year is my call.
Honestly this would be the most interesting outcome by far but I hope they keep it. At some point there will need to be more receivers then it becomes a game of how many receivers VS blockers are needed to deal with the skill of the kicker. Also more AFL kickers or even some from rugby as this is how rugby kick tennis basically works at the moment.
It's not the exact same rules as the XFL. There's more leeway about where the return team can line up some of their players. The special teams coaches had a lot of say in developing this version and think there's enough room to allow them to implement some strategic moves. Just moving the kick back isn't going to fly because the teams and the union want to minimize injuries.
Why doesn’t the NFL just does what the CFL does. The CFL kicks off the ball at the 35 yd line. Remember the field is 10 yds longer in the CFL. This means no touchbacks. Also as soon as the ball is kicked, players can still move but have to give 5yds to the returner to catch the ball. So the returner is protected as well. Pretty simple change for the NFL and the kickoff will not be ruined. In fact it would be better as there will be way more returns then touchbacks meaning more importance of returners and more play for special teams. NFL needs to learn from their northern neighbours.
No! Players of the side kicking off (and onside players generally) do not have to give yards in Canadian rules. That applies only to offside players, and all players are onside at a kickoff.
@@goodmaro this is right from the CFL rule book Article 7 - Interference By Team A Before gaining possession: A player of the kicking team shall not be permitted to interfere with an opponent who is attempting to play or recover the ball until that team has gained possession. In other words, you have to allow the receiver get the ball before making contact. Also when punter punts the ball in CFL, you have to give the receiver 5 yds when they receive the ball.
What does the CFL do if the ball goes out of the end zone? The NFL used to have more players running the ball back, but then they moved the kickoff from the 20 yard line to the 30 or 35 and so most kicks go right into or beyond the end zone.
@@grondheroin the CFL, if the offensive team kicks the ball through the end zone they get a point, a rouge. Usually doesn't happen as they'll go for a field goal instead. A missed field goal that goes through the end zone is also point. If the missed field goal is caught in the end zone, the catching team can either try and return the ball, or take a knee and concede a point for better field position.
It’s so funny how everyone was praying for the NFL to change the kick to the XFL version, and when they do everyone says how this is the end of the world as we know it 🤣
Been waiting on this since hearing the news this morning. I think it might be pretty cool. It's for sure going to take some time for the teams to figure out good strategies. But it's better than just booting it through the end zone and starting on the 25 or wherever it is now.
Yeah. I don’t even care if this works out in the long run, something had to change and at least new ideas are being tried to optimize on field product and player safety
I got on the field as a "big skill" body type in college by getting really good at beating double teams as the kick side contain guy. I made my bones as a special teams coach at the HS level by innovating with a "diamond" return formation & having 6 KOR TD's in '14, & another 4 in '15. I hope this is roundly rejected, bc just as I suspected, it's all skill guys bc of the spacing. No room to innovate, I hate it sooo damn much, & feel sorry for the high iq/effort guys, bc they have no shot at making rosters/breaking through via special teams even more now.
Without having to worry about hangtime, kickers (at least the good ones) will learn to kick a low flying, skidding type ball which will make it difficult to collect. I can also see for the receivers, having two back there might open up some lateral passing plays.
First XFL touchdown return was exactly that. Even if it's not quite as exciting as the old kickoffs, it will be better than what we've had the past few years.
New Kick-Off rule really makes for a Suck ass boring game. All it does is shorten the Field of Play where momentum/speed supposedly is less when the player is tackled or having a bad collision. It pretty much lessens the chance of a Kick-Off return for a Touch Down. Running the EXTRA MAN onto the Field is Huh! What? How Stupid! So at times your team is allowed 12 Players on field.
So, if kickers start trying to kick the low, hard to field knuckleball, what happens if they kick it too low and it bounces off of someone's helmet on the line? If it's low enough can a line defender reach up an swat it without moving their feet? Can they jump and try to block it as long as they don't move forward? If any of that happened would it be a live ball or dead at the point of contact?
@@MyLibertyTV Didn't workout that way did it? If the teams actually viewed it as a penalty, we wouldn't see kickers pasting the ball out of the endzone.
That wouldn't work bc kickers would just boot it out the back of the end zone every kickoff, even moreso than now. That's why the only solution is to disincentivize touchbacks for the kicking team
How the hell is this “no fun”? This is a step in the right direction. Yes, they’re a bunch of old guys who want to protect their billions by making slow changes. Keep commending them for the good steps they make so they make more.
You showed about 20 clips of kickoffs. There is nothing interesting about any of them. If this is the change, then might as well just give the ball to to the receiving team somewhere at 20-30 and just not even do it. What has been interesting about this example of kickoff besides protecting the receiver from huge hits?
My dad had a rule change that would’ve made football more entertaining with way less rules. He proposed building a wall on sides of the field and having no rules. Players could do anything short of murder to move the ball. There would be no downs. Just two teams clawing and punching their way down the field until the other team ripped the ball away from the team with the ball. No officials. No rules except no knifes or guns could be used. Attendance would skyrocket. But obviously todays players are too soft to play a tough game without any rules.
None of the 30 or so kick returns I've seen got past the 35 yard line. Not very interesting to watch. Maybe they could allow the ten guys on each side to line up within 5 yards, not all right in a straight row, so there's some layering and more strategy involved.
It is not really fair to point out that the low onside kick percentage will be barely influenced by this rule change; the only reason it was low in the first place was because of another rule change that effectively killed it years ago.
Why didn’t they just implement: if the kickoff goes thru the uprights, kicking team gets points or retains the ball? I thought everyone wanted more points
I liked the proposal the league rejected where the kicking team gets the ball and a 4th and 25 play. Then it’s either punt, fake or go for it. Better than this idea.
