Under the NFL’s new kickoff rule, returners have a better chance of making big plays, and touchbacks go to the 30-yard line. That means some teams simply decide to shoot the ball through the end zone rather than risk giving up a long return.
As the Cardinals worked on the new kickoff rules this season, General Manager Monti Ossenfort said they are preparing for the possibility that touchbacks will become the norm and that fouls will start from the 30 instead of the 25, where previously touchbacks after kickoff were the placed the ball. .
“I think it will be interesting to see,” Ossenfort said. “I think different teams are going to approach it in different ways. I think some are going to say, ‘Let’s go out there and try to cover it up.’ And I think some will say, ‘Forget it, we’ll give you the extra five.’ I don’t know which teams those are. We’ll see.
The NFL has changed the kickoff rule in an effort to encourage returns, but if returns become too successful, that won’t happen. NFL kickers have enough legs that they can usually kick the ball out of the end zone if they want to, and that can happen a lot this season.
