On Thursday, March 21, we went over some of the details in the NFL’s new kickoff proposal intended to replace the league’s current system. With the NFL’s annual owners meetings officially initiating today, we received more updates on what was already reported. 
During a four-hour meeting today, the NFL’s competition committee discussed both the proposed ban on the hip-drop tackle and the “hybrid” kickoff proposal. While support from the competition committee was unanimous in both cases, according to Mark Maske of The Washington Post, some tweaks were made to the kickoff proposal.
In our initial review, we noted the rules regarding what happens when a football lands in a certain area. To reiterate, kicks that hit the landing zone must be returned; if the kick hits the landing zone and rolls into the end zone, it can be returned or downed for a touchback to the 20-yard line; kicks that are downed in the end zone, strike the goal post/uprights/cross bar, or go through the end zone would be placed at the 35-yard line, and; kicks that land short of the landing zone or out of bounds result in the ball being placed 25 yards from the kickoff starting point, which with no penalties applied is the 35-yard line resulting in placement at the 40-yard line for such kicks. We also laid out the rules for onside kicks in our prior breakdown.
The tweak we’re seeing to the proposal concerns kicks that are downed in the end zone, strike the goal post/uprights/cross bar, or go through the end zone. Instead of being placed at the 35-yard line, the new rule would place it at the receiving team’s 30-yard line.
It’s a delicate balance in finding what will actually result in more returns without compromising player safety. By making this change, there is slightly less incentive for a returner catching a ball in the end zone to down it there, since they’d get five less yards than the initial plan, but they’re still likely to take a knee, considering the alternative is to try and hoof it past the 30-yard line in order to achieve a net gain. On the kickoff side, with the 35-yard line rule, kickers were highly discouraged from kicking it past the landing zone and giving the return team great field position. Changing it to the 30-yard line is not as penalizing, so kickers are less discouraged from forcing the opposing team to drive 70 yards as opposed to just 65.
The initial media feedback is that the tweak to the proposal will have the opposite effect from what the NFL intends, as the league strives to keep the return game relevant. A vote is expected to take place tomorrow. The media opinion is that the vote will either be approved, or the decision will be delayed until May. Check back tomorrow for a potential update on the result of the vote.
Just stupid. leave it as is. It’s getting to crazy with “if it lands here” crap.theres no reason to change it.
There will come a tipping point where casual fans think it’s too complicated and bail. Also, one of the biggest complaints is when refs get involved, isn’t making more arbitrary and convoluted rules the opposite of what fans want?
Just get rid of kickoffs and have every team start at the 25, these are some of the dumbest trying to make it perfect rules ever, it has already been completely ruined, just scrap it all
The CFL has it all over the NFL when it comes to punt and kick returns. This is one of the most exciting features of the Canadian game. Part of that has to do with the larger playing field of course. The NFL can’t enlarge it’s playing fields but they could have fewer players involved in special teams coverage to open up the field. That is the approach I would suggest if they want to bring excitement back into this area of the game.
When you have this much verbiage to explain a rule, let alone the actual writing of the rule, then it’s a bad rule.
Keep it simple. No kickoff and the team starts at whatever yard line. I’d like to see the 10 yard line but most would want the 20. And that’s it, a one sentence rule.
This is what is also needed for the definition of catch, and the replay rules.