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The NFL had a radical change to its kickoff rules this offseason to bring back the kickoff return. But coaches seemed to be wary of the early results and reverted back to what they’ve always done.
One stat sums up how the approach to the new kickoff rules changed. In the first week of preseason, 82% of kickoffs were returned. That dropped to 74% in the second week and all the way down to 57% in the third week, via Greg Auman of Fox Sports. A change of 25% from the first week to the third is telling.
Coaches are generally risk-averse. They might tinker with strategy early in the preseason when games don’t count, but they’re not giving the opponent a shot at a big return. We saw some long returns early in the preseason. And by the end of the preseason coaches started kicking it out of the end zone, even though games didn’t even count.
If that trend is predictive for the regular season, the kickoff return might not be back after all.
How will coaches treat kickoffs?
The new kickoff rule was one of the most-discussed aspects of the preseason. It’s adopted from the XFL’s kickoffs.
For those who didn’t see it in the preseason, it will look much different than the kickoff formation that was used for a century. The kicker is still at the 35-yard line, but the kick coverage players are lined up at the opponents’ 40-yard line. The returning team has at least nine blockers lined up between their 30- and 35-yard line with one or two returners inside the 20. The coverage players and blockers can’t move until the ball is touched by a returner or it hits the ground.
If the ball drops in the “landing zone” between the 20-yard line and goal line, it must be returned. If the kickoff bounces in the landing zone and goes into the end zone it can be returned or downed for a touchback to the 20-yard line. If the kickoff reaches the end zone on the fly, it can be returned or downed for a touchback at the 30-yard line. If the kickoff goes through the end zone, the ball is placed at the…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/nfl-2024-preview-how-revamped-kickoff-and-other-new-rules-will-affect-strategy-this-season-130028091.html
Author : Yahoo Sports
Publish date : 2024-09-05 17:20:53
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