NFL considers rule change after Donald Trump blasted new kickoffs

The NFL is considering a regularisation alteration aft criticism from erstwhile President Donald Trump, according to a report. 

The league introduced the dynamic kickoff during the offseason successful an effort to revive kickoffs aft erstwhile changes were made amid subordinate information concerns. 

However, conscionable 4 weeks into the 2024 season, the league could beryllium acceptable to execute a U-turn.  

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell suggested that changes could beryllium coming, hinting that moving touchbacks up 5 yards could besides beryllium successful play.

'I deliberation we'll person to marque a fewer changes connected the kickoff that will, I think, pb to a batch much kickoff returns,' Goodell said connected NFL Network's 'Good Morning Football' Tuesday. 

He added that the contention committee gathering to sermon the changes volition beryllium held adjacent week. 

The NFL has been tweaking kickoff rules successful caller years owed to information concerns, but noticed less kicks being returned arsenic a result. For instance, past season, conscionable 21.8 percent of kickoffs were returned. Back successful 2010, that fig stood astatine 80 percent.

So to revive the kickoff, the NFL tweaked the rules erstwhile again.

For a modular kickoff, the shot is kicked from the 35-yard enactment with the 10 footwear sum players lined up astatine the opposing 40 - 5 connected each broadside of the field. This operation theoretically volition trim the fig of high-impact collisions connected kickoffs.

Meanwhile, the instrumentality squad has astatine slightest 9 blockers lined up successful the 'set up zone' betwixt the 30- and 35-yard enactment with astatine slightest 7 of those players touching the 35.

Up to 2 returners are allowed wrong the 20.

Only the kicker and 2 returners volition beryllium allowed to determination until the shot hits the crushed oregon is touched by a returner wrong the 20.

And immoderate footwear that reaches the extremity portion successful the aerial tin beryllium returned, oregon the receiving squad tin opt for a touchback and possession astatine the 30. Any footwear that reaches the extremity portion successful the aerial and goes retired of bounds oregon retired of the extremity portion besides volition effect successful a touchback astatine the 30.

Goodell's proposition came conscionable a mates of days aft Trump voiced his disapproval of the regularisation alteration astatine the Alabama-Georgia assemblage shot crippled at the weekend. 

'I don't cognize what they're doing with the kickoff instrumentality successful the NFL, and I don't privation to get progressive successful controversy, but it looks truthful bad, and I noticed they haven't done that successful college, and they shouldn't bash it, and I deliberation the NFL should spell back,' Trump told Outkick.com's Clay Travis, an outspoken protagonist of the 45th President, Saturday. 

Referencing the much accepted kickoff setup inactive utilized by the NCAA, Trump conceded 'maybe it's a small much dangerous' earlier rapidly contradicting himself.

'I uncertainty it's immoderate much dangerous, helium told Travis. 'It is, you know, it's football. I deliberation [the NFL] made a unspeakable mistake of doing that. But you look astatine this, [college shot hasn't] done it, it was the archetypal happening I was looking at, I said, ''have they done it?'' It looks truthful unusual and you don't instrumentality thing that's moving and alteration it.

'But this is truly big-time football,' helium said, referring to Alabama's upset of rival Georgia. 'And it's large to see.'