NFL's revamped kickoff making it debut in the Hall of Fame game

Many of the New NFL rules are expected to go into effect come Thursday night when the preseason opens with the Bears against the Texans.

References to the players’ refraining from engaging in high-intensity actions common in exhibition games; The kickoff will be the main focus on the Hall of Fame game held at the Tom Benson Stadium, especially with the new changes that are expected to be implemented.

New style kickoff to some of the few dead play options whose return last season was record low was recently approved by the NFL owners.

Now for a traditional kick off the ball will be kicked from the 35 yard line with the 10 kick coverage players placed on the opposing 40, 5 on one side and the other 5 on the other side.

There will be at least 9 blockers ready in the common formation known as the ‘set up zone’ ranging from the 30-35 yard line, while at least 7 of the blockers should be standing at the 35 yard line. If there are two scrum or line out moves then there will be up to two returners in the 20.

The kicker, two returners, and nobody else are allowed to make player movements before the ball touches the ground or is touched by a returner inside of the twenty.

Any kick that gets to the end zone aerially can be run back, or the team that receives the kick can take a touchback and ball at the 30. Any kick that goes into the air and travels out of bounds or out of the end line also is a touchback at the 30.

If the ball so near the end zone it touches a returner or the ground it is then taken to the 20 for a touchback, or it may be returned.

Should a kick go out of bounds before the end zone, or should the kick hit the ground or the receiving team or is touched by a player of the receiving team before reaching the landing zone then the return team earns the ball at the 40.

The new system was decided to be tested at the owners’ meetings, and the team agreed to try it for a year which was heavily borrowed from the XFL spring football league kickoffs.

Only 21. There were only 8% attempts of the kickoffs being returned in the last season, showing that both kicking as well as receiving teams often decline the possibility of a possible return.

Each year the NFL expects that above fifty percent of the kicked off will be returned this season. The latter’s aim is simple: to raise the odds of returns without making it more hazardous.