There’s a good chance kickoffs will look much different next season; it remains to be seen whether that’s good or bad.
The league is recommending that kickoffs be moved from the 30- to the 35-yard line – as it was prior to 1994. Also, kicking team members must line up within five yards of the ball, which would be a big change considering they often lined up 10 or 15 yards behind the ball to get a running start.
Another change: no more wedge blocking, a tactic favored by Redskins special teams coach Danny Smith. Also, touchbacks would be placed at the 25-yard line.
NFL Competition Committee Chairman Rich McKay, also the Atlanta Falcons President, said it was a matter of safety.
“The injury rate on kickoffs remains a concern,” he said. “This is a way to deal with the injury numbers…. I know coaches can be sometimes resistant to change. This is a change we think needs to happen.”
McKay said based on their review over the years, players on the kicking team were hurt more often. He also said some teams proposed eliminating kickoffs, but added that wasn’t up for discussion at next week’s competition committee meetings.
At first glance, this move would seem to impact teams with excellent returners. Kickoffs were from the 35-yard line prior to 1994. From 1984-93, there were only four players who led their respective conference by averaging at least 28 yards per return. From 2002-10, there were 12 – and four who managed at least 30 yards a runback.
This change also could result in more touchbacks, hurting a team with potentially explosive returners such as Washington’s Brandon Banks.
“Do I think there’s the potential for fewer returns? Yes,” McKay said. “Do we think it’s a huge magnitude change? No.”
