New NFL Kickoff Rules will mimic XFL kickoffs.

Total side note, the greatest XFL innovation of all time was their version of the coin flip:

Today’s XFL game is brought to you by the letter, ‘C,’ the letter, ‘T,’ and the letter, ‘E.’

ANYWAY, the NFL owners meetings are happening this week at the finest resort in Cedar Rapids. As a part owner of the Green Bay Packers, I’m not sure how I wasn’t aware these were going on. Invite must have gotten lost? In fairness I do have my email set to flag anything with ‘meeting’ in the subject matter, so that could be a part of the problem.

Well the big news today revolves around the approved changes to the kickoff rules. I think we all agree: SOMETHING had to be done. Do you know how many kickoffs actually saw an attempt at a return last season? 22%. Just touchback after touchback after touchback. And that’s all a result of the NFL recognizing that kick returns are basically the most violent play in any game. You’ve got world class athletes running full speed at each other with violent intentions. So about 10-ish years ago we started to see kickoffs and kick returns basically regulated out of the game.

Now as weird as these are going to be initially, I actually think it’s going to work. The returner has a ‘safe zone’ from his own 20 yard line to the end zone where he can receive the kick, and it isn’t until he has the ball that either side can start to move. Moving the kicking team’s coverage unit up to the opponent’s 40-yard line takes some of the ‘full speed’ out of the equation for both the coverage and blocking units. I think the result is going to be us getting to see some actual kick returns, and fans no longer regarding kickoffs as an extra commercial during a break in the action. I can’t tell you how many times in the last few years I’ve said, ‘why do we even do this?’ to no one in particular after a touchback on a kickoff.

Another rule change that is going to be implemented next season is the banning of the so-called, ‘hip drop’ tackle. Exhibit A:

I’m sure we’re not going to see this subjective call made in critical moments of games next year. Can’t imagine any controversey cropping up from it.

Honest to God, if you’re a defender in the NFL, how the hell are you supposed to bring a guy down anymore? You can’t go high, you can’t go low, you can’t grab their hips. What’s left? 10 inches of torso? I get it, injuries to superstar players are bad for the product, but the NFL by its nature has always been a brutal game. Injuries are going to happen. Not to go Midwest Football Dad on you, but we’re getting to a point where they may as well just put flags on these guys and call it a day. You can’t completely legistate injuries out of the game.

So that’s what’s been going on, even though hundreds of thousands of minority Packer owners didn’t get to cast a vote.

PS: I am in a DEEP XFL rabbit hole on Youtube now, still one of my all time favorite clips: