Each year around this time, the NFL Competition Committee combs through a number of proposed rule changes submitted by coaches and league executives. Most are left on the cutting-room floor, but every so often, one sneaks through the wickets. Some have been for the better (I think we can all agree the catch rule needed an overhaul) while others have had the opposite effect (it only took a year to realize challenging pass interference was never going to work).
Jack Fox, who pulled double-duty as both a punter and kickoff specialist for the Lions last year, has an interesting idea to spice things up in 2021. Fox suggested the league award one point for kickoffs that sail through the uprights. The distance between the 35-yard-line—where kickoffs have been staged since 2011—and the back of the end zone is 75 yards. That’s a reachable distance for many of the league’s kickers including Kansas City’s Harrison Butker, who unleashed an 80-yard missile for a touchback against the Panthers last season.
It didn’t take former NFL punter Pat McAfee long to chime in on Fox’s suggestion, admitting the prospect of booting a game-winning kickoff is something he’s often thought about.
While Fox would need to go through the proper channels to get his proposal heard (a solitary tweet probably won’t be enough to get it on Roger Goodell’s desk), it’s a fun idea that would certainly add a level of intrigue to close games. Other changes the league will vote on at this month’s virtual owner’s meeting include an amendment to kickoff formations and a return to sudden-death overtime employing an unusual “spot and choose” method.
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