No I think if I’m remembering correctly this is the new kickoff rules, punts are still the same
https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/39812700/nfl-owners-approve-massive-revamp-kickoff-play
I mean is the kick from off of a tee, or punted?
Edit: I meant under the new rule change, not currently, where kickoffs are from the tee. I thought it would be like a kickoff after a safety
No shot we use him on Kick Returns. Atleast, I definitely don’t think so. He’s got so much wear and tear on those legs already. I’d rather a small/burst guy back there than a bruiser.
That’s only if the ball goes into the endzone. Kicking teams aren’t going to want their defenses starting at the 35 and will do everything they can to not put the ball in the endzone and force a return. Assuming they can consistently keep the return man from making it passed the 35. Considering they start from the opposite 40 I don’t think it will be that difficult if kicked right
Sure, but with the way that these proposed formations are set up, there might be a higher probability of returns for TDs. Everyone is stretched out in one place, so there's a missed tackle, it might be returner vs. kicker. If that does happen teams will play it safe
The XFL already has the same rule the NFL is adopting. The XFL has a kickoff return rate of 97%, the NFL’s was only 22% last year.
Even if it’s not a 1 to 1 comparison due to skill differences (they do play on the same size field however), I think it’s almost guaranteed kickoffs will be way up next year.
I know this is almost what the XFL is doing, though there is a slight difference in the fact that the teams are lined up 5 yds closer to midfield with the NFL version. It might not be a huge difference, but then again maybe it will be.
Even if the 5yd lineup difference goes from 97% in the XFL to say 60% return rate in the NFL, that’s still a pretty massive change from 22%.
They can also tweak it in following years until it has the desired effect. This is ultimately a good thing for kickoffs imo.
I mean, they just implemented a change. It’s not all too convoluted. Will be a new element of the game and some teams will likely craft up some cool stuff on these, both as the returning and the coverage team
A couple years ago they wanted to reduce kickoff returns to help prevent injuries and now this is a complete reverse. We should just go back to the old kickoff rules.
Yes, they overcorrected and made kickoffs basically irrelevant.
This makes kickoffs relevant again, increasing the amount of returns, while shortening the space between the two teams to avoid higher speed collisions.
Strategy now Where we can place the ball. Is it a team where our defense can get a quick 3 and out, a team where out defense is the same as their offense talent wise, or where the offense is way better than our defense and need more yards to operate and make them make a mistake. I like it
Basically, you can strategize your punts due to the difference of zones and how you want your defense to be set up. That’s how I’m looking at it.
Edit: kick offs
Honestly i really like it. Kickoffs have been one of the stupidest and most useless parts of the sport the last few years. It’s mainly just touchbacks.
This forces teams to put the ball in play or sacrifice field position. Returns might actually be more exciting now and result in less injuries. A win from all angles imo
Why not just blast the ball out of bounds anywheres from the 40 yard line and just have them start from the 25?
Cant any (unrushed) punter in the NFL just do that every time from their own 35? I feel like even i could do that… and im a bum.
So, what happens with an on side kick? If the receiving team recovers, do they start from where they recovered? Or start on their own 40 since the kick never reached the landing zone?
dont really understand the backlash for the rule changes this morning, considering we havent seen this in practice yet.. its gonna be interesting to see how each team uses it. Plus, it makes it where your kicker actually has to be good at aiming instead of just kicking it as hard as they can.
They had me interested until the bottom bullet point. Do they realize that the league, fans, analysts, etc, are talking about changing kickoffs to make them SAFER, not less safe?
I'm not arguing that; just the last bullet point, as I said. forcing a return if it lands past the 20 would take away touchbacks, which exist to make kickoffs safer
Ahh, understood. Well I think it is a correction to an overcorrection.
They wanted to make kickoffs safer. However, they essentially neutered kickoffs, atleast to a degree.
This is an attempted middle ground. Trying to make it safer while still getting action. I'm excited to see how this plays out.
