NFL Kickers Need To Be Able To Tackle Now, It’s Not A Debate

NFL Kickers Need To Be Able To Tackle Now, It’s Not A Debate

This isn’t a debate post on the Kickoff rules itself, if you’re looking for information or debate on that, look here. Of course, there are coaches that oppose the new setup, but for me, I cannot make those decisions and nothing I say will change anything so I won’t bitch and complain, I’ll just take it for as it is. Let’s rather look at the new strategies on how to be successful in the new rules. NFL Kickers need to be able to tackle. The Chiefs are ahead of the game (I hate them) in strategizing on this. Justin Reid has had experience kicking before. His first love was soccer and he kicked in High School and College. So his experience to kick is there. The Chiefs are experimenting with Justin Reid to be the kicker for Kickoffs with the new kickoff rules. Why? Let’s analyze the kickoff rules and why having an NFL kicker who can tackle is important.

I’ll try to simplify the rules as best as I can because, I too, am an idiot, so having things simplified is often the best course of action for me. Here we go:

• Kickers kick off at the 35-yard line still.
• Kickoff players will line up at the opponent’s 40-yard line.
• Return team players will line up at least 9 players between their 30-35-yard line.
• The “Landing Zone” is between the 20-yard line and the goal line.
• Any kick that lands in the landing zone MUST be returned.
• If the kick lands in the landing zone and goes into the endzone, it must be returned or downed for a touchback. If there’s a touchback on this instance, possession will start at the 20-yard line.
• If the kick does NOT reach the 20-yard line, possession will start at the 40-yard line.
• If the kick lands in the endzone, it can be returned or downed for a touchback. Possession will start at the 30-yard line in this instance.
• If the kick goes out of bounds, possession will start at the 40-yard line.
• If you need a visual representation, this helped me from the NFL. It’s only a minute and 30 seconds too.

Basically, the NFL is incentivizing for the kicking team to not have a touchback every time, which means that kickoff returns will be much more likely. With how the setup is of the kickoff team and the returning team, there might be room for big returns and you’d likely not want your kicker to save your team from a kickoff return. Kickers are going to be required to tackle. That’s why the Chiefs might use Justin Reid for kickoffs so Harrison Butker is not trying to save a big return, and so he’s not taking unnecessary hits.

One could make the case that you might need two NFL kickers on your team now, one to tackle and one for FGs and XPs. More often than not, unless you have some Pat McAfee’s on your team, kickers are not always going to be willing to make tackles. You need an extra guy that can tackle on your team and that can also kick, it’s going to be fun. I am more open to change than others, especially if that means that kickoffs will be more interesting in the NFL.

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