Great video. Very solid work Hate the Kickoff change, it does nothing to improve player safety at all. Hey, let's add another 6-8 plays per game and put 19 or 20 players in a restricted space. Bold move, NFL. Physics can tell us how it's going to work out.
With kickers booting it through the end zone, why didn't they just move back the kickoff line (i.e. to the 30 or even 25 yard line instead of the 35)? Everything else same as before. Much better chance of a return.
They don't want returns and they don't want high-speed collisions like the ones that happen every kickoff. They are trying to decrease injuries, not just at the pro level but have this filter down to the HS and junior levels. Too many moms are stopping their boys from playing football because of all the injuries.
@@cvn6555 Right. It's all about decreasing easily preventable injuries. Kickoffs have been falling for years in the "excitement" category. Do not get rid of punts. Punt returns are still one of the most exciting plays in the game.
@@thesilence4456 The rules previously in place had reduced returns to practically zero. They wanted to INCREASE returns without having the kicking team's tacklers getting a 40 yard run to maximize their speed. High speed collisions are reduced (kicking team players have no more than five to ten yards to build up steam), and most if not all kickoffs will result in a return. If they had just moved the kickoff back five or ten yards that would give kicking team players five or ten more yards to accelerate resulting in more high speed collisions.
I'm so sorry. Maybe you can get some friends together to kick footballs at each other, make hand signals, and then walk off the field without doing anything. It's not the real deal, but maybe you'll get a little taste of the old timey magic.
Wait - nobody can move when the ball is in the air? Does that include the kicker who was already moving? Does he just kick it and freeze where he ended?
KC’s new rugby player may be perfect for getting some variation and breaking through the line on returns, and laterals are sure to be tried. I think Reid is going to put in some pitch plays this year and Rees is good on either end of that.
Just get rid of the kickoff. Just start on the 30. While we are at it let’s outlaw the tackle. I mean the object is to eliminate injures. So no kick off and no tackles. Just wrap the guy up without taking him to the ground. No more 4th down field goal try if you’re past the 50. You automatically get the point unless you go for two. If you elect to punt theres no return. Wherever the ball stops is the starting position. If it goes in the end zone you start on the 30 and if it goes out of bounds you start on the 40. No more QB sneaks. To much of a chance for injury.
I can see Butker, my favorite player, not want to kick these because it’s gonna change his mechanics and give him bad reps. Is this a potential concern for kickers in your opinion?
I’d prefer the punt on a kickoff. Same rules as a punt (only two guys go on the hike) except the onside kick will be if the kicking team gains 15 yards they keep the ball. This will allow the surprise on-sides kick to stay alive and even a contested onside kick actually have a chance to succeed (there was only one successful last year). An added benefit is the receiving team can attempt to block the kick and get the ball.
I beleive the changes for the kickoff is going to overall improve the kickoff, while there are some interesting things that you mentioned in the video that maybe a minus, but overall the pluses are greater, When I saw this last summer in what is now UFL, I really liked it. The NFL will have more returns, which is a very exciting play to watch and do it in a safer way.
Just change the touchback to the 35 if it goes through the endzone, 25 if a player catches and takes a knee in the endzone, and at the 20 if it bounces in play then goes into the endzone, and keep the other old rules like where players line up. The onside kick should always be in play not something stupid that you declare you are doing.
All Special Teams Coordinators came together, developed and signed off on this new rule. They are conservatively projecting an additional 1600 plays per season due to the significant (read HUGE) reduction in touchbacks. Pat McAfee did a full 20 min breakdown with Saints ST Coach a week or so ago. Well worth watching and not gonna be the dumpster fire some think it is. Weird because it is different, YES, but a huge positive for the league with a play that had died already. I don't know the full extent of what passed, but the proposal stated no more surprise Onside kicks (there haven't been more than 5 attempts per year for a half dozen or so years now).
@@ivdeadelendaest Oklahoma drill was my favorite because I rarely got the opportunity to lay the wood on someone in the open field, and sometimes my coaches would fuck around and let me carry the ball lol
I feel like either moving the kicker back so they have to kick farther or moving the touchback line back so the returner has more incentive to return the ball would both be better solutions.
The onside kick is only mostly dead. Starting with the 4th quarter, teams can declare an onside kick in which case the teams line up how they have in the past.
I get that the main concern with these constant rule chances is player safety but the fact is if this trend continues, it's only a matter of time before they get rid of the kickoff altogether and replace it with a soccer-style system where the team who has the ball will simply start at the 30-yd line or something. It's already almost looking like that with the constant touchbacks anyway.
A kick off return has been the most exciting part of the GAME, they should keep the rules the same, just change the BALL for kickoffs and make it heavier or less likelier to land pass the end zone, Special ball for kickoffs to ensure a return . If ball enters end zone on the fly , 5yard penalty and rekick.
and I thought my idea was crazy of having the PAT score based on choosing to kick from the 10, the 20, the 30, the 40, or the 50 with corresponding points for each range 10 yards = 1, 20 yards = 2 points and so on. So a team could go for as much as 5 extra points on the PAT attempt. But a miss and the other team gets the ball from that spot or choose to receive it on a kickoff. Think about it before you get the straight jacket for me.
Is there any ideas to rework OLine tactics like traps or pulls create imbalances? I know without the threat of a pass, the blocking scheme is much different, but I feel there's a little wiggle room beyond "Block in front of you."
It should just be forced to be a punt. Way safer and way more exciting. Bad snaps. Blocks. Muffs. Hang time and direction matters. Cluld be a coffin kick with a good bounce/coverage. More exciting returns. Maybe set a 15 or 20 yard to gain that the punting team could get to keep the ball on a fake or wild play.
