This upcoming NFL season is going to be a whole lot different with the introduction of new rules inspired by the XFL football league and online memes from the Adam Sandler movie “The Waterboy.” The NFL approved 29-3 in favor of changing the kickoff rules.
This new rule will feature the following change: “10 players on the kicking team and at least nine players on the receiving team will line up just five yards apart and won’t begin running until the ball gets back to the returner, meaning players won’t be going full speed when they crash into each other, which caused so many injuries on kickoffs in years past.”
The kicker is all by himself, which will be hilarious to watch, but also a weird adjustment as an avid football watcher. The kicker will not be able to cross the 50-yard line (midfield) until the ball reaches the returner. Once the ball hits the landing zone or the end zone or the returner catches the ball, it will be considered “in play.”
Another adjustment will be all other players on the kickoff. They will be lined up on the receiving team’s 40-yard line and all players must have at least one foot on the 40-yard line. You cannot load a bunch of players on one side of the ball like an onside kick, and the kicking team needs to have five players on each side of the ball.
The kickoff is ruined from a fan perspective, especially watching players like Devin Hester, Jacoby Jones and early Julian Edelman perform 100-yard kickoff return touchdowns. In recent years, the NFL has dealt with horrific freak injuries on kickoff returns and their main goal is to reduce those injuries with this new change. Keep in mind, players throughout the 2023-24 season demanded other adjustments like swapping out all turf fields to grass.
Hip-drop tackles have also been an ongoing topic this offseason for the NFL. They have finally banned the move because of the number of injuries that this tackle caused. NFL executive Jeff Miller said, “the tackle was used 230 times last season and resulted in 15 players missing time with injuries.”
The NFL is focused on the safety and reduction of injuries, but why are there so many changes all of a sudden? When watching games from the comfort of their homes, fans would usually tune in and get anxious around kickoff. The feeling of a dramatic 40-yard return to change the momentum of a game is gone. While it is a one-year trial rule, it’s unclear in what direction the NFL is trying to go.
A kicker must feel weird kicking and then watching 21 people all standing on the same side of the field waiting for the returner to start running. Onside kicks are no longer a surprise; you must tell the other team beforehand that you’re doing it. A kicker has to tailor their kick now in the landing zone. Where is the NFL going with a rule like this?
Shannon Sharpe on ESPN’s “First Take” said, “I’m not sure I could have made it to the NFL, I made the team and became the player that I became because I got an opportunity to play on special teams.”
Sharpe reiterated that he understood why the NFL went in this direction so that they could reduce collisions. Simply put, on special teams, you have to be a speedy animal to tackle someone and hit someone at such a high rate of speed. It’s fine that the kicker is kicking from the 35-yard line still, but all of the 10 guys on the kicking team line up at the 40- yard line?
Overall, it will be interesting to see if injuries are reduced by this new format and just how entertaining the beginning of the game will be. Will fans lose interest in the new format? Is the game evolving or declining? These are all questions NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell and his team need to consider this season.