The NFL just essentially eliminated onside kicks with new rule changes
The NFL revealed a slew of safety-minded rule changes on Tuesday, with the majority of them completely altering kickoffs almost beyond recognition.
Here’s a summary of all the changes to the @NFL kickoff rule for 2018 — see how they compare to the previous rule. pic.twitter.com/4R4aK5sZwK
— NFL Football Operations (@NFLFootballOps) May 22, 2018
Perhaps the most prominent change to kickoffs will be that players on the kicking team no longer will be allowed to have any sort of running start.
To somewhat offset the disadvantage the kicking team has, the receiving team must keep eight of the 11 men on the field within the “setup zone.” That means they have to be within 15 yards of the football at kickoff.
The new rules also regulate against wedge blocks and blocking before the ball hits the ground, further penalizing the return team.
To summarize the lengthy rule changes, the NFL seems to be applying a much slower pace to kickoffs through both applicable rules and player spacing. By virtue of keeping so many players immobile within such close proximity of each other, the NFL is hoping to limit the damage they can do to one another.
Following today’s vote at the @NFL Spring League Meetings, here’s everything you need to know about the new kickoff rules for the upcoming 2018 season. The rule will be reevaluated next offseason. pic.twitter.com/YubLyMBR4g
— NFL Football Operations (@NFLFootballOps) May 22, 2018
The new touchback rules are also interesting, but don’t seem nearly as divisive as the other rule changes. Essentially, as soon as the football touches the end zone, regardless of whether a player downs the ball, it will be whistled dead.
That means Buffalo Bills fans won’t be subject to these types of embarrassing gaffes anymore:
The Jets accidentally scored a touchdown on a kickoff against the Bills and it’s the weirdest thing: https://t.co/44qkBRKekG pic.twitter.com/YHbNCi7YSC
— SB Nation NFL 🏈 (@SBNationNFL) January 1, 2017
While it’s impossible to tell if these new rule changes will impact player safety in a positive manner until games are played, it seems like there will be a definite impact on another major part of the kicking game — onside kicks.
👀@Liiive_55 recovers the onside kick!#JAXvsSF pic.twitter.com/V2eY78SFQ6
— Jacksonville Jaguars (@Jaguars) December 25, 2017
In the above video, there are two key aspects of a successful onside kick that will no longer be permitted.
First, players are lined up around the 31- or 32-yard line. With the new rules, players must be no more than a yard behind the football, which in this case would’ve put the Jaguars players at the 34-yard line.
Second, teams no longer are allowed to overload a side. Typically, on an onside kick, there will be six players on one side of the kicker and four on the other. Per the new rules, teams must have five players on each side.
So if teams can’t get a running start and can’t overload a side, it stands to reason that the onside kick is virtually dead at this point. Barring any unexpected trick plays, teams will struggle to recover any onside kicks. That seems like a significant deal, since you only typically see onside kicks in close games.
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