What you need to know about the new kickoff rule that's being proposed in the NFL and why it matters to the Saints.
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00:00 One of the other things new kickoff rule is being toyed with.
00:04 That's something that you want to take a look at Darren Rizzy
00:07 when they made the kickoff rule change.
00:09 Then he didn't really care too much for it.
00:11 And rightfully so him and Phil Galeano.
00:13 But talk about that new kickoff rule a little bit and kind of where
00:16 things are at with it.
00:17 Yeah, there's some interesting things going on.
00:18 So this really all kind of goes back to
00:21 Sam Schwartzstein, who kind of helped to create the new kickoff rule
00:26 and the XFL and getting the opportunity to be able to showcase it there.
00:29 And the XFL has consistently looked at the NFL and kind of like screamed up going,
00:34 we'll test things for you and then you can have them like that's
00:37 kind of always been the thing.
00:38 That's the value of these spring leaks.
00:40 And so as the UFL now gets ready to kick off, it's cool that this is now
00:44 in conversation.
00:45 So Darren Rizzy was a part of, you know, I think it was
00:47 he worked with another special teams coordinator and drafting this.
00:51 And then two and it was sort of like four special teams coordinators
00:53 that presented this to the NFL.
00:55 But a couple of pieces to it.
00:57 The thing that keeps getting highlighted the most is that you have to declare
01:00 to the other team that you're you're, you know, planning to do an onside kick
01:05 and it's got to be in the fourth quarter and you've got to be trailing.
01:07 And that tends to be dominating part of this.
01:09 But there's there's a logical reason for it.
01:10 There's a buy.
01:11 Like it's kind of a byproduct of a larger conversation.
01:13 Larger conversation is moving the kickoff closer,
01:16 not allowing the anybody but the returner and the kicker to move
01:22 until the returner has caught the pass.
01:24 The kickoff is coming from the 40 yard line on the receiving side.
01:28 So it's the plus 40.
01:30 So you're talking about 40, you know, 20, 30 yard kickoffs.
01:35 So what's the value in that?
01:36 OK, so there's a couple of different pieces.
01:38 First of all, they disincentivize the idea of kicking it through the end zone by
01:42 if you do so, it's a touchback for the receiving team
01:46 starting at the 35 yard line.
01:48 So now we've severely reduced the field in that case.
01:51 If you don't kick it 20 yard to at least within the 20 yard line
01:55 of the returning side, then it's considered an out of bounds kick.
01:59 So it takes out of bounds and creates a horizontal or instead of just
02:02 a horizontal playing for it, creates a vertical playing for it as well
02:04 down the field, which keeps you from doing things like squib kicks
02:07 and stuff like that to try to recover the ball with your team being lined up closer.
02:11 And then it helps with the player safety situation, because on average,
02:15 kicking off from the opposing side of the field by the time that the returner
02:19 touched the ball, generally speaking, typically speaking, returners were
02:24 or return or coverage players, excuse me, were at about the opposing 40 yard line
02:29 when the receiver when the receiving player caught the football.
02:32 So you're starting relatively in the same area.
02:36 Now, obviously, if you ran a four to one at the at the combine this year,
02:40 you're probably at the 35 or something like that.
02:42 So sorry, you lose five yards in your beginning.
02:45 But it allows you to kind of eliminate the 35 yard run up.
02:49 That was a leading one of the leading causes or concerns and causes
02:53 when it came to concussions, it turns it into a five yard run up,
02:56 which helps a ton with all that.
02:58 So the byproduct of having to declare the onside kick, as I understand it,
03:02 is because you have to go back and line up where you originally did
03:05 for the onside kick, because you're not about the onside kick
03:08 from the opposing 40 yard line and everything.
03:11 So that's why the declaration has to be there as a part of it.
03:14 It's not really about the declaration of the onside kick,
03:18 which is the first thing that everybody has decided to broadcast
03:20 this conversation.
03:21 That is a byproduct of creating a safer kickoff,
03:25 but also increasing the numbers of kickoffs
03:27 where we're talking about about 80 percent of kickoffs last year
03:30 being touchbacks.
03:31 They want to flip that.
03:32 I hope you guys are taking notes
03:34 because there will be a quiz next week when we're on the show.
03:37 Just so we know.
03:37 But that's a lot.
03:39 That's a lot of information.
03:40 Again, they talk about safety, player safety, you know, integrity,
03:43 all that stuff, and we'll see if it comes true or not.
03:46 You know, it's one of those that it could happen.
03:49 It may not happen.
03:50 It's just one of those.
03:51 If they would just adopt some of the things about the rule changes
03:55 or like how they do it in XFL with penalties and other things like that.
04:01 I mean, I think that would go a lot longer of a way.
04:03 But, you know, we'll see.
04:05 Start somewhere.
04:07 It's just like, yeah, you got to start small, right?
04:09 Aim small, miss small, whatever the saying is.