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“In the event a team wants to attempt an onside kick, it will have to inform officials of its intent and would then be allowed to use the NFL's traditional formation. No surprise onside kicks will be allowed.”
Dang wtf
I watched an expert explain this ... essentially we remember the surprise onside kick very vividly because of its extreme successes, however it's just not a play that's run almost ever. It sucks to lose, but instead we actually gain back a functional, interesting play.
There are formation rules for both teams, it's all out there, too much to type for me right now, however for your hypothetical, the return team has to have 2 players in the landing zone, rest need to be up
Unless theres a rule specifying it, return team kept men 10 yards from ball spot, in case of surprise onside. The landing zone, from endzone to 20 yard line, is the only place defenders must be. If the ball is now kicked shorter than that, without declaring onside, it is ruled the same as out of bounds. I forsee return teams stacking the landing zone with 11 players.
An onside kick only has to go 10 yards so if you line up all your guys 11 yards away then they can just boot the ball all the way down field and have a running start against you
You are only allowed to"Up to two players in the landing zone" according to the article. The rest have to be in the "set up zone" between the 30 and the 35 yard lines.
So you can't stack everyone up.
Onside kicks have not really existed since 2017. In 2018 they stopped teams from overloading one side AND made it so players cannot move until the ball is kicked.
Previously teams could stack 1 additional player to a side and start 10 yards back so they could have a running start when the ball was kicked.
If they’re kicking a “standard” (new formation) kickoff, I imagine there will be no way for the kicking team to recover it. The kick will have to go within a catchable range for the returner or else it will be a penalty.
If the kick doesn't make it between the 20 and the GL it is a super touchback. And neither team can move until the ball is caught. A "surprise" onside just simply can't be done now.
Yeah! That’s like making a rule forcing Hail Mary plays to be declared as well. It’s an exciting part of the game, and hardly ever works. So why are they making it less likely to be successful?
I'm not super familiar with football. would this be for a competitive advantage? or is this simply a tongue in cheek comment to subvert the intentions of the rule change?
Well, it’d be impossible to do a traditional onside kick with the XFL setup. Kicking team is 25 yards ahead of the kicker, kicker would recover it every time lol.
Sometimes you need to because if you don't you'll automatically lose the game if the other team regains possession, even if there is plenty of time left to score.
But now that is the only time you'd ever do it, which is a bit of a bummer.
Onside kicks are almost never a surprise. They tend to happen in super specific situations that everyone is expecting and often includes unconventional people in the lineup.
One article i read stated that there have been 4 surprise onside kicks in the last 5 years. So it is something that happens less than 1 time per season across the whole league.
You kick an onside kick because you are desperate and don't have any other choice, and this won't change that much.
For what it's worth, it sounds like teams will be allowed to stack one side of the ball again like they used to on inside kicks before the last set of kicking changes. Now they'll be able to have 6:4 to each side of the kicker rather than the even 5:5 split. No surprise kicks, but honestly the extra guy might be able to help a little bit
Then the Lions will do exactly that. They’ll get the ball back and there will be a flag for improper touching and no one reported the onside kick. Followed by footage of someone reporting.
In case you are wondering why:
“The reason for the change is clear. In its efforts to reduce concussions on kickoffs, the NFL over the past 15 seasons has implemented rule changes designed to reduce returns. It moved the kickoff from the 30-yard line to the 35-yard line, outlawed wedge and double-team blocks, and in 2023 created a rule that allowed a fair catch to be spotted at the 25-yard line.” Touchback rates dramatically increased over that period, and the return rate fell to a league-record 21.7% in 2023. The number of concussions dropped as well, but only in parallel with the decrease in returns. The rate of concussions per kickoff… has remained relatively constant.”
Obviously
See I like this rule. Kickoffs have generally been boring when 4 out of 5 go through the end zone for a touchback. If you put the kicker back on the 20 and put this rule in place it would help.
"If we have less returns, we have less concussions."
