Latest NFL moves on player safety actually seem legit

The NFL often give lip service to the issue of player safety.

The ignore player safety when they play a full slate of Thursday night games and increase the schedule from 16 to 17 games.

But the NFL did pass two new rules to help make the game safer at the recent league meetings but they probably batted .500 on the issue.

The new kickoff rule inspired by the XFL kickoff rule is a good idea but the banning of the hip drop tackle probably will just create more controversy. It adds another layer of subjective calls by the officials for a play that doesn’t happen that often and caused only 15 players to be injured last year. There will be more controversies about when it is called and when it isn’t.

The new kickoff rule, though, looks like a plus. It will likely cause more returns but without an increase in injuries. It’s also a plus that the NFL is adopting an idea from another league. It is designed to have more returns and turn them kind of into a running play with the violent collisions.

For a standard kickoff, the ball will be placed on the 35 with 10 kickoff coverage players lined up on the opposing 40, five one each side.

The return team would have at least nine blockers lined up in the so called setup zone between the 30 and 35 yard line. Seven of those players have to be touching the 35. Two returners would be allowed inside the 20.

Any kick that reaches the end zone in the air can be returned or the receiving team could take a touchback and get the ball on the 35. A kick that went out of bounds in the end zone or out of the end zone would result in a touchback and possession at the 35.

Any kick received in the field of play would have to be returned. A kick that hits a receiver or the ground before the end zone and goes into the end zone would return in a touchback with possession at the 20.

The players can’t move until the ball hits the ground or is touched by the receiving team.

For free kicks following a safety, the ball will be kicked from the 20 and the kicker can use a tee.

In the fourth quarter the trailing team could declare an onside kick under last year’s rules.  There will no longer be surprise onside kicks in the first three quarters.

 The rule was passed on a trial basis which means it would have to get 24 votes to return in 2025. But the success of the play in the XFL is a sign it may work in the NFL. If nothing else, it’s worth a try by the league.