Kickoffs Are Risky, As Evidenced By The Most Recent NFL Rule Change: “It was unacceptable to do nothing”
Kickoffs Are Risky, As Evidenced By The Most Recent NFL Rule Change: “It was unacceptable to do nothing”
NFL club owners agreed to a plan on Tuesday that will let teams that fair-catch kickoffs and safety kicks behind the 25-yard line position the ball there.
A season-long trial period for the regulation will be in place.
Miller and Rich McKay, the chair of the NFL competition committee, declined to offer specific information on concussion occurrences in previous years, only mentioning that kickoff concussions were significantly greater than those on other plays in their reports.
According to league authorities, kickoff plays cause the most concussions each year. In their analysis of injury occurrences from the video, kicks that lingered inside the 5-yard line caused noteworthy worry.
“We can’t stand by and do nothing.” “Sitting still and continuing to do nothing was unacceptable. And I think that’s where the membership came down on this.”
Jeff Miller, NFL executive vice president of communications, public affairs, and policy
According to data gathered and published by Sports Illustrated, 19 athletes sustained concussions in 2022, up from 14 in 2021 and 10 in 2020. Two thousand seven hundred kickoffs saw those 19 concussions, meaning 99.3% of kickoff plays lacked concussions.
Special teams coaches supplied evidence from throughout the league as they organized and vehemently protested the change. Some believed the rule change’s associated uncertainty constituted a more significant threat to health than the 0.7% of plays it now affects.
However, team owners approved the decision by voting during their private meetings. McKay noted that disagreement is to be anticipated.
“We tend to get ourselves to the right place.” “But it’s never that comfortable.”
Rich McKay
How probable is it that the kickoff rule will become law?
NFL team owners did not unanimously approve this regulation. They’ll reevaluate whether to keep using this 25-yard line site in a year. The judgment will consider the standard of competition as well as health and safety issues.
Are there fewer injuries during kickoffs? Compared to the previous year, how frequently do teams now return kicks within the 25-yard line as a result of this rule?
League modeling shows kickoff returns will drop from 38% to 31%. They anticipate that kickoffs will see a 15% decrease in concussion rates.
It is still possible to alter kickoff forms shortly to decrease the distance between teams and, consequently, the speed of the defensive team’s chase. Whether kickoffs are only returned 38% of the time currently, McKay and the competition committee want to know whether there is a different structure that might encourage returns on more than 60% of kicks. Would that if accurate energies fans even more?
“If we can make it a more competitive play on a play that’s becoming more ceremonial, we should always do that.”
Rich McKay
“You want to make sure that play is still exciting and relevant.”
Jeff Miller
The group does not currently favor eliminating kickoffs, but it has not been ruled out either.
“We want to keep it in the game.” “I don’t know that we know we can keep it in the game. But we want to keep it in the game.”
Rich McKay
Coaches of special teams will look out for their notifications.