Idk, I'm looking forward to line drive squib kicks aimed at taking off returners heads. Players having to wait for the ball to drop means hangtime is a bad thing for the kicker now. Kickers goal is to bounce the ball into the landing zone and roll it out the endzone to place it at the 20. Returners just have to not muff a line drive.
I think if they changed the whole lineup up on the line for the return team it would add some interesting schemes. Maybe say they have to line up within a Max of 10 yards off the line. Allow for some ability to create formations. Allow the same for the kickoff but maybe a 5 yard window.
Can't wait for the other new rules to come out. 1. No defender is allowed to touch the quarterback till he crosses the line of scrimmage 2. On 3rd down with more than 8 yards to go, the defense is only allowed 9 men on the field. 3. No more than 5 defenders are allowed to cross the line of scrimmage on any play. 4. Once a ball carrier runs by a defender, that defender is no longer allowed to participate in the play. No chasing. 5. Once a receiver is more than 5 yards past the line, no defender can touch or impede them until they catch the ball. 6. Fair catches are allowed on passes more than 40 yards.
I don’t mind the formation for this kickoff. Maybe have one player on the kicking team allowed to move around pre snap. But I do think that the receiving team should be able to line up however they want. Similar to defense. The offense should be set before the kick. Let one guy go in motion. But I would have it so the ball is live as it hits the ground. If the ball is kicked out of bounds inside the 20, that’s where it is spotted. Outside the 20 is a 15 yard penalty. The ball has to be kicked past the line where the receiving team lines up. Now the receiving team has to protect the sidelines and the field of play. The receiving team can be creative in setting up returns, but the kicking team controls where they want to kick it.
What i like about this new rule is if there is a kickoff touchdown then that is going to be way more exciting. :) We will see how well this does. If it bombs then they can always change it to something else or go back to the original rules.
Recent kickoff rules were absurd in a very boring way. They might as well just skip the kickoff and give the ball to the offense on the 25. The new rules seem to err in the opposite direction. The rules are deliberately complex and the kickoff will now be very chaotic and certain to lead to a lot of runbacks. Teams will be obligated to use their very best runner and risk injuring them. It also diminishes the need for a skilled kicker as it doesn't take much to kick within the zone and teams may opt for a better defender to kick the ball.
It’s a dangerous game, that’s why they get paid the big $$$$$$. If I wanted to watch a bunch of guys dance around lightly bumping j to each other, I’d watch soccer. Rugby and hockey is all that’s left.
As a high school WR/KR who has had a dream to play NFL ball essentially since birth, This is dumb. Every NFL K and KR will completely reset every thought and idea that they have been taught. JJ Watt said to just skip to flag football since we all know that’s what is coming, If so I’m not playing NFL football at all.
That's basically what happens now. This is an attempt to being real kickoffs back. At least they're trying to do something. Giving up suprise onside kicks in order to have kickoff returns without high injury risks is worth it
Because they're not trying to get rid of kick offs, they're trying to lower the number of injuries while still maintaining special teams as an important position
As people stated, it's the 30 yard line for touchbacks. Based on the clips you played, it's a boring play that ends up between the 27 to the 33-yard lines, with no real returns. Why can't they just make them punts?
They could probably just move the ball back to where it was before 2012. This new change seems to just be a solution to the problem they created when they changed it the first time.
Gonna see a lot of pitches this year. And a lot of flags from the non returner coming across the line and delivering hard hits to guys not looking at him.
Would be nice if the kicking team could move once the ball bounces. Means a awkward bounce gives the team a chance to recover a badly fielded ball/ put pressure more quickly
Haven't played NFL myself, mostly AFL and Soccer, but this feels like it should probably turn hard into a knuckleball style kick, or a banana kick (AFL though don't know how well that would work from a pin) where possible, to make it really hard to field cleanly. 50 FT distance with a low fly ball that can take vary a lot with Wind, or that has a hard turn designed into the bounce feels like you could probably get to a point where the fielder can't get into range before it hit's the ground. Am curious what happens if it hit's the ground and isn't fielded but stays in the landing zone if anyone knows.
For those who wanted to why the NFL adapted this rule it’s because of two reasons. 1. It encourages more returns 2. It helps with player safety A lot of the rules the NFL has implemented over the last 15 years with kickoff/kickoff return has been in the name of safety. But it also killed the play. The XFL found the solution to have both. So sorry for those who want it to be back to the old school rules it’s not gonna happen because it’s unsafe to have these athletes run 50+ yards down the field at full speed colliding with no control. A few more notes: - The return yard average is only slightly lower in the XFL compared to the NFL so with more speed and better talent in the NFL there’s potential to see a huge spike in return yard average and touchdowns - This new adaptation has only seen 1.5 seasons of action. It’s in its infancy so it’ll take a while for special teams coordinators to find creative ways to get returners in the open field (the spread offense and 4-2-5 defense didn’t just exist on day 1 of the NFL existing) So if you don’t love the set up at least keep an open mind about it. It’s meant to bring back a part of the game that has been neutered for years.
Thanks for the breakdown. I can see a bunch of coach-scheme innovations coming. And anything is better than the commercial-extra point-commercials-kick off into the endzone-commercial interludes between plays worth watching.
thanks for speaking truth to power. The instant a touchdown is confirmed, I hit ten-twelve jumps on the DVD for a five-six minute hop (except for two point conversion attempts). If the receiving team isn't past their 35 when the offense is out, I just see if the score changed for the made extra point and am done with that boring ritual nonsense. This new rule also looks boring, but not as boring as a thuderfoot touchback. Maybe there will be fewer blocks in the back and holds as well. I'd bet more yards were lost on those than gained on all the successful returns (relative to the 25 touchback spot).
