Officials reaching out about kickoff rules
There is so much uncertainty about how the NFL’s new kickoff rules are going to play out, that NFL game officials have been informally calling special teams coaches on their own, just to make sure certain interpretations are being viewed the same way between the coaches and the men in stripes.
That’s something I alluded to at “Breakfast With Benz” earlier in the week. And it’s something that Pittsburgh Steelers special teams coach Danny Smith confirmed to me Tuesday.
“Your statement is a fact, and we’ll leave it at that because I am not an official,” Smith said. “I’m going to leave it at that. It is a fact that that has happened.”
In one sense, that’s encouraging news because it suggested proactive behavior by the officials and connotes a sense of cooperation between them and the coaches so that both sides aren’t surprising each other with how the nuances of the rule changes play out once the ball is kicked off for the preseason in August.
In another sense, it’s a little disconcerting that the ingame officials feel the need to take that step in the first place. Are there so many loopholes and convoluted nuances to these rules that officials deem it necessary to take such measures?
“That (rules change) makes it a challenge for all the special teams coaches in this league, me included,” Smith said. “It makes you work harder, and I’ve never been one to run away from work. I run to it. So, it’s been a challenge from that standpoint. We’ll see how it is on display.”
As explained by Trib-Live’s Joe Rutter, the NFL is adopting a kickoff format similar to one originally implemented by the most recent iteration of the XFL. The ball will be kicked off from the 35-yard line. The other 10 players on the kicking team will line up at the opposing 40. The opposing return unit will set up between the 30-35 in what is being called “the setup zone.” The returners (no more than two, with at least nine blockers) will be stationed in the landing zone, which starts at the goal line and ends at the 20.
No player movement is permitted until the ball is caught or touches the ground. A touchback will result in the ball being placed at the 30. A touchback in which the ball hits in the landing zone and rolls out of the end zone will give possession at the 20.
The goal is to encourage more kickoff returns while minimizing high-speed, concussion- inducing collisions.
“You better have a plan,” Smith said. “You better have players that can execute that plan.
“It puts a kickoff back into play. You know, it really does. You can fair catch, but it’s at the spot. … Scoring has been down in the NFL in the last two years. OK, so this play is supposed to get better field position. Better field position is more scoring. We’ll see how it all turns out.”
Steelers special teams captain Miles Killebrew says at least fans are likely to see more returns and fewer touchbacks.
“The biggest change is that it’s actually going to be a play now,” Killebrew said. “Teams are incentivized to return the ball, … and they are taking a lot of the running out of the play itself.”
The Pro Bowler drew an interesting analogy to how the play may look to folks once the kickoffs are caught and the action begins.
“It’s almost turned into a glorified stretch play,” Killebrew explained. “You are going to see a lot of explosive plays this year. I think you are going to see a lot of touchdowns. Because once you get past that first layer, there is no one else there. … There are not multiple layers with guys running down the field at different speeds. It is going to be a very impactful play, and I think you are going to see a lot of explosiveness from that area of the game.”
In 2023, the NFL generated just four kick-return touchdowns. The Green Bay Packers were the only team to exceed 700 return yards a season ago.
Chaz Palla / TribLive