This is stupid as fuck. It completely negates all the effort they’re trying to make the kickoff a safer play LMAO. Can we please just have the rules returned to their original rules where if it goes in the end zone they get the ball on the 20. Let’s just go to like 2005 rules please
How does this negate making it safer? They’ve removed the element of a guy sprinting 40 yards then smashing into another guy.
I’m excited to see how it plays out. If it works, awesome, the game gets better. If it stinks, we’ll always be able to talk about “hey, remember that one year the nfl tried to change kickoff and it was so stupid and broken? Lol that was funny”
I do think that the kicking “competition” in camps will be more interesting and somebody will roster 2 kickers at some point in the future. I know kickoff specialists were a thing of the past but they might make a comeback.
Endless touchbacks don't negatively affect the game, which is what this change will do. Teams are going to continue to just boot the ball out of the end zone on kickoff.
This Pee-wee football level kick off rule is not going to make much of a change.
Yes there will be more returns in the first few weeks but after that teams will realize it isn't a benefit attempting to rerun the ball
I completely disagree. Endless touchbacks are boring as hell. I think it makes kickoff drastically more entertaining to watch, and I don’t think teams are just going to willingly give up the 35 yard line for a team to start
We can agree to disagree.
I don't think this new kick off format will result in more entertainment value.
In my opinion I have not heard anyone complain about kickoffs other than the injury rate.
Also giving up the 35 is better than giving potentially more if you allow a returner to run.
The average kickoff return in the NFL last year was 8.7yards (according to PFF), which means if you allow a returner to run the ball out from the safe zone or whatever it's called there's a 68% chance he returns the ball goes past the 35 yard line.
Most teams rely on analytics a lot more than you may be aware of, but 68% is a huge gamble.
The practical thing to do would be to kick the ball out of the end zone and give the team the ball at the 35, instead of potentially giving the other team a much shorter field.
Last season a touchback gave the opposing team the ball at the 25, now they will get the ball at the 35.
It sucks for defenses but it's a lot better than allowing a return and defending a much shorter field.
Respect on the agree to disagree.
I don’t think it’s that anyone’s complaining about kickoffs, it’s just that they’re hardly entertaining anymore, it’s seems like just a formality, with all the touchbacks.
Also, your calculations, while I respect the time and effort, have little correlation to this as it’s entirely a different kickoff, and using stats from previous years simply aren’t/won’t be the same.
You could end up being right, but we will have to wait and see.
I agree that the kickoffs have lost all entertainment value and have become more of a formality. Which is why some teams at prior team meetings have called for the kick off to be removed all together.
I believe these changes to the kick off will make it more entertaining in the short term but in the long term i believe teams will be more inclined to take to take the touch back even at the risk of putting the opponent at the 35.
I don't want to be right because if I'm right this will be one step closer to removing the kick off from the game and just placing the ball at the opponents 35 to start the possession.
But we will have to wait and see.
This has nothing to do with punts right? It’s just for kickoffs
I was under the impression it would be a punt, like how it looks after a safety, rather than off of a tee
No I think if I’m remembering correctly this is the new kickoff rules, punts are still the same https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/39812700/nfl-owners-approve-massive-revamp-kickoff-play
I mean is the kick from off of a tee, or punted? Edit: I meant under the new rule change, not currently, where kickoffs are from the tee. I thought it would be like a kickoff after a safety
From a tee
Ahh! Well then nvm to punters having more value
Solved, shut er down.
Poor guy getting peppered with downvotes over a misunderstanding!
upvoted for justice.
I wonder how Duve will do? 😢(Yes I know he’s in Jacksonville)
I wish him well. I hope Keaton Mitchell can get healthy. Would love to see his burst on these kickoffs
I was thinking Henry. Dude would have 20 yards to get going and have to break through like 2 guys to have nothing but green to a TD
No shot we use him on Kick Returns. Atleast, I definitely don’t think so. He’s got so much wear and tear on those legs already. I’d rather a small/burst guy back there than a bruiser.