Thanks Isaac for the numerous XFL clips. It looks like a low risk gamble if coaches try schemes. I do wonder if the muff factor is going to be a bigger deal - that damn ball ain't round! And you know there is going to be a ton of punching at the ball for turnovers with more people swarming at slow moving runners.
Cleveland Browns' kicker Don Cockroft back in 1980 used to kick the ball higher, instead of farther, and that resulted in lots of kickoff returns and the Browns setting a record that year for the shortest average kickoff return for a season. There's a coach-scheme scenario for you.
I bet money we will see a record number of kickoff returns
I'm surprised they didn’t change the rules to allow the receiving team put a baserunner on 2nd.
Right!!! I wonder if they will add a 3 pt line at some point......
@@Andy-cj7bu Maybe...but wouldn't that be Icing!!!
@@SeanC_BKK yeah and that icing will get ya yellow carded every damn time......
@@Andy-cj7bu I'm pretty sure a first offense is a one-stroke penalty
@@SeanC_BKK right right. And that sets the score at 10 love if I'm not wrong
The touchback goes to the 30 yard line, the original adaptation was for 35 but changed it during the meetings
Good bc that’s bs. First they wanted to take kick returns out of the game, now they’re trying to persuade kick returns.
Yes safer ones... This was the compromise. Have you seen modern day , I call them missle tackles and clotheslines on kickoffs.@@tyronewilson7890
Plus it'll be better than the 23% return rate we saw and maybe teams will find ways to return more for TDs who knows.
NFL officials are now saying they should have made it the 35 but it's going to be the 30. Probably just getting teams to kick through the endzone this year. They'll most likely change it to the 35 next year 2025 season.
No kickoffs returned in the latest SB -It was already a dead play!
(Edited for clarity. This past SB.)
It used to be at the SB at the moment of kickoffs, there would be tons of noise and cameras would flash from the crowd because the kickoff was an exciting way to start the game. In the last SB I don't think either of these happened and everyone just waited through the formality of kicking the ball til the offense and defense came on the field. So at this point I would say some sort of kickoff is better than the formality we used to have.
That’s because they moved the ball up to the 35. If that wanted to fix it they should just move it back to the 20 like the old days, way more returns
@@cowtowncaptain7649 exactly, idont know why nobody thought about that, probly safety reasons
@@cowtowncaptain7649 way more traumatic head injuries too
@@Legault397”that’s football”
A few corrections regarding the rules, since you showed the XFL style kickoff, which is slightly different from the newly approved rules.
1) A ball kicked directly into the endzone is a touchback to the 30 yard line, not 35.
2) The return team will line up with 7 men on the 30, 2 on the 25, and 2 returners back deep. This will allow for more layered blocking schemes, and make the line drive kick less effective.
3) Players on each team (besides returners) will be able to move once the ball makes contact with the ground or a player.
4) The football must be downed by a player if it lands or rolls into the endzone. No more immediate touchback if the ball directly impacts the endzone.
Rule 4 is gonna cause a stupid touchdown early into the season next year.
Thanks for the breakdown..
I hate the immediate touchback rule. I'm glad that's gone.
Seems like the least risky thing is to just kick it into the endzone.
Okay that is a good clarification thank you. I like the ability for teams to create formations and blocking schemes. I think this will breath some life into the kickoff. Will be fun to see how coaches play with it.
And now you can't tackle. NFL wants games to be shootouts. Say goodbye to those chess match defensive games
Next you won’t be allowed to grab their legs. Might as well just give them all flags.
Yessir I hate those games
The NFL will literally be flag football in the next 5 years at the rate they keep softening the rules.
Can you post link?
They should just do what Jon Bois suggested and give the team that just scored the ball at their own 30/35 on a 4th and 15. In most situations, you're going to punt, but if you're trying to make a comeback, you can still go for it. 4th and 15 or even 4th and 20 have a *much* higher conversion rate than onside kicks ever did so two or even three score games would be much more interesting when the clock got below 5 minutes
The main issue is what about penalties. You'd have to eliminate automatic first downs and make DPI at most a 10 or 15 yard penalty and no automatic first down. And it would have to be much harder than 4th and 15, maybe 4th and 25 from your own 20 or 25.
I miss Jon Bois on his own! Secret Base (or whatever they're called now) is trash by comparison.
Hell no thats insane
@@jandrew1994 Fair point about the penalties but I certainly don't want it to be harder to convert. I'm all for removing as much garbage time as possible.
Kickers will learn how to kick line drive knuckleballs that max out maybe 20 feet high. Just high enough to clear the lines then bounce and skip off randomly at speed. Good luck fielding that cleanly.
This system will last one year is my call.
Or they will make small adjustments to it until it works the way they're wanting it.
Honestly this would be the most interesting outcome by far but I hope they keep it. At some point there will need to be more receivers then it becomes a game of how many receivers VS blockers are needed to deal with the skill of the kicker. Also more AFL kickers or even some from rugby as this is how rugby kick tennis basically works at the moment.
Exactly. Atrocious idea. They should just move the kicker back 5 yards and move the kicking team five yards forward.
It's not the exact same rules as the XFL. There's more leeway about where the return team can line up some of their players. The special teams coaches had a lot of say in developing this version and think there's enough room to allow them to implement some strategic moves. Just moving the kick back isn't going to fly because the teams and the union want to minimize injuries.
They have to make it to the landing zone, so no.
