It isn’t very often that the NFL makes a major rule change, usually only minor tweaks here or there. However, this offseason saw maybe one of the biggest rule changes the NFL enacted in quite some time in overhauling the kickoff rules in order to better protect players and make kickoffs more exciting again. In the past few years, it’s felt like the kick return game had become more and more boring, with many players electing to receive the ball at the 25-yard line rather than attempting to run the ball back for a touchdown. According to one current Steelers captain, these rules are even receiving special attention this offseason.
Miles Killebrew joined the Steelers in 2021, and while he’s listed as a safety, he’s really a special teams ace, being the Steelers’ captain on special teams for the past two years and making his first Pro Bowl and All-Pro team last year. He’s also made it clear that he loves being a Steeler, if fans needed any more reason to care about him. During a media session after an OTAs practice last week, Killebrew talked about how different the kickoff rules are now, explaining that the team is going to put extra emphasis on studying them.
“It’s different for all of us. As much as we can speculate, unless we played in the XFL or UFL, we’ve never done this before. It’s gonna be fresh for all of us,” Killebrew said via the Steelers’ website. “I think that there’s gonna be a lot more people watching this Hall of Fame game than ever before, myself included. It’s probably gonna take the place of one of our meetings because we just wanna see it real time.”
The Hall of Fame game is the first preseason game of 2024, this year occurring on Aug. 1 between the Bears and the Texans. Usually, it’s a forgettable game, even by preseason standards. It serves as an extra preseason game for both teams, so not only are the starters more than likely not going to play, but the second-string players probably won’t see much of the field either. This sounds like a game many fans could skip or shut off by halftime, but due to the new kickoff rules, it sounds like it may be mandatory viewing for the players.
You don’t get named a first-team All-Pro on special teams for nothing, so if Killebrew is saying that watching the new kickoff rules in action is important, it means something. Looking at diagrams and practicing what the league says is one thing. Actually doing it on the field, with referees around to call penalties too, is another thing entirely. Just as well, those team meetings are extremely important, so for the Steelers to use one to watch an otherwise meaningless preseason game says a lot.
The Steelers made it apparent that they’re going to dedicate extra care to special teams this year with the new rules when they signed Cordarrelle Patterson, one of the best kick returners in NFL history. Therefore, it isn’t surprising to hear their captain say they’re going to have the first real game with these rules in place under a microscope. Special teams can turn the tide of a game, especially a kick return touchdown. It swings momentum so drastically that it can almost instantly win the mental battle. If the Steelers manage to master these new rules, then maybe it could even make up for the offense if it starts slow once again.