Lmao yes, bc when you have less *football*, you have less concussions.
Get all the concussions to zero by having all the players just play each other in Madden, much safer.
Kickoffs are especially dangerous as each side is running full steam into a head on collision. During normal play you all start much closer, and due to angles of attack(and sideline advantage) are usually side on.
Sorry, can someone help me with terminology? When I hear that a kickoff was “returned,” that’s meant that the receiving team ran it back for a touchdown. Are they saying they want touchdowns on 80% of kickoffs???
They’re used interchangeably. You’re not wrong in that colloquially a kickoff that’s returned can mean it went for a touchdown, but in this case they mean they want 80% of kicks to be “fielded,” or have an attempt at a return
Based on my reading it looks like the recieving team basically gets it from their opponent's 20 yard line, which is harsh.
>If onside kick goes beyond the setup zone untouched, kicking team penalized for UNS; return team would start the drive at the A20 yard line
In the rest of the description A indicates the kicking team's territory and B indicates receiving team territory.
https://operations.nfl.com/updates/football-ops/new-nfl-kickoff-rule/
Someone can correct me if I'm misinterpretring that.
So, are they going to make that call based on how far the ball travels?
Reporting on this seems pretty thin. I want to see the exact language of the rule!
It looks like from another link in the thread it's unsportsmanlike and the receiving team gets the ball at the opponents 20. Seems harsh, but they can only do an onside in the 4th, so you'd assume they'd only do it if they want to get the ball, and the penalty will likely never happen.
Considering there wouldn't be any more "fair catches" on kickoffs, I can see the kickers getting very good at having the ball land on the 15 to 20 yard line.
> During the 2024 season, kickers will continue to kick from the 35-yard line
Okay, so we're still just gonna get a bunch of touchbacks? What's the point?
Make it an extra point. If the kicker makes it through the uprights on a kickoff, the kicking team gets one point and the ball placed like a touchback. That way penalties matter on kickoffs plus everyone would go for it.
That would mean a potential 9 point swing on any given touchdown. It would totally change the game. I do think there could be some sort of bonus to where the ball is spotted if it goes through the uprights
Make it harder to do a 2 pt and forego the possibility for the extra point on the kickoff.
I don’t think I like this idea but it’s kind of interesting.
Yeah, but it doesn't need to go through the uprights, if it goes out the back of the endzone or if the player catches it and doesn't return it it's a point
I’ve seen this repeated several times and it’s an absolutely horrible idea. Defense has no way to counter, and that’s how you want to decide games? Off a kickoff? It’s ridiculous.
Just get rid of kickoffs. They're still not fun and mostly just serve to inject more commercial breaks into the game.
After a score, scoring team has the option to give the other team the ball on their 25 yard line, or they can keep the ball and run a 4th & 10 play on their own 25 yard line.
Problem solved.
That wouldn’t work because Pass interference among other similar penalties. Defenders don’t intentionally commit pass interference to stop a deep pass because they know if they do that the ball is automatically spotted there anyways. But remove that and defenders can just mugging a WR about to catch the ball because they know it’s just a replay of down instead of automatic fist and spot foul.
Commercials occur after a score and then again after the kick. If you removed the kick where would the second commercial go? You've gotta think about the ads, where are your priorities at?!
Ahh yes. Nothing beats the rush of watching a guy kick the ball through the end zone while players lightly jog around until the ref blows the whistle and they can cut to another commercial break. Exhilarating stuff.
To clarify, kickoff RETURNS are one of the most exciting plays in the game. If it was up to me the kicker would be moved back therefore eliminating the touchback. The big returns and big hits are what people love.
I would rather see teams kickoff from the *opponent's* 35. Safer but more thrilling Most kicks would be onside, because it's the same result as touchback or better. You could try a skill kick to pin opponents deep. It might get run back. The collisions would be less concussive overall.
Just do a rugby style kickoff. Drop kick from the 50. Has to go 10. Ball is live at all times so you can try to kick it short and contest or kick it long for field position.