Why doesn’t the NFL just does what the CFL does. The CFL kicks off the ball at the 35 yd line. Remember the field is 10 yds longer in the CFL. This means no touchbacks. Also as soon as the ball is kicked, players can still move but have to give 5yds to the returner to catch the ball. So the returner is protected as well. Pretty simple change for the NFL and the kickoff will not be ruined. In fact it would be better as there will be way more returns then touchbacks meaning more importance of returners and more play for special teams. NFL needs to learn from their northern neighbours.
If anyone is wondering: if you try and take a touchback in the CFL, its a rouge and the opposing team gets 1 point
No! Players of the side kicking off (and onside players generally) do not have to give yards in Canadian rules. That applies only to offside players, and all players are onside at a kickoff.
@@goodmaro this is right from the CFL rule book
Article 7 - Interference By Team A
Before gaining possession: A player of the kicking team shall not be permitted to interfere with an opponent who is attempting to play or recover the ball until that team has gained possession.
In other words, you have to allow the receiver get the ball before making contact. Also when punter punts the ball in CFL, you have to give the receiver 5 yds when they receive the ball.
@@goodmaro They have to allow the receiver to field the ball, but as soon as he touches it, he's fair game.
@@darcywalker1546 but if you’re behind or beside the kicker you’re considered ‘onside’ and you don’t have to give the returner 5 yards
Do what the cfl does. No touchbacks. Just catch the ball and run wherever you are on the field.
But then football players get hit
@@Cornpop69 😱😱😱
@@Cornpop69 Yea, the thing the NFL got sued over...
What does the CFL do if the ball goes out of the end zone?
The NFL used to have more players running the ball back, but then they moved the kickoff from the 20 yard line to the 30 or 35 and so most kicks go right into or beyond the end zone.
@@grondheroin the CFL, if the offensive team kicks the ball through the end zone they get a point, a rouge. Usually doesn't happen as they'll go for a field goal instead.
A missed field goal that goes through the end zone is also point. If the missed field goal is caught in the end zone, the catching team can either try and return the ball, or take a knee and concede a point for better field position.
It’s so funny how everyone was praying for the NFL to change the kick to the XFL version, and when they do everyone says how this is the end of the world as we know it 🤣
I don't think that is accurate.
Not me. I can't stand watching the ball go into the end zone with no return. When I saw the XFL kickoffs I knew that was the better way.
I don’t know anyone who wanted the XFL rule. Most people want them to go back to kicking the ball from the 20, more returns, more action
@@cowtowncaptain7649more players hurt
"Everyone?!" Wow, it was unanimous???
Been waiting on this since hearing the news this morning.
I think it might be pretty cool. It's for sure going to take some time for the teams to figure out good strategies. But it's better than just booting it through the end zone and starting on the 25 or wherever it is now.
Yeah. I don’t even care if this works out in the long run, something had to change and at least new ideas are being tried to optimize on field product and player safety
The legend of Kickarus will live on!
I got on the field as a "big skill" body type in college by getting really good at beating double teams as the kick side contain guy. I made my bones as a special teams coach at the HS level by innovating with a "diamond" return formation & having 6 KOR TD's in '14, & another 4 in '15.
I hope this is roundly rejected, bc just as I suspected, it's all skill guys bc of the spacing. No room to innovate, I hate it sooo damn much, & feel sorry for the high iq/effort guys, bc they have no shot at making rosters/breaking through via special teams even more now.
Without having to worry about hangtime, kickers (at least the good ones) will learn to kick a low flying, skidding type ball which will make it difficult to collect. I can also see for the receivers, having two back there might open up some lateral passing plays.
First XFL touchdown return was exactly that. Even if it's not quite as exciting as the old kickoffs, it will be better than what we've had the past few years.
Let’s be real. This is absurd.
New Kick-Off rule really makes for a Suck ass boring game. All it does is shorten the Field of Play where momentum/speed supposedly is less when the player is tackled or having a bad collision.
It pretty much lessens the chance of a Kick-Off return for a Touch Down. Running the EXTRA MAN onto the Field is Huh! What? How Stupid! So at times your team is allowed 12 Players on field.
So, if kickers start trying to kick the low, hard to field knuckleball, what happens if they kick it too low and it bounces off of someone's helmet on the line? If it's low enough can a line defender reach up an swat it without moving their feet? Can they jump and try to block it as long as they don't move forward? If any of that happened would it be a live ball or dead at the point of contact?
Touchbacks should be at the 15 to give the receiving team an incentive to bring it out.
If the ball lands in the zone, they have to return it
The touchback is designed to penalize the kicker for not hitting the landing zone.
@@MyLibertyTV Didn't workout that way did it?
If the teams actually viewed it as a penalty, we wouldn't see kickers pasting the ball out of the endzone.
That wouldn't work bc kickers would just boot it out the back of the end zone every kickoff, even moreso than now. That's why the only solution is to disincentivize touchbacks for the kicking team
i literally had to check to see if it was april 1st. are you serious?
No Fun League at it again.
A 10-yard gap instead of a 5-yard gap would allow more time to set up return blocks.
Gonna be great for throwbacks, though.
How the hell is this “no fun”? This is a step in the right direction. Yes, they’re a bunch of old guys who want to protect their billions by making slow changes. Keep commending them for the good steps they make so they make more.
No fun? Almost anything is more fun than the current kickoff format.
You showed about 20 clips of kickoffs. There is nothing interesting about any of them. If this is the change, then might as well just give the ball to to the receiving team somewhere at 20-30 and just not even do it. What has been interesting about this example of kickoff besides protecting the receiver from huge hits?
