Chiefs may have a leg up on new NFL rules
The NFL moved closer to eliminating the high-speed car crashes, minus the car, that took place at the start of every half and following every scoring drive.
For the Chiefs and the rest of the teams in the league, that’ll mean reconfiguring their special teams units and re-training players on both kickoff and kickoff return in order to fall within the new parameters this coming season.
The NFL also made adjustments to rules governing contact using the helmet and the definition of a catch. Chiefs coach Andy Reid, his staff and players have had referees at practice at the start of camp in order to acclimate to these new rules as well as the points of emphasis being stressed by the league going into preseason play.
“(Chiefs assistant head coach/special teams coordinator) Dave Toub was a big part of putting that whole kickoff thing together, so the league banked on him and some of the special teams coaches in the league to make that up,” Reid said. “It’s good to have the officials here early so we can see if we’re doing it the right way, whether it’s tackling or putting ourselves in position to tackle and also on the kickoff.”
Bill Vinovich, an 18-year NFL official, gave a presentation to media on the rules changes and points of emphasis following practice at Chiefs camp on Saturday.
The coverage team on kickoffs will no longer be allowed a running start prior to the kick. On a ball kicked from the 35-yard line, the coverage team must line up at the 34-yard line and the rules strictly define alignment prior to kickoff.
On the return side, at least eight players must line up inside the 15-yard “set-up zone” between the 40-yard line of the kicking team and the 45-yard line of the receiving team. The receiving team is not allowed to initiate a block within 15 yards of where the ball is kicked unless the ball has been touched or hits the ground, and “wedge blocks” have now been outlawed.
In May, Toub predicted that these changes would lead to more returns because return men will benefit from more space when they catch the ball.
“I think it is going to be more like a punt returner style because there is going to be more single blocks,” Toub said during OTAs. “You aren’t going to have the point of attack where you are hitting it and you have a running back style, like an iso play. It is going to be more of a big field type, more like a punt return.”
Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker said he’s a proponent of keeping the kickoff in the game, and he also understands the league’s goal of reducing the injuries, primarily concussions, from the high-speed collisions kickoffs create. He also credited Toub’s knowledge of the new rules for putting him “at ease.”
As far as how the Chiefs will ultimately approach kickoffs, Butker said that’s still up in the air with the newness of these current rules.
“We’re definitely playing around with it,” Butker said. “It’s more scheming to what we think other teams might be doing with it right now in the off-season and during training camp. It’s completely new. No coach has seen any game film on what a team might do, so preseason should be interesting.”
The catch rule has moved closer to the interpretation of previous years where the term “football move” is once again part of the qualifications for a completed catch, while controlling the ball through contact with the ground is no longer part of the rule.
One of the big changes to the rules regarding helmet contact will be the involvement of the league office in New York. New York will play a role in determining ejections for football plays (overturning ejections only) and in non-football actions (possibly adding ejections).
Protecting runners who’ve given themselves up, protecting the quarterback after he’s thrown a pass, and eliminating illegal contact between defensive backs and receivers on pass plays are all among the points of emphasis for officials this coming season.
This story was originally published July 28, 2018 at 5:16 PM.