In recent seasons, NFL kickoffs have been barely noticeable.
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They generally have consisted of the kicking teams lining up, the kicker booting the ball into the end zone, and receiving teams merely standing there and watching. For about the past decade, it's been a massive waste of everyone's time.
Maybe, though, that is about to change. After all, NFL owners unanimously approved of new rules centered on the kicking game, as relayed by multiple outlets.
Now, this is no simple rule change. It's more like a rules change, as in more than one. They are as follows:
- The kicking team will kick off from its own 35-yard line.
- Ten members of the kicking team will line up on the receiving team's 40-yard line, or 25 yards in front of their kicker.
- A minimum of nine members on the receiving team will line up between their own 30- and 35-yard lines (or five-to-10 yards in front of the 10 members of the kicking team).
- The receiving team can have zero, one, or two players inside their own 30-yard line to receive the kickoff.
- The play begins when the ball is either caught, hits the ground in the landing zone (inside the 20-yard line) or is returned from the end zone. That's when players can begin moving.
- Any kick that hits the landing zone must be returned.
- Any kick that bounces from the landing zone into the end zone must be returned or kneeled for a touchback (with possession going out to the 20-yard line).
- If a kick doesn't reach the landing zone, the receiving team gets possession at its 40-yard line.
- If the ball enters the end zone in the air, the receiving team can return it or kneel it for possession at its 30-yard line.
- If the ball is kicked out of bounds, the receiving team gets possession at its 40-yard line.
- As for fair catches ... yeah, there aren't any.
NFL insider Ian Rapoport described the changes as "a lot more fun." Well, we can only hope.
Here is what it will look like. And will be a lot more fun. https://t.co/JuV7puIEsH pic.twitter.com/zOFpUXSu5E
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) March 26, 2024