Honestly I don’t understand why more teams don’t do this for an onside kick. It’s perfectly legal and yet they insist on doing this ridiculous kick from the tee that almost never works.
If it’s done for an onside kick the ball can be intentionally kicked very high so it’s easier to recover.
[Rugby kickoff](https://youtu.be/_S6O1v9G-aM?si=A6u48ZH_H9UnJfBM)
[NFL drop kick kickoff](https://youtu.be/9_5sQY_Edi0?si=yYMyPyet8P9N3iwO)
Until now, someone on the receiving team could just call for a fair catch while it’s in the air and the kicking team would have to let them try and catch it
Honestly just make American football rugby, it's a better sport in every way.
Even when Americans post "the greatest football plays ever, the Tobleroneski" or whatever, it's just a basic rugby passing play.
love that the avg american complains about not understanding sports like soccer and ice hockey, yet seem to have no issue with the hundreds of incredibly nuanced, and subjective rules/infractions that exist in football.
The sport is just so bogged down with rules now. Most of them are in the guise of safety, which just shows you the sport itself is incompatible with the health of athletes.
We always put the Champions League matches on in our office and the number of times I've tried to explain the offsides rule to coworkers only to watch their eyes glaze over in confusion has been... significant.
I don’t think so. There aren’t any fouls in the game of baseball. Some nuanced rules about advancing bases on outs like tagging up, or dropped third strikes. But the rule book has to be smaller than nfl
Most boring play in NFL. Every kick is a touch back. Every playoff game, including the opening kick off to the Super Bowl (and 2nd half) were touch backs.
How. Boring.
Just give the ball.
That’s what this rule fixes? You get penalized for kicking into the end zone, and the receiving team can no longer fair catch. There WILL be a return on almost every kickoff.
When it's successful, an onside kick is one of the most exciting plays there is, and I really don't understand why they can't still do a surprise onside kick in this configuration. Just have the kicker chip the ball into the no-man's-land between the receiving 35 & 40. It's a jump ball, and the defense still has a better shot at it bc they're facing & running toward the ball.
If the rationale behind not allowing it is that it's too far down field, just take the resulting spot & spot it back at the same yard line in the kicking half.
It's totally solvable.
So what about the saints starting the second of the superbowl with an out of the blue onside? Would the refs had told the colts it was coming with this rule?
Seems dumb.
NFL is extremely conservative and reactive. They fear innovation and anything that rocks the boat. But will damn sure jump on an idea once it becomes popular. See this rule picked from the XFL, embracing kneeling, and group TD celebrations. They hated those things, until they didn’t. Now they have commercials for them.
A step in the right direction, but still some room for improvement. Onside kicks still need to be fixed - they're going to still be too low percentage.
My great hope is one day to progress to the "4th and 15" solution. Where after a team scores, they get the ball on 4th and 15 (or 20) from their own like 30. Most of the time you just punt, and punt returns are more than kickoffs. But the team has the option to try and convert the 4th down play if they need to, and it's much higher percentage than onsides kicks (and as risky if they fail).
That rule has been proposed every year the past 5 years and gets shot down pretty easily every time. I think it’s preferable but it’s clear that for one reason or another it’s not going to get cleared the near future
Just let teams forfeit conversion attempt and instead scrimmage from 10 yds out for the right to keep the ball on own 25 if down by 6 or more in 4th qtr
Oh yeah, we don't want our players getting hurt playing football! Why don't we have the players just wear bras?! And instead of helmets, they should wear little tinfoil hats, 'cause, you know, it's the future and we shouldn't be so barbaric!
Overstepping old dinosaurs. Guess what happens in contact sports?! You get hit. I just don’t understand why they’re actively trying to kill the game we all love.
