The NFL made a number of moves recently that will impact everything from how the game is played on the field, how it is consumed by fans off it and even how teams are constructed.
Looking at five of those changes, let’s play a game of “Love it or Hate it.”
So this is going to be jarring, even if it was needed. The kickoff had become mostly a waste of time as kickers blasted balls through the end zone. Just over 22 percent of kicks were returned last year. When they were, the full-speed collisions made the play prime for injuries.
The NFL hopes the new rules — which are explained in more detail here — will produce an 80 percent kick return rate and bring some excitement back to the play. It also should be safer.
That said, this is a dramatic reworking of how the game has always been played and will take a little getting used to seeing. It also eliminates the unexpected onside kick — teams can still call for an onside kick and line up like the old system. Of course, only three or four unexpected onside kicks were even attempted in recent seasons, so it isn’t much of a loss.
Is this better? Probably. Most football people think it will help and since almost nothing is being lost, we’ll go with a love it … albeit after a bit of adjustment.
The NFL’s three games played on Christmas 2023 averaged 28.68 million viewers and peaked at numbers nearing 40 million. That’s a lot of people sitting around on Christmas looking to watch pro football, so good for pro football to give the people what they want.
Thanksgiving is almost synonymous with the NFL. So why not Christmas? The concepts are the same, often family gatherings and people in need of entertainment. The NBA filled the void for years, but anything the NFL does dwarfs the NBA, so it’s basketball’s loss.
Is playing on a Wednesday this year clunky? Sure. The league should be able to work around that though with some creative scheduling. Will the quality of play suffer a bit? Maybe. We’ll see. Meanwhile,…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/nfl-rule-changes-the-good-the-bad-and-the-ugly-204050036.html
Author : Yahoo Sports
Publish date : 2024-03-27 20:40:50
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