The NFL's New Kickoff Rule

The most significant change to the NFL rule book in a very long time was approved last week by NFL owners.  It's my view that the new rule is a major improvement, more exciting to watch and comes with a very important benefit:   It is safer for the players.  

A good starting point to understand the concept is that if you paused past NFL Kickoffs at the point that the coverage team is at the 40 yard line, it would look pretty much the same as the below snip with the MAJOR difference that in the old way of kicking off the coverage team would be at full speed while in the new rule, nobody on the field can budge until the ball is fielded by a returner. 

Let's take a look at the basics of the new NFL kickoff rule:

- The coverage team lines up at the other team's 40 yard line, 25 yards "ahead" of the ball, which will continue to be kicked off from the 35 yard line.  

- 9 members of the return team will be lined up between 5 and 10 yards away.

- 2 returners must line up in the landing zone, which is between the goal line and the 20 yard line.

- Nobody except the kicker and returners can move until the ball is touched or touches the ground. 

.

- If the ball is kicked into the endzone or out of the endzone for a touchback, the ball will be placed on the 30 yard line instead of the 25.

- if the kickoff is short of the 20 yard line or out of bounds, the returning team gets the ball at the 40 yard line.

- Any kick that hits the "landing zone" (between the goal line and the 20 yard line) "must be returned"

- if a kick hits the ground in the landing zone and bounces into the end zone, it can be returned or downed.  if the returning team downs a kick in the end zone  that touched the landing zone, it only gets the ball at the 20 yard line.

This is all modeled largely (but not exactly, the NFL version has tweaks) on the kickoff that has been used by the XFL and here is a video example.

This change to the NFL rule book will have many impacts, from roster decisions to the talents required of a kicker, to special teams coaching and strategy.  Furthermore, on-side kicks are no longer allowed except in the 4th quarter and if an on side kick is attempted, it will need to be revealed by the kicking team and of course, in that case, the teams will line up differently for the on side kick.

The Brown BLog plan to dive into all of the many nuances of the new kickoff rule over the coming weeks.

Stay tuned!