Many NFL head coaches are not happy with a rather-controversial new rule, but the league decided to pass it anyways.
The new fair catch rule disincentivizes teams from even trying to go for a kickoff return, and Detroit Lions HC Dan Campbell was evidently not satisfied with that.
Campbell claimed that his team would follow the new rules like everybody else but cited that it was highly frustrating and that those kinds of rules are only bleeding the sport dry.
#Lions HC Dan Campbell calls the new fair catch rules for kickoffs “highly frustrating,” especially since coaches around the NFL were against it.
“I hate that we continue to take away from the game. That’s what really worries me.”
(🎥 @Lions)pic.twitter.com/HTVvLCQWYF
— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) May 25, 2023
While traditionalists have often been against any sort of rule change, Campbell might be right this time.
For those who aren’t aware of this new fair catch rule, it pretty much allows all teams to start with the football on their own 25-yard line by calling for a fair catch on any ball that goes beyond that line.
It will basically be a touchback without the end zone, and it discourages any team from trying to return the ball on kickoffs, which often leads to injuries.
This might not seem like a major change, as there were only six kickoffs returned for a touchdown last season, but it certainly changes the whole dynamic of things.
Of course, player safety should always be at the top of the priority list, but the league also needs to listen to its coaches and players when trying to pass a new rule.
It’ll be interesting to see how this affects the flow of the game and what other coaches have to say ahead of the start of the upcoming season.
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