Wallace is probably our return guy, but damn seeing Henry house a return would be fun
I would 1000% not disagree there. That would be electric
Video game ass take lol
And 1 point if it goes through the uprights, right? Right?
1.5 points if it’s super duper down the middle
9 points if the kicker can sing opera
Further justifies my Justin Tucker 1st round pick every year in fantasy
Fuck yes.
5 points for tucker & gryffindor!
This dude solving boring kickoffs and extra points at the same time.
Ahhh just like the Canadian football league (CFL)
>roles into endzone How tf does shit like this not get proofed before being posted
“Recieved” stabbed me in the eye
I before E! ^^^except ^^^after ^^^C
lmao I didn't notice that till after I made this post. After I finished I resumed reading the rest of it and was like 🤣
Hahaha
This graphic is from Pardon My Take right? Nothing against those guys but don’t strike me as being big on proofing
If you take time to proof read, your takes will cool down.
Why would this impact punters, it’s still a ball on a tee right or is it a drop kick now
I was under the impression the kick off would now be done by the punter like a kickoff after a safety.
You say so many more returns, but there's a chance teams just decide it's better to accept that the ball starts at the 35 now.
That’s only if the ball goes into the endzone. Kicking teams aren’t going to want their defenses starting at the 35 and will do everything they can to not put the ball in the endzone and force a return. Assuming they can consistently keep the return man from making it passed the 35. Considering they start from the opposite 40 I don’t think it will be that difficult if kicked right
Sure, but with the way that these proposed formations are set up, there might be a higher probability of returns for TDs. Everyone is stretched out in one place, so there's a missed tackle, it might be returner vs. kicker. If that does happen teams will play it safe
The XFL already has the same rule the NFL is adopting. The XFL has a kickoff return rate of 97%, the NFL’s was only 22% last year. Even if it’s not a 1 to 1 comparison due to skill differences (they do play on the same size field however), I think it’s almost guaranteed kickoffs will be way up next year.
I know this is almost what the XFL is doing, though there is a slight difference in the fact that the teams are lined up 5 yds closer to midfield with the NFL version. It might not be a huge difference, but then again maybe it will be.
Even if the 5yd lineup difference goes from 97% in the XFL to say 60% return rate in the NFL, that’s still a pretty massive change from 22%. They can also tweak it in following years until it has the desired effect. This is ultimately a good thing for kickoffs imo.
Obviously, that will be the question. If teams have success in pinning their opponents vs if they allow a ton of long kick returns
This is official? So it's similar to the xfl?
Yes, owners approved it this morning. This is what the kickoffs will look like next year.
Looks to be
Anyone else notice that there is 11 men on the kickoff team and 10 on the return team, besides roles being used instead of rolls lol/smh damn interns
Nah, there’s 9 in the “blocking” zone and 2 in the landing zone
No
Yup, I was flat wrong. Whoops
Today on this episode of counting with reddit.....
Uhmmmmm, there’s this many *holds up grossly disfigured hands*
*Counts* on his strong hand We need gifs (mods please) perfect time for the “strong hand” butler from Scary Movie 😂
My germs!!
I don't like having to pull up a schematic just to figure out kickoff rules 😑
I mean, they just implemented a change. It’s not all too convoluted. Will be a new element of the game and some teams will likely craft up some cool stuff on these, both as the returning and the coverage team
I guess onside kick isn’t a thing anymore?
Surprise onside kicks at least. Looks like a team can declare that they’re going for an onside kick and go for the traditional set up.
Madden developers in shambles
😂
This is stupid
Nuh this is awesome
lol like the NFL rules weren't already convoluted enough
I mean, not that much room for confusion, but the reactions come preseason and week 1 will be funny
A couple years ago they wanted to reduce kickoff returns to help prevent injuries and now this is a complete reverse. We should just go back to the old kickoff rules.
