I'll never forget my dad, a longtime high school coach himself, screaming at the TV a few years ago as he watched a college player fair catch a kickoff inside the 10 yard line, unaware of the rule change essentially turning fair catches like that into touchbacks in the name of player safety.
It's a rule that the NFL has been slow to adopt, until today (at least temporarily).
NFL owners approved a resolution that will put the ball on the 25-yard line following a fair catch on a kickoff, provided that fair catch takes place inside the 25.
Modeling done by the NFL, according to NFL executive Jeff Miller, notes that the return rate will drop from 38% to 31% and concussion rates will drop 15%.
It's a change that was unanimously opposed by special teams coordinators according to various reports, and widely disliked by special teams players in the league.
According to a recent article by SI, who revealed some interesting data surrounding kickoffs and concussions, there has been an increase in concussions over the last three seasons in kickoff situations, and that is the argument NFL ownership is standing behind. 10 concussions were identified in 2020, 14 in 21, and 19 happened last season.
Those numbers don't tell the whole story though, according to those that study special teams for a living.
SI shares that veteran NFL special teams coordinators presented that 2,700 kickoffs happened last year alone, resulting in 19 concussions, meaning that in 99.3% of plays were concussion free.
Further, 11 of those 19 concussions happened when a returner took the ball out of the end zone, which means that the fair catch rule wouldn't have prevented those instances. Lastly, the piece points out that just 1 of those 19 concussions was to the returner, whose injury happened when his head bounced off the turf and wasn't a result of a player running full speed and colliding with him.
A number of special teams coaches visited with the NFL back in April to talk about some of the unintended consequences of the rule, such as squib kicks resulting in more chaotic and unpredictable return situations, or sky high kicks aimed at the 20-yard line, requiring returners to make potentially dangerous decision to fair catch or return in a confined space with returners running full tilt at them.
While owners listened to the passionate arguments from guys who coach special teams for a living, they ultimately opted today for a one-year trial run of the new rule.
Below is a full look at the new proposal.