The recent NFL kickoff rule change allows for a fair catch to be ruled a touchback and placed at the 25-yard line. There’s been a lot of pushback to the rule from special teams coaches and Steelers receiver Gunner Olszewski came out against the rule this week. Now, former Steelers linebacker Vince Williams is the latest to criticize the rule, saying it’ll hurt players like him who cut their teeth on special teams before becoming a member of the defense.
“The recent NFL kickoff rule is disappointing. Late-round special teamers will have a hard time proving their worth. Personally, I signed a decent ST contract that allowed me to improve my linebacker skills. Kickoff was where I had some of my most memorable moments,” Williams wrote on Twitter.
One of those memorable moments was a lick Williams made on then-Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Tyreek Hill, a hit that Hill said made him no longer want to return kicks.
Williams has a point about the rule impacting late-round or undrafted special teamers. Guys who could previously prove their worth through making plays on special teams are going to have much less of an opportunity to do so because a fair catch would simply result in a touchback, thus there being less need to return a kick. The rule is supposed to reduce concussions, but special teams coaches have argued that it will actually have the opposite effect and that in general, the rule is bad for the game.
Currently, the rule is in a one-year trial and will be revisited by the competition committee next offseason. Given how poorly received the rule has been across the league, it’ll be interesting to see if there’s any sort of tangible impact made when it comes to reducing concussions and how the league decides to handle the rule next offseason.
But if it does stay in place, the need for elite special teamers is minimized a bit. While you always need guys on punt team, the ability for someone like Williams to make a big play on special teams and learn the game from a different angle to help him become a more well-rounded player goes away a little bit.
While if the rule stays in place long-term teams and players will surely adapt, there’s no doubt that there’s going to be less opportunities for players to make an impact and a name for themselves as special teamers. It’s an unfortunate reality, and with no real tangible evidence it’ll reduce concussions at any sort of significant level, it seems to exist just for the NFL to protect the shield and make themselves look good, even if it comes at the cost of an integral part of the game.
