Every year, the teams in the NFL are allowed to suggest changes or modifications to the rulebook. The changes can often be very small, and sometimes the suggestions are not even accepted. The NFL owners come together to vote and pass any new law that is detrimental to the safety and well-being of the players. The new rule that was approved by the owners this Tuesday was highly criticized by the fans, experts, and even team coaches.
This new playoff rule was recommended by the league’s competition committee. The proposal of the rule took place two months ago. And now that the rule is passed, experts are furious. Pat McAfee expressed strong disdain for the new rule adopted from the college league.
Was the rule a good move?
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The new rule states that if a player on the receiving team is unable to make a fair catch of a free kick behind the receiving team’s own 25-yard line, then the ball will be put in play at the receiving team’s 25-yard line. The rule has been passed in a one-year trial period to compare the results. NFL is trying to reduce the injuries in the special plays. The special team coaches aren’t certainly happy with the new rules, as they now have to make too many changes to the gameplay.
Rich McKay, chairman of the NFL’s competition committee, argued that the rule has been changed due to the high concussion rate in the kickoff. He also added that College has had this rule since 2018 and their players suffered fewer concussions compared to the player in the NFL. He further added that the safety of the players is the main concern to the committee and that’s the reason why the move was necessary. But the experts and the coaches aren’t having any of this.
The new NFL rule makes waves
Andy Reid, head coach of the Kansas City Chiefs, showed somewhat hesitancy to the new kickoff fair-catch rule in a recent interview. He has coached a handful of teams in his career, and he has had tremendous success. NFL games have changed a lot over the few years, but even to Reid, this rule is not very football-like. He said in the interview that if every little thing is taken away from the game, the NFL will turn into a “flag football” game.
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It’s not a fully new rule, as it was already being practiced in college football. Pat McAfee fully supported the coach’s decision to disapprove of the new rule. Pat said, “My big takeaway as soon as I heard about it was, that’s Mickey Mouse, that’s bullsh*t.” he also added that these new rules limited the gameplay and turned it into a terrible and boring experience for the viewers.
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