Is the NFL's new kickoff rule good for the game? | The Exempt List
Yahoo Sports NFL writer Charles McDonald is joined by Jordan Reid to discuss the adjustments to kickoffs for the 2024 season and how it will affect both the strategy and health of the players on the field. Hear the full conversation on “The Exempt List with Charles McDonald” - part of the “Zero Blitz” podcast - and subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you listen.
Video Transcript
CHARLES MCDONALD: The new kickoff rules have been announced. Receiving team blockers will stand on their own 35 yard line. The kicking team tacklers will stand on the opponent's 40 yard line. so they will be standing 5 yards apart from each other. Basically, everyone except the kicker and the return men. The return men will stay back, the kicker will stay back. And you have basically 5 yards to just block someone and see if you can get someone out the way.
This is an effort to cut down on what is one of the most dangerous plays in kickoff. You were a quarterback, so I don't know if you ever got to experience the frontlines of kickoff or playing up back. That stuff is kind of scary. I'm not going to lie to you. Because one, it's-- OK. Someone's going to be running at me full speed, right? And I have to make this block. And I really have to make a split second decision.
What is worse? The shame of me missing this block, or the shame of me, like, potentially getting decleated if this guy who's running and I have to turn around and block him is much stronger and much faster than me. Like, there's a lot of risk for injury on this play. So I think it's a good idea. And I it'll be interesting to watch how it plays out. What are your thoughts on just the new kickoff rules that have been approved today?
JORDAN REID: Yeah. And back in our day, there was no crackback blocks or anything like that.
CHARLES MCDONALD: We had wedges, bro.
JORDAN REID: And seeing dudes peel back-- yeah, you're seeing dudes peel back and just decleat people. So it's really funny to see how far along football has come, especially from a special teams aspect. But I think it adds another layer to special teams just because there's so many different ways you can get creative with it, like we've seen in the XFL with reverses and all these other creative ways that they have really gone with special teams.
But your kickers better brush up on their tackling skills, just because there's probably going to be a lot more guys in the open field. So once again, it adds another layer to the kicking game. But also, I'm really interested to see how creative these special team coordinators get, just because I think there's going to be a lot of things that we have not seen before, especially with the kickoff team really being set. There's a lot of different things that they can draw up.
CHARLES MCDONALD: Yeah. OK, maybe this rule has some credence. All right? Maybe we don't need to be running 20 miles an hour at each other. You can get a little 5-yard and it really becomes 2 and 1/2 yards because both you guys are running each other. And that's much safer for everyone.