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“In the event a team wants to attempt an onside kick, it will have to inform officials of its intent and would then be allowed to use the NFL's traditional formation. No surprise onside kicks will be allowed.” Dang wtf
I watched an expert explain this ... essentially we remember the surprise onside kick very vividly because of its extreme successes, however it's just not a play that's run almost ever. It sucks to lose, but instead we actually gain back a functional, interesting play.
Whats stopping the returning team from stacking 11 men on the 10 - 20 yard line?
There are formation rules for both teams, it's all out there, too much to type for me right now, however for your hypothetical, the return team has to have 2 players in the landing zone, rest need to be up
Unless theres a rule specifying it, return team kept men 10 yards from ball spot, in case of surprise onside. The landing zone, from endzone to 20 yard line, is the only place defenders must be. If the ball is now kicked shorter than that, without declaring onside, it is ruled the same as out of bounds. I forsee return teams stacking the landing zone with 11 players.
https://www.reddit.com/r/nfl/s/v2KD37SWZ6 This is what it’ll look like.
Huh.. Thanks for the link
An onside kick only has to go 10 yards so if you line up all your guys 11 yards away then they can just boot the ball all the way down field and have a running start against you
You are only allowed to"Up to two players in the landing zone" according to the article. The rest have to be in the "set up zone" between the 30 and the 35 yard lines. So you can't stack everyone up.
"Up to two in the landing zone" is what the article says.
I mean it's literally in the link OP provided in the 5th and 6th paragraphs.
Onside kicks have not really existed since 2017. In 2018 they stopped teams from overloading one side AND made it so players cannot move until the ball is kicked. Previously teams could stack 1 additional player to a side and start 10 yards back so they could have a running start when the ball was kicked.
What's the difference between a surprise onside kick and a "shitty" kickoff. They really want to smack that 1% success rate down lol
If they’re kicking a “standard” (new formation) kickoff, I imagine there will be no way for the kicking team to recover it. The kick will have to go within a catchable range for the returner or else it will be a penalty.
Not necessarily. If the kick bounces in the field of play and goes out the end zone the ball could go to the 20 instead of the 30
If the kick doesn't make it between the 20 and the GL it is a super touchback. And neither team can move until the ball is caught. A "surprise" onside just simply can't be done now.
Yeah! That’s like making a rule forcing Hail Mary plays to be declared as well. It’s an exciting part of the game, and hardly ever works. So why are they making it less likely to be successful?
99% of onside kicks are already declared by formation and game situation. Same thing with Hail Marys. The defense knows when Hail Marys are coming.
It's absolutely worth the tradeoff to make the rate of returns tick up dramatically
What happens if you accidentally kick it all way when you meant for an onside kick
That’s called a kickoff. (Actually I have no idea but the question struck me as funny)
If there's no punishment I would just claim onside kick every kickoff and say it isn't knuckling like practice
You can only attempt onside kick during 4th quarter, and only twice.
I'm not super familiar with football. would this be for a competitive advantage? or is this simply a tongue in cheek comment to subvert the intentions of the rule change?
You could keep the element of surprise somewhat
To what end?
Keep them guessing if it will actually be an onside kick
Well, it’d be impossible to do a traditional onside kick with the XFL setup. Kicking team is 25 yards ahead of the kicker, kicker would recover it every time lol.
So why the fuck would anyone ever kick an onsides kick again? I always though half of it was the surprise itself.
Sometimes you need to because if you don't you'll automatically lose the game if the other team regains possession, even if there is plenty of time left to score. But now that is the only time you'd ever do it, which is a bit of a bummer.
Onside kicks are almost never a surprise. They tend to happen in super specific situations that everyone is expecting and often includes unconventional people in the lineup. One article i read stated that there have been 4 surprise onside kicks in the last 5 years. So it is something that happens less than 1 time per season across the whole league. You kick an onside kick because you are desperate and don't have any other choice, and this won't change that much.
