NFL owners set to vote on wild new kickoff rule: Here’s everything you need to know about the proposal

The NFL kickoff could soon be undergoing a dramatic change and it could happen as soon as this week.  

The fate of the kickoff will likely be decided on Monday in Orlando, Florida, where the NFL’s 32 owners are getting together for the Annual League Meeting. If 24 of those owners vote to approve the proposed changes, then the kickoff will have a drastically different look in 2024. 

With that in mind, we’re going to take a look at what the proposal entails and what the kickoff will look like if the new rule gets voted through. 

First, the formation will be quite different from anything you’ve ever seen before on a kickoff in an NFL game. 

Of the 22 players on the field for the play, 21 of them will be in the receiving team’s territory. That number will break down like this for the kicking team: 

Kicker will be by himself. The kicker will set up the ball at his own 35-yard line and after kicking it, he won’t be able to cross midfield until the ball is in play. The ball will be considered in play if the returner catches it or if the ball hits the ground in the landing zone or if the ball gets to the end zone. Coverage team will be lined up together. The other 10 players on the kicking team will be lining up at the receiving team’s 40-yard line. Each player has to have at least one foot on the 40 before the play can start. Also, the kicking team has to have five players on each side of ball, so they won’t be able to load up to one side. 

As for the receiving team, their setup will be slightly different. 

Most of the receiving team will be at the 35-yard line. The receiving team has a 5-yard setup zone that runs from its own 30 to its 35-yard line. Seven players from the receiving team must have their foot on the 35-yard line. The receiving team can also have two more players who are in the setup zone, but who aren’t touching the 35-yard line. Those two players will be lined up…


Source link : https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/nfl-owners-set-to-vote-on-wild-new-kickoff-rule-heres-everything-you-need-to-know-about-the-proposal/

Author : John Breech

Publish date : 2024-03-25 12:15:03

Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source.