Shanahan hints at 49ers kickoff strategy under new NFL rules originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
SANTA CLARA — When 49ers CEO Jed York cast one of only three “no” votes on the league’s new kickoff rule at the NFL’s annual meeting, he said he anticipated the possibility of unforeseen consequences.
It seems that the more things change at kickoff, the more things will stay the same.
The kickoff was essentially eliminated from the NFL game over time, with the league voting for a dramatic change this spring.
But touchbacks may become more common than ever unless the league steps in and makes another change.
In the past, a touchback would put the ball on the 25-yard line. Now, it’s starting to look like moving the ball to the 30 won’t have such a deterrent effect on kicking the ball out of the end zone.
On Saturday, the 49ers coverage unit gave up a 63-yard return to the Tennessee Titans.
Two days later, Shanahan was asked if it was possible to shoot the ball as far as possible and give up the extra 5 yards so there was no risk of long passes.
“It’s a great idea. I haven’t thought of that,” Shanahan said Monday, in a response dripping with sarcasm.
Of course the 49ers have thought about it. And of course that seems to be the way the 49ers and most teams choose to handle their kickoffs.
So far in the 2024 NFL preseason, 104 of 127 kickoffs have been returned. The average starting point has been the 29-yard line.
“If you can start there at 30, [on a touchback] and the average starting line is 29, then it doesn’t seem like there’s that much difference to really deal with the risk,” Shanahan said.
Under the new rule, 10 members of the kicking team will line up with one foot on the receiving team’s 40-yard line. The receiving team will have at least nine players standing between its own 30- and 35-yard lines. Those players may not move until the kick touches the ground or a player is inside the touchdown zone — defined as the goal line to the 20-yard line.
All kicks in the landing zone must be returned. Kicks that do not enter the landing zone result in the receiving team taking over at the 40-yard line. A touchback that lands in the end zone places the ball at the 30-yard line, while a touchback that jumps from the landing zone to the end zone results in the ball being spotted at the 20-yard line.
“I’ve always believed that the key to special teams is just being good,” Shanahan said. “You always want to win the game on special teams, but the most important thing is not to lose it. And when you’re experiencing new things like this, there’s a lot of unknowns.”
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