How will team react to new rules

[SunsetBengal]

(03-26-2024, 01:25 PM)CJD Wrote: I think the new kick off rule will be pretty cool. The kickoff has been largely pointless for at least 10 to 15 years now. 95% of the time, the ball is either downed to start at the 25, or an overambitious kick returner tries to return it and gets maaaaybe to the 30 if they're lucky, but usually in the 15 to 25 yard range.

This will lead to more returns, more impactful returns, will make kicking off more skill intensive (you want to kick it between the 20 and 0, without kicking it into the end zone) and, hopefully, fewer injuries (due to the reduced distance between the opposing teams prior to the kick).

As I understand, there is no fair catch, either.  If the ball hits the ground in the "fair" zone, it MUST be returned. So a lot of pressure on both sides to not screw anything up.