NFL fans are all saying the same thing after seeing what the radical new kickoff rule will actually look like

The NFL is officially revamping its kickoff rule for next season.

The radical change was approved by league owners in a vote at the annual league meeting this weekend with the vote being passed 29-3 to those in favour of the shake-up. The new hybrid kickoff rule is modelled on what has previously been used in the XFL and will be implemented on a trial basis for one year with tweaks expected along the way.

The huge overhaul means kickoffs will be markedly different to what fans have become accustomed to in recent years. Footage from a kickoff in the XFL provided fans with a glimpse of what to expect from the rule change and it’s safe to say a certain section of the fan-base wasn’t keen. “Let’s just play flag football,” one fan wrote. “They’re ruining the game we love,” added another. “I’m not a fan… changing the game too much,” responded another.

“This is why you don’t let the billionaire owners make decisions. Soon enough they’ll change too much and this game will be gone,” added a fourth.  With that said, there were also many people who thought the rule change will actually improve kickoffs. “People will hate this but its more fun than kicking the ball out of the back of the endzone all the time,” wrote one fan in support of the overhaul. “People hating but this was actually a good change that keeps kickoffs entertaining, less injuries, and requires elite punting,” a second added.

“people gonna hate but this will make kickoffs much less boring. maybe we’ll see better skill players returning kicks now instead of some wide receiver off the bench,” argued a third. “‘ruining the game we love’ after watching the kickoff get kicked out the back of the end zone for the 7th time in a row. Cut it out. This is actually a dope concept to bring returns back,” another said.

The league has decided to make the drastic change in order to help increase the number of returns while decreasing the number of injuries. High-speed collisions have been commonplace in recent years and the new rule is part of the NFL’s efforts to crackdown on dangerous plays.
Kickers will continue to kick from the 35-yard line, but the remaining 10 players on the kickoff team will line up at the opposing team’s 40-yard line, with five on each side of the field.

The receiving team lines up with at least seven players in the ‘set-up zone,’ a five-yard area between their own 35- and 30-yard lines, with a maximum of two returners lining up in the ‘landing zone’ – between the goal line and the 20-yard line. Only the kicker and two returners will be able to start running when the ball hits the ground or is touched by a returner inside the 20. 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. Additionally, the new rule will also effectively end the onside kick. It’s fair to say the radical new rule will take a while for fans to get used to.