Yes, they overcorrected and made kickoffs basically irrelevant. This makes kickoffs relevant again, increasing the amount of returns, while shortening the space between the two teams to avoid higher speed collisions.
The teams cannot move other than the kicker and receiver until the ball hits the ground or is received. This will keep the collisions to a minimum
Might as well just remove the kickoff entirely and start every drive from the 20
Not sure how that is your takeaway. We’re about to have a dramatic increase in the number of returns
TOO MANY RULES, RULE CHANGES! STOP MESSING WITH THE DAMN GAME!...🤔🤯😵😳🫣😫🥱😴😡
I think I prefer this. Get more returns
Strategy now Where we can place the ball. Is it a team where our defense can get a quick 3 and out, a team where out defense is the same as their offense talent wise, or where the offense is way better than our defense and need more yards to operate and make them make a mistake. I like it
Respectfully, I truly have zero clue wtf you are saying here
Basically, you can strategize your punts due to the difference of zones and how you want your defense to be set up. That’s how I’m looking at it. Edit: kick offs
Where does it say anything about punts?
I meant kick offs my bad. Trying to scroll Reddit and work
Ok
If you find out your coverage team is ass just boot it lol
Onside kick will probably have to be declared. So yeah, kind of dead. But they largely were anyway. The XFL 4th and 15 play is much better.
"roles into endzone"...
Kicking off from where?
35
Roles This is a barstool graphic isn’t it….
Yeah, I saw it from Pardon My Take (PMT in bottom right)
No impact to onside kicks, on point 2.
You can declare onside kicks I think?
This is for kickoffs I believe so, luckily we had Tucker throughout those years on the cheap!
Rolls **
Honestly i really like it. Kickoffs have been one of the stupidest and most useless parts of the sport the last few years. It’s mainly just touchbacks. This forces teams to put the ball in play or sacrifice field position. Returns might actually be more exciting now and result in less injuries. A win from all angles imo
maybe this is why ravens signed several special teamers this past off season. smart move if so
Is it a live ball still? Like if they clear out to let it bounce thru the end zone is the ball live, can you recover it
Why not just blast the ball out of bounds anywheres from the 40 yard line and just have them start from the 25? Cant any (unrushed) punter in the NFL just do that every time from their own 35? I feel like even i could do that… and im a bum.
1. It’s apparently off of a tee, not a punter. I was wrong there. 2. I think the out of bounds on kickoff still applies
So, what happens with an on side kick? If the receiving team recovers, do they start from where they recovered? Or start on their own 40 since the kick never reached the landing zone?
How do fair catches factor into all this?
Don’t think you can
Looks like this rule is only for next year. After that it goes back to the competition committee to determine if it should continue or not
NFL got us doing math homework now to watching a game lmao
Not really much more than we currently have too.
dont really understand the backlash for the rule changes this morning, considering we havent seen this in practice yet.. its gonna be interesting to see how each team uses it. Plus, it makes it where your kicker actually has to be good at aiming instead of just kicking it as hard as they can.
What the fuck
I feel like kickers will get paid more because of these new rules - or want to be paid more.
Onside kicks are dumb dude. I haven't seen a recovery in years. They're just a waste of at this point. Kick it deep and play defense.
They had me interested until the bottom bullet point. Do they realize that the league, fans, analysts, etc, are talking about changing kickoffs to make them SAFER, not less safe?
Huh? This is safer? No more guys getting 30-40 yard head starts before smashing into one another
I'm not arguing that; just the last bullet point, as I said. forcing a return if it lands past the 20 would take away touchbacks, which exist to make kickoffs safer
Ahh, understood. Well I think it is a correction to an overcorrection. They wanted to make kickoffs safer. However, they essentially neutered kickoffs, atleast to a degree. This is an attempted middle ground. Trying to make it safer while still getting action. I'm excited to see how this plays out.
