The NFL drastically altered its kickoff format this season, and one of the biggest changes is that teams will no longer be able to call a surprise onside kick. That change has legendary NFL head coach Bill Cowher quite upset.
During a recent interview with CBS Sports, Bill Cowher lamented the fact that teams will no longer be able to pull off a surprise onside kick under the new league rules.
“One thing I don’t like about it is that we’re trying to take away the onside kick,” former Steelers coach Bill Cowher recently told CBS Sports. “As a guy who used an onside kick in the Super Bowl, it made me very sad when I saw that happen. . . . I still think that’s an exciting play.”
Cowher admits that there were relatively few surprise onside kicks attempted, but he still doesn’t think that they should have been eliminated from the game.
“I understand the numbers are low,” Cowher said. “But on an onside kick the numbers should be low. It’s a unique play. It’s a hard play. It’s a strategical part of the game. It slows down the front line. . . .
“To be able to do this in the third quarter, the front line starts to get back and loosen up a little bit. Or you can put one in that little dead area and it hits the ground. Those are the things that are exciting.
“Is it gonna be successful? Probably not? That’s the risk and reward. Sometimes you don’t have to be successful to make a point. Don’t leave early because we’re gonna try it.”
It’s certainly a drawback of the change.
