On Tuesday morning, the NFL officially approved some absolutely massive changes to the kickoff format, marking one of the biggest and most fundamental changes in the history of the game.
The new format adopts a style of kickoff that has been used in the XFL that is designed to both promote kickoff returns as well as limit injuries from high-speed collisions. But the whole process is going to be radically different.
Michael David Smith at Pro Football Talk did an excellent job of thoroughly explaining the new kickoff format:
Under the new rule, 10 players on the kicking team and at least nine players on the receiving team will line up just five yards apart and won’t begin running until the ball gets back to the returner, meaning players won’t be going full speed when they crash into each other, which caused so many injuries on kickoffs in years past. Of the 22 players on the field, only the kicker and one or two kickoff returners will line up separately from those players who are five yards apart.
The kicker will kick the ball from his own 35-yard line. Ten of his teammates will line up on the other team’s 40-yard line. The receiving team’s nine or 10 blockers will line up on their own 35-yard line. The kick must land between the 20-yard line and the goal line. A kick that either goes out of bounds or lands short of the 20 will be awarded to the receiving team at the 40-yard line. A kick that goes into the end zone for a touchback will go out to the receiving team’s 30-yard line.
Other than the kicker and returners, no players may move until the ball either touches the ground or is fielded by a returner.
The new format has been approved as a one-year trial, meaning it will need to be re-approved next season.
It will certainly be interesting to see how it impacts the game.
