In order to make kickoffs safer, the NFL made kickoffs almost meaningless.
On Wednesday, NFL Vice President of Officiating Troy Vincent clarified the league’s understanding of the play.
“I think the kickoff stats say it all,” Vincent said. “Today is a dead ritual drama.”
With various changes aimed at reducing the frequency of occurrence and making play safer, it has become obsolete and ceremonial. By moving the kickoff point to the 35, moving touchbacks to the 25, and allowing teams to call fair catches within the 25 and gain possession in the 25 for 2023, the return will be significantly reduced.
So what happens next?
“This is where we get to work with the special teams coaches,” Vincent said. “We have a committee of several head coaches and special teams coaches. This is a one-year rule and we have to deal with it. Today’s return rate is he’s 20%. It’s weak.”
As PFT explained in August, the N.F.L. Considering the XFL’s kickoff configuration. There, the kick occurs at the 30-yard line. All players on the kicking team, other than the kicker, line up on the receiving team’s 35-yard line. His 10 of the players on the receiving team he is located 5 yards away. Only the kicker and returner can move before the kicking player touches the ball.
This approach reduces high-speed collisions by crowding players together and minimizing run-offs. Maybe I can only call it a play.
Of course, that would also require an onside kick alternative along the lines of the 4th-and-15 play that the XFL employs. To replace kickoffs, the NFL would have to embrace both aspects of the XFL’s approach.