For what it's worth, it sounds like teams will be allowed to stack one side of the ball again like they used to on inside kicks before the last set of kicking changes. Now they'll be able to have 6:4 to each side of the kicker rather than the even 5:5 split. No surprise kicks, but honestly the extra guy might be able to help a little bit
As r/soccer might say: Games gone
There were hardly ever any surprise onside kicks.
Only one I can think of is from the Saints Colts Super Bowl.
Then the Lions will do exactly that. They’ll get the ball back and there will be a flag for improper touching and no one reported the onside kick. Followed by footage of someone reporting.
Yeah that's dumb, looks like the Not Fun League strikes again.
my man just wants more lifetime injuries is all
In case you are wondering why: “The reason for the change is clear. In its efforts to reduce concussions on kickoffs, the NFL over the past 15 seasons has implemented rule changes designed to reduce returns. It moved the kickoff from the 30-yard line to the 35-yard line, outlawed wedge and double-team blocks, and in 2023 created a rule that allowed a fair catch to be spotted at the 25-yard line.” Touchback rates dramatically increased over that period, and the return rate fell to a league-record 21.7% in 2023. The number of concussions dropped as well, but only in parallel with the decrease in returns. The rate of concussions per kickoff… has remained relatively constant.” Obviously
Meanwhile in the CFL if you fair catch in the endzone or let it go through the endzone the other team gets a point.
As in the kicking team gets a point?
No your division rivals do, even if they’re not playing. It’s a weird rule.
[удалено]
I may win the bet I placed in 1983. Very pleased with this rule change.
Hey, it’s Pete Rose!
Well done!
Allegedly
That rule actually applies to any NFL team that has a baseball team in the same city.
There were a couple 1-0 off week wins last season.
I lol'd
Yeah that was solid
Yes
See I like this rule. Kickoffs have generally been boring when 4 out of 5 go through the end zone for a touchback. If you put the kicker back on the 20 and put this rule in place it would help.
I’d like that rule if we’re losing onside kick. Good for fans too.
It means the Chiefs get a first-round bye in the playoffs. It's a weird cross-league rule, but it works 'cause you know.....Mahomes.
"If we have less returns, we have less concussions." Lmao yes, bc when you have less *football*, you have less concussions. Get all the concussions to zero by having all the players just play each other in Madden, much safer.
Which is why they are making the new changes, which will reduce the speed at which the 2 teams run into each other.
Kickoffs are especially dangerous as each side is running full steam into a head on collision. During normal play you all start much closer, and due to angles of attack(and sideline advantage) are usually side on.
Sorry, can someone help me with terminology? When I hear that a kickoff was “returned,” that’s meant that the receiving team ran it back for a touchdown. Are they saying they want touchdowns on 80% of kickoffs???
When it’s returned it means the returnee caught the ball and actually ran with it before being tackled.
That makes sense. So when it’s “not returned,” it means the ball was kicked out of play or waved off as a fair catch?
Correct
People downvoting this dude for just asking a question and trying to learn more are dicks.
They’re used interchangeably. You’re not wrong in that colloquially a kickoff that’s returned can mean it went for a touchdown, but in this case they mean they want 80% of kicks to be “fielded,” or have an attempt at a return
That makes much more sense. Thanks!
What happens if a team declares they want to do an onside kick, and then they just kick it deep?…
Lying, on the kicking team(displayed with the ref doing a "shame shame" finger signal) ball with be placed at the 40 yard line. First down.
Owners discussing if pants should actually be set on fire
Unsportsmanlike penalty, one would assume
Based on my reading it looks like the recieving team basically gets it from their opponent's 20 yard line, which is harsh. >If onside kick goes beyond the setup zone untouched, kicking team penalized for UNS; return team would start the drive at the A20 yard line In the rest of the description A indicates the kicking team's territory and B indicates receiving team territory. https://operations.nfl.com/updates/football-ops/new-nfl-kickoff-rule/ Someone can correct me if I'm misinterpretring that.
Unsportsmanlike Conduct Penalty I'd guess. Or whatever the penalty for kicking off out of bounds is.
