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Kevin Seifert
The NFL projects that its starting return rate will increase between 60% and 70% if the owners approve a rule change that places touchbacks in the 35 -yard line, the president of the Competition Committee, Rich McKay, said on Wednesday.
The proposal is between several rules and rules of rules that the proposals will consider at their annual meeting next week in Palm Beach, Florida. At least 24 votes of the owners are needed for approval.
The rate went from 21.8% in 2023 to 32.8% last season, the first look of the League to the renewed starting structure designed by special equipment coaches and the NFL office. The touchbacks were seen in the 30 -yard line last year, and the average return was 27.6 yards.
Having a greater difference between the back point and the average return should make more coaches emphasize the short kicks that must be returned instead of granting a touchback, McKay said.
“I think they are substantially rising due to that yardas difference,” McKay said.
The owners approved the dynamic start rule last year only for a season. The Competition Committee has proposed to make the change permanent, with several changes. In addition to the touchback place, the Committee proposed some minor alignment settings and also suggested eliminating the requirement that the kicks on the side can only occur in the fourth quarter.
The structure of last season reduced the brain shock rate in the beginning in 43%, but the total number of brain shocks remained constant given the increase in the rate of performance.
That means that brain shocks in output kicks could increase by 2025 if the return rate increases as expected. Jeff Miller, Executive Vice President of Communications, Public Affairs and Politics of the NFL, emphasized that the brain shock rate is expected to remain the same. And if the increase in yields leads to a better field position and more punctuation, the clears, the NFL game with the highest brain shock rate, could decrease.
“Then, as we add plays at the beginning, we can end … a decrease in a number of injuries due to less clearing,” Miller said. “Then, we put all that in the mixture when we took a look to change the starting game.”
Meanwhile, the Committee has proposed to continue adding responsibilities to its repetition assistance program. If the repetition official is approved on the site, he will be allowed to reverse flags that are thrown for the hits to defenseless players, along with faults for FaceMask, horsepower necklace, stumbling blocks and running towards the kicker.
However, those repetition officials would not be allowed to add a flag when an obvious foul has not been unnecessary. McKay said there was no support to authorize that step despite a series of high profile failures in those situations last season.
“The idea was that the game was officiated from [the replay booth] It changes almost everything and eliminates the trial we give to officials in the field and would require a substantial reservoir of the rules, “McKay said.” So, I think everyone is a bit universal in saying that we want the game to be officiated in the field, but we want the help of repetition to intervene when there is a clear failure of an objective element of a foul and fixed. “
Troy Vincent, executive vice president of NFL football operations, said that allowing flags to come from anyone who is not officials in the field would be problematic in the midst of the increase in legalized sports games.
“We talk about allowing the game to be played in the field and a ghost failure, a flag,,” said Vincent. “Just imagine that you just think, ‘Where did that come from?’ Simply create all kinds of speculations.
The committee also proposed to allow two players to be designated to return from the injured reserve if they are placed in going when the lists are reduced to 53, granting to the playoffs two more returns of the points to go in the postseason, and using the differential of points such as the third tiebreaker in the exemption claims.
The owners will also consider a series of team rules proposals, which the NFL launched to the public last week. They include a proposal of the Green Bay Packers to essentially prohibit Tush’s short yards game that Philadelphia Eagles have used for great success in recent years. The Eagles have proposed to add five minutes to the overtime of the regular season, and require that each team obtain a possession, while the Detroit lions proposed a new playoff sowing system that emphasizes the team records instead of the division champions.
Associated Press contributed to this report.
