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NFL Passes New Rule For Kickoffs


Vic Mackey

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4 minutes ago, Gene Parmesan said:

I get that that is probably safer, but did they also change the touchback rules?  What is the incentive to return, or kick a returnable ball?

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No one other than the kicker and returner(s) can move until the ball hits the ground or hits a player inside the landing zone. Touchbacks will be marked at the 30-yard line, and no fair catches will be allowed. 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.

Basically you want to kick high angle kicks and not be touchbacks.

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Posted (edited)
2 minutes ago, BurntOrange&White said:

Way better than current kickoffs....

 

Posted in another thread but NFL kickoff return rate was like 20ish% where as the XFL was 90ish%

Oh I am willing to give it a shot, reaction is more to just how wildass looking that is to what we are normally used to.  Though seems to me the play is for these NFL kickers still to just drill the ball out of the back of the end zone.  I realize they get the ball at the 30 but sooo that 5 yards isn't life or death

Edited by Surly Bevo
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Posted (edited)
1 minute ago, Surly Bevo said:

Oh I am willing to give it a shot, reaction is more to just how wildass looking that is to what we are normally used to.  Though seems to me the play is for these NFL kickers still to just drill the ball out of the back of the end zone.

If you watched any of the XFL last spring it's their rule basically. It's going to be much better and engaging now and not just a sprint down for the kicking team and fair catch by receiving. Look at post above better to not kick through endzone

Edited by BurntOrange&White
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Just looking at that single return it could truly be a game changer in terms of scheme. You have stationary targets that you can actually create blocking assignments and other plays with. It looks dumb as shit, but I kind of like it. 

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Take a leaf from the Canadian Football rule book, and give the kicking team a point if the ball isn't  returned from the end zone. Run it out or give up a point. Used to call it a Rouge, maybe still do.

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It makes kickoffs worth watching again. Sucks the surprise inside isn't a thing anymore but honestly that only happened a time or two a season at most anyway. Small price to pay to actually get a kickoff worth watching again. This will forever be the enduring legacy of the XFL long after it folds again. 

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Posted (edited)

It will be fun to see which kicker is the first to develop a stinger shot kind of kick that is low, fast but also hits the ground at about the 20 yard line. 
 

Ball placement becomes way more important than hang time with the rule that nobody but returners can move before ball is either caught or hits the ground. 

Edited by Surly Bevo
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What's the rules about the alignment of players for the kicking team? Looks like they are spread apart across the entire width of the field. Can they be lined up toward one side or the other?

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18 minutes ago, FirstTimeCaller said:

Also, how will onsides now work?

No one other than the kicker and returner(s) can move until the ball hits the ground or hits a player inside the landing zone. Touchbacks will be marked at the 30-yard line, and no fair catches will be allowed. 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.

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3 hours ago, Tex Long said:

Take a leaf from the Canadian Football rule book, and give the kicking team a point if the ball isn't  returned from the end zone. Run it out or give up a point. Used to call it a Rouge, maybe still do.

I've been saying this for years.  I would have also settled for eliminating kickoffs completely.

Anything is better than a 90% chance of a touchback, though.

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1 hour ago, Gene Parmesan said:

You have to announce your intention to onside kick.  So no more surprise onsides.

How many surprise onsides even happened on a yearly basis and beyond that, how many worked? Seems the opposing team were on guard for an onside when it was a situation that might warrant it. The most infamous surprise onside I can remember was the Saints/Colts Super Bowl to start the 2nd half by the Saints.

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4 hours ago, Gene Parmesan said:

I get that that is probably safer, but did they also change the touchback rules?  What is the incentive to return, or kick a returnable ball?

Touchbacks now move to the 30 yard line. It starts to become punitive to make those happen.

23 minutes ago, ImissWallyPryor said:

Let me know if/when this is adopted by CFB. I watch very, very little NFL these days. 

It will be adopted next year. Kirby Smart is part of one of the committees collaborating on this and he said that if it goes well this year in the NFL, there is more or less uniform agreement to adopt it in the NCAA. This kind of return set-up incents more gameplay while also making the play itself safer. It therefore gives younger players more experience on meaningful snaps, which almost all college coaches want. 

I see no downside as a fan. I find the current KO set-up to be boring as hell.