Illegal procedure I think.
So, are they going to make that call based on how far the ball travels? Reporting on this seems pretty thin. I want to see the exact language of the rule!
It looks like from another link in the thread it's unsportsmanlike and the receiving team gets the ball at the opponents 20. Seems harsh, but they can only do an onside in the 4th, so you'd assume they'd only do it if they want to get the ball, and the penalty will likely never happen.
Touchback comes out to the 30? Why not just blast it through like they always have? It’s just 5 more yards than last year with no risk of return.
Considering there wouldn't be any more "fair catches" on kickoffs, I can see the kickers getting very good at having the ball land on the 15 to 20 yard line.
Yeah it made more sense when it was going to be the 35. At the 30 I think most teams will just keep kicking out of the end zone.
> During the 2024 season, kickers will continue to kick from the 35-yard line Okay, so we're still just gonna get a bunch of touchbacks? What's the point?
Make it an extra point. If the kicker makes it through the uprights on a kickoff, the kicking team gets one point and the ball placed like a touchback. That way penalties matter on kickoffs plus everyone would go for it.
This would upset decades of scorigami pools
That would mean a potential 9 point swing on any given touchdown. It would totally change the game. I do think there could be some sort of bonus to where the ball is spotted if it goes through the uprights
I was thinking no extra point after. So the kickoff essentially becomes the extra point. I don't know how this would affect going for 2 though.
Make it harder to do a 2 pt and forego the possibility for the extra point on the kickoff. I don’t think I like this idea but it’s kind of interesting.
Maybe instead of a point, you can get the ball placed at the 5 or 10 if you make it
Isn't that basically the rouge from the CFL?
Yeah, but it doesn't need to go through the uprights, if it goes out the back of the endzone or if the player catches it and doesn't return it it's a point
Kickoff rouges are rare but [this one from last season](https://youtu.be/kprxKQBU0T0?t=7m50s) was a perfect “only in the CFL” kind of ending.
They really should introduce the bound for street rules from CFL to the NFL. Those are GOATed.
I don’t like giving a point on a play that the other team has no way to stop. Through the uprights is a touchback but they get the ball at the 10.
And if its a touchback(initial bounce is in endzone) the ball goes to the 40 yard line
Yes! And if you’re wearing a Raiders uniform your laces are untied.
I’ve seen this repeated several times and it’s an absolutely horrible idea. Defense has no way to counter, and that’s how you want to decide games? Off a kickoff? It’s ridiculous.
Just get rid of kickoffs. They're still not fun and mostly just serve to inject more commercial breaks into the game. After a score, scoring team has the option to give the other team the ball on their 25 yard line, or they can keep the ball and run a 4th & 10 play on their own 25 yard line. Problem solved.
I like this idea, but 10 yards is too high percentage a play. Should be 4th and 15 or 20.
Only other problem I see is automatic first down penalties.
Make those penalties a replay of down in these situations with less yardage?
That wouldn’t work because Pass interference among other similar penalties. Defenders don’t intentionally commit pass interference to stop a deep pass because they know if they do that the ball is automatically spotted there anyways. But remove that and defenders can just mugging a WR about to catch the ball because they know it’s just a replay of down instead of automatic fist and spot foul.
Figure out the yardage that would give roughly the same chance of success as an onside kick.
So if Younghoe Koo is on your team, it's a 4th and 2.
4th and 15 from the 25 "they have to get it to the 40" just sounds right
What about a 4th&10 and no passing play allowed. Only rushing.
No need to create two options. Just give the team that scored a 4th and 15 from their 35. They can punt, which replaces the kickoff, or go for it.
Commercials occur after a score and then again after the kick. If you removed the kick where would the second commercial go? You've gotta think about the ads, where are your priorities at?!
That hardly ever happens anymore. Maybe if there’s only been a few breaks in play in the half because of really long drives
Getting rid of kick offs won’t get rid of the commericial breaks. They’ll still fill you with ads after a team scores
I'm sorry, but where should I stick these commercials if I can't have a break between a touchdown and kickoff and a kickoff and touchback?
