This was an interesting notification from my phone early this week.
Kickoffs will look slightly different in 2023 than what we are used to. The league approved a one-year trial of new fair catch rules on Tuesday.
Doing so means kick returners can now signal for a fair catch anywhere inside their own 25-yard line, resulting in a touchback, thus getting the ball at the 25.
I HATE it. Again, the changes are temporary, at least for now, and could be gone after 2023.
I hope they see how bad this makes the game after one season. The positive is player safety, and I get it they want to limit injuries, etc., as a whole.
Messing with the kickoffs started in 2016 when they moved touchbacks from the 20 to the 25.
I get all of that. Let’s take away some of the injuries that occur during these.
At the same time, though, this is tackle football, right? They might as well get flags and play flag football instead. Please take a look at what Andy Reid said about it on Wednesday.
What about the special teams’ coordinators? KaVontae Turpin had a handful of spark returns last season.
Kick returns are a huge momentum type plays in a football game. Doing something like this will likely reduce the chances of this stuff happening.
Head coaches around the league have already voiced their thoughts about the change.
This will stink for players who make their name on special teams.
They will line up for a kickoff to have the returner wave a fair catch whenever they want.
It also may hurt the end-of-the-game stuff.
Kickers try to pin teams deep by getting the ball short enough in the air to make them catch it at the 5-10 yard line. Now they have an out by just waving their hand.
I even saw an article from the Athletic stating that the NFL has thought about just getting rid of kickoffs completely.
Like I agree with Andy Reid, let’s make it flag football now.
It is a contact sport, and look, I am ALL for banning the bogus tackles some players use, etc., but to get rid of an essential part of the game doesn’t make sense.
Ultimately, other odd rule changes are probably on the way. Again, this is just a one-year demo-type deal. We will see if it works, and if it gets annoying, we may see it go back.
It may feel too much like the NCAA; if so, it’ll get changed back.
I can already feel little if any, fun this league has left has started to slip away.
I will forever root for the Cowboys’ hardcore, and of course, I never want anything to happen to the players on the field, but this is football.
Keep critical components that make the game exciting.