My dad had a rule change that would’ve made football more entertaining with way less rules. He proposed building a wall on sides of the field and having no rules. Players could do anything short of murder to move the ball. There would be no downs. Just two teams clawing and punching their way down the field until the other team ripped the ball away from the team with the ball. No officials. No rules except no knifes or guns could be used. Attendance would skyrocket. But obviously todays players are too soft to play a tough game without any rules.
isnt that basically just 11v11 mma?
@@ninja8flash742 Yeah, I guess it is. Audiences love carnage.
None of the 30 or so kick returns I've seen got past the 35 yard line. Not very interesting to watch.
Maybe they could allow the ten guys on each side to line up within 5 yards, not all right in a straight row, so there's some layering and more strategy involved.
It is not really fair to point out that the low onside kick percentage will be barely influenced by this rule change; the only reason it was low in the first place was because of another rule change that effectively killed it years ago.
That is STUPID AND RIDICULOUS!!!!!
This new NFL Rule DOESN'T MAKE ANY SENSE, whatsoever!!!!!! SMH.
Why didn’t they just implement: if the kickoff goes thru the uprights, kicking team gets points or retains the ball? I thought everyone wanted more points
I liked the proposal the league rejected where the kicking team gets the ball and a 4th and 25 play. Then it’s either punt, fake or go for it. Better than this idea.
Great video. Very solid work
Hate the Kickoff change, it does nothing to improve player safety at all. Hey, let's add another 6-8 plays per game and put 19 or 20 players in a restricted space.
Bold move, NFL. Physics can tell us how it's going to work out.
With kickers booting it through the end zone, why didn't they just move back the kickoff line (i.e. to the 30 or even 25 yard line instead of the 35)? Everything else same as before. Much better chance of a return.
Was looking for this comment. Also change the touchback to 20 yard line like it used to be and you’ll see way more returns
They don't want returns and they don't want high-speed collisions like the ones that happen every kickoff. They are trying to decrease injuries, not just at the pro level but have this filter down to the HS and junior levels. Too many moms are stopping their boys from playing football because of all the injuries.
@@cvn6555 Right. It's all about decreasing easily preventable injuries. Kickoffs have been falling for years in the "excitement" category. Do not get rid of punts. Punt returns are still one of the most exciting plays in the game.
@@cvn6555 I hear you but the new kick off doesn’t seem to reduce returns or get rid of high speed collisions so I’m confused their reasons
@@thesilence4456 The rules previously in place had reduced returns to practically zero. They wanted to INCREASE returns without having the kicking team's tacklers getting a 40 yard run to maximize their speed. High speed collisions are reduced (kicking team players have no more than five to ten yards to build up steam), and most if not all kickoffs will result in a return. If they had just moved the kickoff back five or ten yards that would give kicking team players five or ten more yards to accelerate resulting in more high speed collisions.
this is gonna suck
as opposed to endless touchbacks that completely killed kick offs?
The kickoff couldn’t have gotten worse, so I’m up for anything different at this point
You like watching 20 touchbacks every game? Why even line up at that point
I'm so sorry. Maybe you can get some friends together to kick footballs at each other, make hand signals, and then walk off the field without doing anything. It's not the real deal, but maybe you'll get a little taste of the old timey magic.
@@STREAMSONLY-vt6gx Exactly. May as well remove kickoffs from the sport entirely at that point
Wait - nobody can move when the ball is in the air? Does that include the kicker who was already moving? Does he just kick it and freeze where he ended?
Snipers stop the kicker moving after the boot.
On an unrelated note, NFL rosters have been expanded to 275.
The kicker can move but can not go past the 50 till the ball lands
But when how why is this for real?
This year, like shown in the video, and yes
Where? In the US.
They killed the kickoff return the year they put Devin Hester into the Hall of Fame. Gawd ,the NFL sucks today.
Hopefully none of your children wanted to be like Hester when they got older
KC’s new rugby player may be perfect for getting some variation and breaking through the line on returns, and laterals are sure to be tried. I think Reid is going to put in some pitch plays this year and Rees is good on either end of that.
No inside kicks wtf that’s crazy man
Well, at least touchbacks won't be a problem anymore. But, uh... Yeah this seems mid.
Mid but knowing the next step if this doesn't work is getting rid of the kickoff entirely I think we can live with it
Just get rid of the kickoff. Just start on the 30. While we are at it let’s outlaw the tackle. I mean the object is to eliminate injures. So no kick off and no tackles. Just wrap the guy up without taking him to the ground.
No more 4th down field goal try if you’re past the 50. You automatically get the point unless you go for two.
If you elect to punt theres no return. Wherever the ball stops is the starting position. If it goes in the end zone you start on the 30 and if it goes out of bounds you start on the 40.
No more QB sneaks. To much of a chance for injury.
why even bother with kickoff anymore if its coming down to this. just start at the 25.
I can see Butker, my favorite player, not want to kick these because it’s gonna change his mechanics and give him bad reps.
Is this a potential concern for kickers in your opinion?
We’ll see how Matt Araiza does.
I’d prefer the punt on a kickoff. Same rules as a punt (only two guys go on the hike) except the onside kick will be if the kicking team gains 15 yards they keep the ball. This will allow the surprise on-sides kick to stay alive and even a contested onside kick actually have a chance to succeed (there was only one successful last year). An added benefit is the receiving team can attempt to block the kick and get the ball.
The NFL is slow killing it's product just like nascar did.
They don’t care their corporate sponsors will give them money for life. They wouldn’t even care if nobody watched or went to the games
All I wish is CFL not changing their rules for kickoff. They have an awesome ruleset that shouldn't be changed.
