The NFL is inaugurating a new kickoff rule, one that has made many people excited. Ostensibly, the changes make the kickoff an actual, relevant football play again. In practice, we will have to see how that works, but Mark Kaboly is not optimistic, calling it, “Stupid”.
Speaking to Joe Starkey on 93.7 The Fan on Wednesday, he shared his thoughts about the new kickoff rule based on what he has seen from the Steelers trying to run it during training camp. He didn’t mince his words, calling it “a disaster waiting to happen”.
“They spent about 30 minutes on it the past two days and each player moved about two feet”, he said, while practicing the new kickoff rule. “It’s just remedial stuff that these guys are gonna screw up and it’s gonna be a disaster. They’re gonna challenge every single play if a guy’s an inch over the line or not”.
Under the new kickoff rule, the coverage team lines up farther upfield but can’t move until the receiving team fields the ball. From the sounds of it, players are struggling to hold that position up to that point. Thinking about it, it’s easier to judge when a kicker connects rather than when a returner fields the ball. You have to have pretty good eyesight if you’re doing your best to time your run.
But this all could just be Kaboly exaggerating or underestimating the process of learning the play. After all, they’ve already done something very similar in the spring leagues. The Steelers turned to Europe to try to gain some insight into how the play looks in action.
One variable that is most interesting is how teams manage the kicker situation, which we’ve previously discussed. Based on other leagues, the kicker is involved in the tackle 25-40 percent of the time, so NFL kickers are finding themselves bulking up in preparation for that workload.
The Steelers have been one of the most proactive teams preparing for the new kickoff rule, emphasizing special teams personnel. They signed Cordarrelle Patterson as their return man, for example, and gave Miles Killebrew a big extension. Recently, they brought back special-teams lifer Tyler Matakevich, who has his own thoughts on what the play needs.
But what will it look like when we’re actually watching the games? Are we talking about an adjustment period, or can this truly crash and burn? Remember, the NFL only approved the new kickoff rule for a one-year trial basis. The league pulled the plug on making pass interference a challengeable call, though I feel like that was intentional sabotage, personally.
The Steelers will host their first preseason game next Friday, so that will be their first personal exposure. I’m sure everybody in the league will have watched the preseason opener against the Houston Texans and Chicago Bears on Thursday, and the Steelers happen to play the Texans next week. That’s a potential added benefit, getting to play a team that already experienced the new kickoff rule.
