The NFL’s announcement that it was changing its kickoff rule should not have come as a surprise to anyone, least of all coaches and players. It is at least the third time in 13 years that the league has tweaked the rule, with the public explanation the last two times focusing on player safety.
League data shows the highest percentage of player concussions are on kickoffs, and by guaranteeing teams starting field position at the 25-yard line on kicks that are fair caught between there and the goal line, the league is hoping to reduce the number of returns from 38 percent to 31 percent. In theory, it argues, that could reduce the concussion rate by 15 percent.
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“The kickoff play has the highest rate of concussion every single year; can’t stand by and do nothing,” said Jeff Miller, the league’s executive vice president of communications, public affairs and policy/health and safety initiatives. “Not to say that there won’t be some unintended consequences, but sitting still and continuing to do nothing was unacceptable, and I think that’s where the membership came down on this.”
The outcry among those most affected has been loud and predictable. Michael Robinson, a retired player who used special teams as an entryway to an eight-year career, spoke for many when he Tweeted: “This new kickoff rule is terrible! Seems like they (are) trying to take kickoff out of football in the name of safety, but half the dudes don’t wear mouthpieces or buckle chinstraps! B.S.! Special teams coaches should be livid.”
They are. But they should not be surprised. No league is better at signaling its moves than the NFL, which regularly floats trial balloons as a means of testing for pushback or preparing participants and the public for what is to come. And the league has been signaling for years that the kickoff could be on the extinction list.
Over the last decade, it has consistently tinkered with it in the name of player safety — eliminating running starts for coverage teams and wedge blocks by return units, moving kickoffs up to the 35-yard line and advancing touchbacks to the 25, ostensibly dangling a carrot for players to kneel in the end zone rather attempt a return.
None of those changes has produced the desired effect, which is why we are at this point — and why I found myself taking a wide-angle view and thinking about where these types of changes will fit into commissioner Roger Goodell’s legacy once he leaves office. That day is approaching faster than some might think, as we were reminded Tuesday with news he has yet to finalize a contract extension with owners.
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The belief among many close to the situation is that the impasse will be resolved sooner than later with a deal that runs through 2027, but there is also widespread agreement that it likely will be the final deal he signs in his current role. And while it’s too early to close the book on his tenure, it’s not too early to think about some of the chapters that will be included, like the exponential growth in franchise values and broadcast rights fees since he took over in 2006, the botched attempts at player and team discipline, the refusal to release the details in high-profile investigations such as the Washington Commanders, the heavy-handedness with which he treated players while at the same time using velvet gloves with owners, and the rollback of Black head coaches from an all-time high of seven to the three who are currently with clubs.
There also will be a chapter on his impact on the game between the white lines. Fact is, he has used the power of his office to bring about more on-field changes than any of his predecessors. We can debate whether they have been positive changes, but there is no denying that they have affected what we see on Sundays … and Mondays, Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays.
We are no longer watching the game that our parents watched. The on-field rules that seemed untouchable during their generation are chips on a negotiations table today. Like the extra point. It was thought to be an untouchable before Goodell took office, but in 2015 the rule was changed and teams were given the option of attempting a standard PAT from the 15-yard line or going for two points from the 2-yard line.
It was considered a dramatic shift at the time, but in hindsight, it continued a pattern of behavior under Goodell that nothing is off limits. Defenseless receiver? The term was rarely, if ever, used in the NFL before 2013, when the league made it a point of emphasis while seeking to reduce the number of concussions. It didn’t matter that defensive backs complained about being at a competitive disadvantage, or that segments of fans claimed that the fabric of the game was being destroyed by the reduction of violent hits. Players were forced to adjust the ways they thought about and approached their jobs.
More recently the league has gone out of its way to protect quarterbacks. As with defensive backs a decade ago, pass rushers can literally be seen throwing up their hands for fear of being penalized for roughing. The league’s response to them is the same as it was to defensive backs: Too bad. Get used to it. Adjust.
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Many of the changes have been made under the umbrella of player safety, but is it really about the player or the bottom line? It’s a fair question when looking at the historical timeline.
Goodell took office at a time when broadcast rights fees were just beginning to explode. The Los Angeles Times reported in 2004 that the league extended its deals with FOX and CBS for a combined $8 billion, which was a 25 percent increase over the existing contracts, and awarded DirecTV an exclusive $3.5 billion contract for Sunday Ticket that was a 75 percent increase over the existing deal.
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Now fast forward to two years ago, when the league announced new broadcast agreements that have been valued at $110 billion to $132 billion over 11 years — and that doesn’t include the $110 million one-year, one-game deal with NBCUniversal for exclusive rights to stream a wild-card game. Put in the words of a certain receiver, business is booming.
But this only works if the product provides the required entertainment value that broadcast partners and fans expect and desire, and that means keeping star players — quarterbacks in particular — on the field. No one understands this more than Goodell and the owners, whose rules changes/enhancements raise an interesting question: Do they see football as “a game” or as a product to generate revenue? The difference is subtle yet significant.
Viewing it as a game connotes adherence to traditional rules. In baseball, for instance, these people are called purists, and their strong commitment to holding onto the past has made the game extremely resistant to change. This year’s adoption of a pitch clock is viewed by some as a nod to the need for change to not only maintain relevance but also grow the game among the younger demographic groups.
The NFL has been less beholden to the past. The actions of the current owners seem to indicate that they view football as a product instead of a game, which is why they are more willing to tweak and refine the rules as they go. Data has shown that more scoring equals happier fans, and happier fans translates to higher ratings, which in turn produces greater revenues. We may refer to football as a game, but to those running the league it is a business. That reality figures to be an extensive chapter when Goodell’s legacy is written.
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(Photo: Rob Carr / Getty Images)
