This year, the NFL rolled out a new kickoff format on a trial basis designed to increase excitement while limiting injuries. And it looks like the NFL deemed the change a success – much to the displeasure of newly-elected United States President Donald Trump.
Throughout the season, Donald Trump was quite outspoken in his opposition to the rule change.
Several times, Trump took to social media to express his outrage at the NFL’s new kickoff format, calling the change “ridiculous” and going as far as to suggest that it marked the “beginning of the end” for the league.
Unfortunately for him, the NFL does not seem to share his opinion.
The league’s goal with the new kickoff format was to increase the number of kickoff return possibilities, allow for more exciting plays on kickoffs, improve the starting field position for offenses, and decrease injuries. All of that happened this season, leading the NFL to deem the experiment a success.
“Returns were up 57 percent year over year,” Miller said according to Pro Football Talk.
“We saw the starting line advance several yards, we saw more touchdowns, we saw more dynamic kickoffs out past the 40, and we saw a lower injury rate. So, all the things we hoped to see with the dynamic kickoff.”
The “dynamic kickoff” was just a one-year rule change. If it is going to become a permanent rule change, it will require at least 24 teams to approve it.
However, based on the way Miller talked about the results of the rule change, it sounds like it will be here to stay. And it’s pretty clear that Trump will not be happy about that.