I beleive the changes for the kickoff is going to overall improve the kickoff, while there are some interesting things that you mentioned in the video that maybe a minus, but overall the pluses are greater, When I saw this last summer in what is now UFL, I really liked it. The NFL will have more returns, which is a very exciting play to watch and do it in a safer way.
This kickoff design is actually better. What they killed was the defense being able to defense.
Defense was the best it’s been in years. Passing yards and rushing yards were way down.
Thank dog the CFL said "No, we are not going to f*ck up the kick off like this."
Just change the touchback to the 35 if it goes through the endzone, 25 if a player catches and takes a knee in the endzone, and at the 20 if it bounces in play then goes into the endzone, and keep the other old rules like where players line up. The onside kick should always be in play not something stupid that you declare you are doing.
All Special Teams Coordinators came together, developed and signed off on this new rule. They are conservatively projecting an additional 1600 plays per season due to the significant (read HUGE) reduction in touchbacks. Pat McAfee did a full 20 min breakdown with Saints ST Coach a week or so ago. Well worth watching and not gonna be the dumpster fire some think it is. Weird because it is different, YES, but a huge positive for the league with a play that had died already. I don't know the full extent of what passed, but the proposal stated no more surprise Onside kicks (there haven't been more than 5 attempts per year for a half dozen or so years now).
Every time you think the NFL can't get any worse.They surprise you.
And like that kickoffs are now a glorified Oklahoma drill
You say that as if people hated Oklahoma drill 🤨
@@Rastafarianinja you clearly weren't a lineman
@@ivdeadelendaest I played defensive tackle and guard, Oklahoma drill was my favorite lmao
@@ivdeadelendaest Oklahoma drill was my favorite because I rarely got the opportunity to lay the wood on someone in the open field, and sometimes my coaches would fuck around and let me carry the ball lol
@@RastafarianinjaOklahomas are fun compared to most of the other stuff you'd do in practice, but pretty boring compared to how the game used to be.
I feel like either moving the kicker back so they have to kick farther or moving the touchback line back so the returner has more incentive to return the ball would both be better solutions.
The onside kick is only mostly dead. Starting with the 4th quarter, teams can declare an onside kick in which case the teams line up how they have in the past.
No more surprise onside, it was the best play in sports!
I get that the main concern with these constant rule chances is player safety but the fact is if this trend continues, it's only a matter of time before they get rid of the kickoff altogether and replace it with a soccer-style system where the team who has the ball will simply start at the 30-yd line or something. It's already almost looking like that with the constant touchbacks anyway.
A kick off return has been the most exciting part of the GAME, they should keep the rules the same, just change the BALL for kickoffs and make it heavier or less likelier to land pass the end zone, Special ball for kickoffs to ensure a return . If ball enters end zone on the fly , 5yard penalty and rekick.
I still haven't heard an explanation of how the onside kick is going to go.
I’m not gonna recognize the game without the Banned tackle and the Kicking rule 😢I hate the nfl
and I thought my idea was crazy of having the PAT score based on choosing to kick from the 10, the 20, the 30, the 40, or the 50 with corresponding points for each range 10 yards = 1, 20 yards = 2 points and so on. So a team could go for as much as 5 extra points on the PAT attempt. But a miss and the other team gets the ball from that spot or choose to receive it on a kickoff. Think about it before you get the straight jacket for me.
Is there any ideas to rework OLine tactics like traps or pulls create imbalances? I know without the threat of a pass, the blocking scheme is much different, but I feel there's a little wiggle room beyond "Block in front of you."
It should just be forced to be a punt. Way safer and way more exciting.
Bad snaps.
Blocks.
Muffs.
Hang time and direction matters. Cluld be a coffin kick with a good bounce/coverage.
More exciting returns.
Maybe set a 15 or 20 yard to gain that the punting team could get to keep the ball on a fake or wild play.
We've now devolved to Australian rules football?
Idk, I'm looking forward to line drive squib kicks aimed at taking off returners heads.
Players having to wait for the ball to drop means hangtime is a bad thing for the kicker now.
Kickers goal is to bounce the ball into the landing zone and roll it out the endzone to place it at the 20.
Returners just have to not muff a line drive.
I think if they changed the whole lineup up on the line for the return team it would add some interesting schemes. Maybe say they have to line up within a Max of 10 yards off the line. Allow for some ability to create formations. Allow the same for the kickoff but maybe a 5 yard window.
Can't wait for the other new rules to come out.
1. No defender is allowed to touch the quarterback till he crosses the line of scrimmage
2. On 3rd down with more than 8 yards to go, the defense is only allowed 9 men on the field.
3. No more than 5 defenders are allowed to cross the line of scrimmage on any play.
4. Once a ball carrier runs by a defender, that defender is no longer allowed to participate in the play. No chasing.
5. Once a receiver is more than 5 yards past the line, no defender can touch or impede them until they catch the ball.
6. Fair catches are allowed on passes more than 40 yards.
I don’t mind the formation for this kickoff. Maybe have one player on the kicking team allowed to move around pre snap. But I do think that the receiving team should be able to line up however they want. Similar to defense. The offense should be set before the kick. Let one guy go in motion. But I would have it so the ball is live as it hits the ground. If the ball is kicked out of bounds inside the 20, that’s where it is spotted. Outside the 20 is a 15 yard penalty. The ball has to be kicked past the line where the receiving team lines up. Now the receiving team has to protect the sidelines and the field of play. The receiving team can be creative in setting up returns, but the kicking team controls where they want to kick it.
The title of your RUclips video reminds me of the MTV video for "Video Killed The Radio Star".
The players can't move until the ball is caught or can they move if the ball hits the ground first?
This isn’t in stone. If it doesn’t pan out, change it back the following season. Good to shake things up.