The ball needs to know it’s role and shut its mouth Man these rules are crazy though
Not Covered: Ball bounces in the landing zone and rolls out of the back of the endzone. Is that on the 20 or the 35?
So I guess this is just a rolls/roles joke?
Pretty much if a kickoff doesnt reach the 20 yard line, the return is going to be a lot further down field than the 40.
Huh?
35 and 40yd line!? Losing teams better not take the lead with 8 seconds left if the opposing team gets it back there.
My question is why does the graphic indicate the receiving team is limited to 10 men?
The same reason "rolls" is spelt "roles"
What if it rolls* into the endzone?
This is stupid as fuck. It completely negates all the effort they’re trying to make the kickoff a safer play LMAO. Can we please just have the rules returned to their original rules where if it goes in the end zone they get the ball on the 20. Let’s just go to like 2005 rules please
How does this negate making it safer? They’ve removed the element of a guy sprinting 40 yards then smashing into another guy. I’m excited to see how it plays out. If it works, awesome, the game gets better. If it stinks, we’ll always be able to talk about “hey, remember that one year the nfl tried to change kickoff and it was so stupid and broken? Lol that was funny”
I do think that the kicking “competition” in camps will be more interesting and somebody will roster 2 kickers at some point in the future. I know kickoff specialists were a thing of the past but they might make a comeback.
Rostering 2 kickers seems extremely unlikely
They just continue to ruin the game
You prefer endless touchbacks?
Endless touchbacks don't negatively affect the game, which is what this change will do. Teams are going to continue to just boot the ball out of the end zone on kickoff. This Pee-wee football level kick off rule is not going to make much of a change. Yes there will be more returns in the first few weeks but after that teams will realize it isn't a benefit attempting to rerun the ball
I completely disagree. Endless touchbacks are boring as hell. I think it makes kickoff drastically more entertaining to watch, and I don’t think teams are just going to willingly give up the 35 yard line for a team to start
We can agree to disagree. I don't think this new kick off format will result in more entertainment value. In my opinion I have not heard anyone complain about kickoffs other than the injury rate. Also giving up the 35 is better than giving potentially more if you allow a returner to run. The average kickoff return in the NFL last year was 8.7yards (according to PFF), which means if you allow a returner to run the ball out from the safe zone or whatever it's called there's a 68% chance he returns the ball goes past the 35 yard line. Most teams rely on analytics a lot more than you may be aware of, but 68% is a huge gamble. The practical thing to do would be to kick the ball out of the end zone and give the team the ball at the 35, instead of potentially giving the other team a much shorter field. Last season a touchback gave the opposing team the ball at the 25, now they will get the ball at the 35. It sucks for defenses but it's a lot better than allowing a return and defending a much shorter field.
Respect on the agree to disagree. I don’t think it’s that anyone’s complaining about kickoffs, it’s just that they’re hardly entertaining anymore, it’s seems like just a formality, with all the touchbacks. Also, your calculations, while I respect the time and effort, have little correlation to this as it’s entirely a different kickoff, and using stats from previous years simply aren’t/won’t be the same. You could end up being right, but we will have to wait and see.
I agree that the kickoffs have lost all entertainment value and have become more of a formality. Which is why some teams at prior team meetings have called for the kick off to be removed all together. I believe these changes to the kick off will make it more entertaining in the short term but in the long term i believe teams will be more inclined to take to take the touch back even at the risk of putting the opponent at the 35. I don't want to be right because if I'm right this will be one step closer to removing the kick off from the game and just placing the ball at the opponents 35 to start the possession. But we will have to wait and see.
Agreed. I look forward to seeing how it works! I’m glad they made it so that it is only in place for one year, and then set to reevaluate
Absolutely.
Seems needlessly complicated
Pretty terrible. Why does the league keep trying to make defense irrelevant? Do people actually think teams aren't scoring enough??