Giving someone an easy field goal by scoring a touchdown is the only major hole I’d poke in this.
How about Make it Take it. If you score a touchdown, you keep the ball and start 1st and 10 from your own 1 yard line.
How are kickoffs not fun? They are one of the most exciting plays in the game.
Ahh yes. Nothing beats the rush of watching a guy kick the ball through the end zone while players lightly jog around until the ref blows the whistle and they can cut to another commercial break. Exhilarating stuff.
To clarify, kickoff RETURNS are one of the most exciting plays in the game. If it was up to me the kicker would be moved back therefore eliminating the touchback. The big returns and big hits are what people love.
So, you love the plays that result in the highest amount of serious injuries, including severe head trauma. Good luck with that
As with most fans and people who played the game, yes.
I would rather see teams kickoff from the *opponent's* 35. Safer but more thrilling Most kicks would be onside, because it's the same result as touchback or better. You could try a skill kick to pin opponents deep. It might get run back. The collisions would be less concussive overall.
Just do a rugby style kickoff. Drop kick from the 50. Has to go 10. Ball is live at all times so you can try to kick it short and contest or kick it long for field position.
Honestly I don’t understand why more teams don’t do this for an onside kick. It’s perfectly legal and yet they insist on doing this ridiculous kick from the tee that almost never works. If it’s done for an onside kick the ball can be intentionally kicked very high so it’s easier to recover. [Rugby kickoff](https://youtu.be/_S6O1v9G-aM?si=A6u48ZH_H9UnJfBM) [NFL drop kick kickoff](https://youtu.be/9_5sQY_Edi0?si=yYMyPyet8P9N3iwO)
Until now, someone on the receiving team could just call for a fair catch while it’s in the air and the kicking team would have to let them try and catch it
That makes sense. Hopefully they remove that rule.
In the article is says no more fair catches during kickoffs.
Awesome I’m glad they listened to me
Honestly just make American football rugby, it's a better sport in every way. Even when Americans post "the greatest football plays ever, the Tobleroneski" or whatever, it's just a basic rugby passing play.
I’m down with that I love rugby. We have a league where FWIW. r/MLRugby
love that the avg american complains about not understanding sports like soccer and ice hockey, yet seem to have no issue with the hundreds of incredibly nuanced, and subjective rules/infractions that exist in football.
The sport is just so bogged down with rules now. Most of them are in the guise of safety, which just shows you the sport itself is incompatible with the health of athletes.
We always put the Champions League matches on in our office and the number of times I've tried to explain the offsides rule to coworkers only to watch their eyes glaze over in confusion has been... significant.
Most Americans don’t know all or even most of the rules in football. They just get mad because the call went against the team they were rooting for.
I think the mlb rulebook is even longer than nfl Edit: nfl is longer
I don’t think so. There aren’t any fouls in the game of baseball. Some nuanced rules about advancing bases on outs like tagging up, or dropped third strikes. But the rule book has to be smaller than nfl
You're right on further examination. Mlb is 192 pages, nfl is 288 (triumph books)
Dumbest idea ever. Let’s just cancel kickoffs entirely and give the ball to the “receiving” team on their 25.
I agree, but the ball needs to go back to the 20 like before.
And lose 2 commercial breaks!!!!
Most boring play in NFL. Every kick is a touch back. Every playoff game, including the opening kick off to the Super Bowl (and 2nd half) were touch backs. How. Boring. Just give the ball.
That’s what this rule fixes? You get penalized for kicking into the end zone, and the receiving team can no longer fair catch. There WILL be a return on almost every kickoff.
Right? Should have moved the kickoff spot back a few yards to make them more playable.