What i like about this new rule is if there is a kickoff touchdown then that is going to be way more exciting. :) We will see how well this does. If it bombs then they can always change it to something else or go back to the original rules.
Move when kicked, put everyone 10 yards away but have them all line up at midfield, touchbacks at the 40.
I predict a ton of offsides penalty’s. Players moving before ball is catched
Recent kickoff rules were absurd in a very boring way. They might as well just skip the kickoff and give the ball to the offense on the 25. The new rules seem to err in the opposite direction. The rules are deliberately complex and the kickoff will now be very chaotic and certain to lead to a lot of runbacks. Teams will be obligated to use their very best runner and risk injuring them. It also diminishes the need for a skilled kicker as it doesn't take much to kick within the zone and teams may opt for a better defender to kick the ball.
It’s a dangerous game, that’s why they get paid the big $$$$$$. If I wanted to watch a bunch of guys dance around lightly bumping j to each other, I’d watch soccer. Rugby and hockey is all that’s left.
As a high school WR/KR who has had a dream to play NFL ball essentially since birth, This is dumb. Every NFL K and KR will completely reset every thought and idea that they have been taught. JJ Watt said to just skip to flag football since we all know that’s what is coming, If so I’m not playing NFL football at all.
We don't care.
Why not just give teams the ball at the 25? Thats the direction the NFL is headed, eliminating kickoffs completely.
That's basically what happens now. This is an attempt to being real kickoffs back. At least they're trying to do something. Giving up suprise onside kicks in order to have kickoff returns without high injury risks is worth it
@@calvin7330no it isn't
@@Hingusbingus4It is for people who actually play or care about people that do. Someday someone will care about you little fella. Don’t give up hope.
Because they're not trying to get rid of kick offs, they're trying to lower the number of injuries while still maintaining special teams as an important position
@@ButterMilkPancakes Ater the first kickoff TD return teams will just kick it out of the endzone. Kickoffs are dead and punting is next.
As a rugby fan I like it. Hoping teams will start using some more lateral play.
I think it's a Jumbo play now. A big body like Derrick Henry is who you'd want returning in this format.
Make the field 120 yards now.
I love how in all the xfl clips it’s a hip drop tackle almost every time
All they had to do was eliminate the fair catch . But how ? Holy crap . " Hey you guys. , we're going to surprise you with an onside kick "
Well the other option is the AAF and no kickoffs at all, receiving team to starts on their own 20yard
You didn't even get close to describing the new rules accurately, lol.
Hi Isaac. This is a great new play and will make the KO game relevant and strategic. Be patient brother and open to change!
just wish they would come up with a solution for the onside kick, i like the 4th snd 20 or so idea
We will all feel less stress about missing the Kickoff when were late from the beer run.
Somebody in the main office had to do something to prove they were doing something; hence change a rule or this BS. It’s called I gotta keep my job.
As people stated, it's the 30 yard line for touchbacks. Based on the clips you played, it's a boring play that ends up between the 27 to the 33-yard lines, with no real returns. Why can't they just make them punts?
Bears now look like geniuses drafting Tory Taylor, he's gonna crush it this year!
They could probably just move the ball back to where it was before 2012. This new change seems to just be a solution to the problem they created when they changed it the first time.
Gonna see a lot of pitches this year. And a lot of flags from the non returner coming across the line and delivering hard hits to guys not looking at him.
About time. Past kickoffs were just a complete waste.
Don't watch near as much football since the excitement has been taken away. Give them a couple more years and football will b gone.
Its honestly like theyre trying to kill their viewership. This change along with the hip drop tackle rule are both terrible ideas
Football is dead to me.. All because of this stupid kickoff rule.. 😂
If they wanted more returns, they should have just moved the kicker back by ten yards
The NFL should have allowed the 2 on the right and left on the scrimmage line to be eligible receivers with the option to pass.
Would be nice if the kicking team could move once the ball bounces. Means a awkward bounce gives the team a chance to recover a badly fielded ball/ put pressure more quickly
They can. They can move as soon as the ball is caught or hits the ground...or presumably someone on the line.
Haven't played NFL myself, mostly AFL and Soccer, but this feels like it should probably turn hard into a knuckleball style kick, or a banana kick (AFL though don't know how well that would work from a pin) where possible, to make it really hard to field cleanly.
50 FT distance with a low fly ball that can take vary a lot with Wind, or that has a hard turn designed into the bounce feels like you could probably get to a point where the fielder can't get into range before it hit's the ground.
Am curious what happens if it hit's the ground and isn't fielded but stays in the landing zone if anyone knows.
For those who wanted to why the NFL adapted this rule it’s because of two reasons.
1. It encourages more returns
2. It helps with player safety
A lot of the rules the NFL has implemented over the last 15 years with kickoff/kickoff return has been in the name of safety. But it also killed the play. The XFL found the solution to have both. So sorry for those who want it to be back to the old school rules it’s not gonna happen because it’s unsafe to have these athletes run 50+ yards down the field at full speed colliding with no control.
A few more notes:
- The return yard average is only slightly lower in the XFL compared to the NFL so with more speed and better talent in the NFL there’s potential to see a huge spike in return yard average and touchdowns
- This new adaptation has only seen 1.5 seasons of action. It’s in its infancy so it’ll take a while for special teams coordinators to find creative ways to get returners in the open field (the spread offense and 4-2-5 defense didn’t just exist on day 1 of the NFL existing)
So if you don’t love the set up at least keep an open mind about it. It’s meant to bring back a part of the game that has been neutered for years.
Special teams coaches have some ciphering to do. It looks a lot like the eight man football they play in small high schools