The NFL’s new kickoff hasn’t even been used in a single game yet and the league is already making some small changes to the new rule.
In a memo that was sent out on July 25, the league let all 32 teams know that kickers will NOT be allowed to place the football sideways on the tee for a kickoff. When the ball is placed on a tee for a kickoff, it can only be elevated a maximum of one inch off the ground. If the ball is placed on the tee horizontally, then it ends up being about 1.5 inches off the ground, which is why the NFL is prohibiting the horizontal set up.
In the image below, you can see what it looks like when a ball is set up horizontally on the tee.
Apparently, kickers were looking to get an edge with the new kickoff rule, and one way they were going to do that was to set up the ball horizontally, which would have allowed them to put a spin on the ball that they can’t do when it’s set up vertically.
Under NFL rules, kickers are only allowed to use a one-inch tee for kickoffs. Most kickers around the league use a version of the tee below when kicking off.
On a normal kickoff, the ball is placed vertically into the divot, which puts the ball one inch above the ground. If the ball is placed sideways, it’s not in the divot, which puts it above the one-inch limit. In the memo, the NFL did note that the ball CAN be placed sideways if it’s directly on the ground. The kicker is also allowed to LEAN the ball up against the tee.
After watching the NFL make this change, at least one assistant coach thinks there could be a few more tweaks before the start of the regular season. Packers special teams coach Rich Bisaccia was asked this week if he thought we would see any more changes to the rule in the next few weeks, and he had an interesting answer.
“I do. Especially as we go through the first three preseason games, I think there will be some sort of, maybe amendments, to some of the rules. Maybe amendments to some of the lineups as well,” Bisaccia told the media on Monday. “Fortunately, we’re going to practice against two teams. We’ve been encouraged to practice this against each other, have conversations about it and talk about sending some of the practice film to the league so they can see what it looks like from a practice setting as well.”
The new kickoff rule is arguably the biggest rule change in recent NFL history and there could certainly be some unintended consequences, which the league now seems to realize. Bisaccia thinks the league might look to fix those unintended consequences by tweaking the rule.
“As the year goes on — because it’s already happened — we feel like there’s going to be amendments to the rules according to what happens in the game,” Bisaccia said.
The new rule has been an adventure for special teams coaches around the NFL, as they are still trying to figure out what the best strategy is.
“Situationally, it’s like, are you going to play every ball or are you going to kick a touchback? What’s the new drive start going to become,” Bisaccia said. “If the new drive start becomes the 30 and you give up two returns to the 38-yard line, the next one are you going to kick it out and make it a touchback? I think those are the unforeseen consequences of what’s going to possibly happen. We’re just going to have to play it and see what we’re going to do. I think there’s going to be many challenges, some I don’t really know what they are yet.”
Although the rule presents some major challenges for coaches like Bisaccia, he’s also excited about the change.
“We’ll see what happens when we play those other teams and what they do,” Bisaccia said. “I think this new kickoff thing is going to be fun, and confusing, and different and a lot of questions are going to arise.”
The new kickoff rule is only guaranteed to be around for one year. If the NFL doesn’t like what it sees in 2024, then the league can simply scrap it going forward. However, if Bisaccia’s right, the NFL might just keep tweaking the rule until it gets to a version that actually works.