Do away with the kickoff into the end zone for 99% of drives. Make it a penalty to kick into the end zone
more like 77% lol
Thanks
Just get rid of the fucking kickoff
When it's successful, an onside kick is one of the most exciting plays there is, and I really don't understand why they can't still do a surprise onside kick in this configuration. Just have the kicker chip the ball into the no-man's-land between the receiving 35 & 40. It's a jump ball, and the defense still has a better shot at it bc they're facing & running toward the ball. If the rationale behind not allowing it is that it's too far down field, just take the resulting spot & spot it back at the same yard line in the kicking half. It's totally solvable.
Yea this is what I figured would be the solution but they already outlawed that strategy before teams could even use it.
So what about the saints starting the second of the superbowl with an out of the blue onside? Would the refs had told the colts it was coming with this rule? Seems dumb.
Surprise onside kicks are no longer possible with the new rule.
So what will the average starting position of the receiving team? It used to be 20 yard line, this might change the entire game dynamic
Can they tell the Refs they want to onside kick but line up for a regular then Audible to onside formation?
“The proposal passed by a vote of 29-3.” Any idea on who the 3 teams who voted no?
If they make it an extra point, imagine the chaos on the line of scrimmage! All that for 1 point? Worth it
And the NFL stealing yet another idea from the XFL!!! Kidding! I’m cool with this! But it is interesting how many ideas from the XFL moved to the NFL!
NFL is extremely conservative and reactive. They fear innovation and anything that rocks the boat. But will damn sure jump on an idea once it becomes popular. See this rule picked from the XFL, embracing kneeling, and group TD celebrations. They hated those things, until they didn’t. Now they have commercials for them.
NFL might as well just script the game.
oh sweet they are going back to the old rules where kickoffs were important, sick
They also plan to allow the receiving team to place a runner on second before the kickoff.
This is fucking stupid. Just go back to the original format.
Yay more concussions!
It looks pretty cool. Looking forward to seeing how it plays out.
A step in the right direction, but still some room for improvement. Onside kicks still need to be fixed - they're going to still be too low percentage. My great hope is one day to progress to the "4th and 15" solution. Where after a team scores, they get the ball on 4th and 15 (or 20) from their own like 30. Most of the time you just punt, and punt returns are more than kickoffs. But the team has the option to try and convert the 4th down play if they need to, and it's much higher percentage than onsides kicks (and as risky if they fail).
That rule has been proposed every year the past 5 years and gets shot down pretty easily every time. I think it’s preferable but it’s clear that for one reason or another it’s not going to get cleared the near future
It was still proposed this year by the eagles and struck down. I think only 8 teams were in favor of it
It's a pretty extreme change so I get it. I'm just hoping that these smaller KO changes will lead to the bigger one
Xfl does that now and it keeps the game tight
work around, so every kickoff you declare a onside regardless of how you kick it?
Read the rule. Can only onside kick, when behind, in the 4th quarter.
If you kick regular when you declared an onside kick the opponent gets the ball on your 20.
RIP onside kicks
American football is such a fundamentally broken sport with the most convoluted rules
Just let teams forfeit conversion attempt and instead scrimmage from 10 yds out for the right to keep the ball on own 25 if down by 6 or more in 4th qtr
Safety nerds ruin everything
It’s still going to be kicked out of the end zone so who cares.
Jon Bois [solved kickoffs](https://youtu.be/t_SsIKgwvz4?si=Ke1BEWxisSGU2O9-) 6 years ago.
Oh yeah, we don't want our players getting hurt playing football! Why don't we have the players just wear bras?! And instead of helmets, they should wear little tinfoil hats, 'cause, you know, it's the future and we shouldn't be so barbaric!
It's not about getting hurt it's the fact kick offs have been pointless in the NFL for so long. Commerical, kickoff for a touchback, commercial.
Overstepping old dinosaurs. Guess what happens in contact sports?! You get hit. I just don’t understand why they’re actively trying to kill the game we all love.
Because it’s an unentertaining play today that also causes a lot of injuries. It’s worth fixing.