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Why can’t they make it where the kicker can drop it anywhere past the 35 (or the area between where the two teams line up) and it’s a recoverable, live ball? Keeps the onside and surprise onside still in play. 

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21 hours ago, Vic Mackey said:

How many surprise onsides even happened on a yearly basis and beyond that, how many worked? Seems the opposing team were on guard for an onside when it was a situation that might warrant it. The most infamous surprise onside I can remember was the Saints/Colts Super Bowl to start the 2nd half by the Saints.

The lions had one a few years ago against the rams. The year they traded stafford, but that is the last one I can think of. 

 

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18 hours ago, Murfdogg21 said:

Why can’t they make it where the kicker can drop it anywhere past the 35 (or the area between where the two teams line up) and it’s a recoverable, live ball? Keeps the onside and surprise onside still in play. 

I think that is and has always been a rule. It is just not an onside. The recovering team has to recover the ball in play, if the kicking team recovers after 10 yards its their ball. 

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Posted (edited)

Yep, I don't see a good reason not to like this change. I liked the 4th and 15 from your own 30 (instead of kickoffs meaning you could go for it or punt) rule suggestion also but this is less radical at least.

Edited by Huckleberry
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How many surprise onsides even happened on a yearly basis and beyond that, how many worked? Seems the opposing team were on guard for an onside when it was a situation that might warrant it. The most infamous surprise onside I can remember was the Saints/Colts Super Bowl to start the 2nd half by the Saints.

It can’t be more than once or twice a year where it actually worked.

If it does actually work my Monday morning YT feed would have multiple videos.
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15 hours ago, Huckleberry said:

Yep, I don't see a good reason not to like this change. I liked the 4th and 15 from your own 30 (instead of kickoffs meaning you could go for it or punt) rule suggestion also but this is less radical at least.

I was thinking more like 4th and 20.  because 4th and 15 conversion rates are ~22% ... however over 4th and 15 combined is 13.5%

 

its "doable" but its supposed to be a ~10% success rate.  The old onside rate was ~13.5 (that included the surprise kicks).   its basically down to it working maybe 2-3 times a year now anyway.  Just 2 successful last year out of 40 attempts.

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Posted (edited)
37 minutes ago, AUS-97HORN said:

I was thinking more like 4th and 20.  because 4th and 15 conversion rates are ~22% ... however over 4th and 15 combined is 13.5%

 

its "doable" but its supposed to be a ~10% success rate.  The old onside rate was ~13.5 (that included the surprise kicks).   its basically down to it working maybe 2-3 times a year now anyway.  Just 2 successful last year out of 40 attempts.

Here is a good interview with saint ST coordinator. He has a ton of statistics as to why and how many more football plays we are likely to get. 
 

 

Edited by BurntOrange&White
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20 minutes ago, BurntOrange&White said:

Here is a good interview with saint ST coordinator. He has a ton of statistics as to why and how many more football plays we are likely to get. 
 

I appreciate the details on the kickoffs and how it will help. 

 

My post was more about why they really need to do the 4th and 20 from their own 20 yard line option as an alternative to the now, basically useless onside kick.    first off starting at the 20 means even if the kickoff team get the 20 yards, they are most likely still starting the next drive on their side of the field, which is exactly what happened on an onsite recovery around the 45 yard line.

and 2nd, because the stats say that even at 4th and 15, teams are converting at basically 2-in-9 tries.  4th and 20 puts them more in the 1-in-9 conversion level.   which again, is much closer to the pre-2018 rule change numbers.

 

its supposed to be hard, unlikely even because even after getting the onside, the recovery team still has to go 15-55 yards in a very short period to tie or win.   but right now, with only a 5% chance just to recover the onside, that means you only have like a 2.5% chance to win with 2 scores needed under a min.  the old way you had more like a 5% chance. meaning the 2 score comeback under 1 min happened like 2-3 times a year.

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On 3/27/2024 at 12:54 PM, Juicy said:

I think that is and has always been a rule. It is just not an onside. The recovering team has to recover the ball in play, if the kicking team recovers after 10 yards its their ball. 

I was talking about the new kickoff. The ball has to land behind the return team’s line and I think it’s dead until a returner touches it. I was proposing with the new kickoff format, to make it a live ball as soon as it touches the ground or any return team player and could be dropped into the neutral zone between the lines, rather than behind both lines. 

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