Kickoff Confusion

In what world can you touch the ball in the field of play, let it go into the endzone and it not count as a safety if you get tackled in the endzone. Mind boggling.

 

That’s what I was telling my son. He agreed.

 

New kickoff rules?

 

A kickoff is a live ball once it travels 10 yards. That was the rule. Now, I think you have to land it in the 'kick zone'. But it's still live once it is in the zone. I don't think it has to be fielded anymore to be a touch back. I think a lot of the reason teams just kick out the back of the end zone is because the new rules are a bit strange to follow and you only give up the 30 yard line anyway. It's kinda like peewee punt rules in a way. Just walk it off.

 

Kickoff confusion
I can't get no relief.
Business man, come drink my wine
Plowmen dig my earth.

No reason to get excited.


MISUNDERSTOOD LYRICS

 

I still don’t understand how that was not a safety. In the grand scheme of things though, they really need to go back to the old kick off rules and move the kickers back 5 more yards for returns to be more possible. These new kickoff are just downright boring.

 

While it still makes no sense, they did explain the rule during the broadcast. They essentially said that regardless of what a player does with the ball in the "safe/free zone", if it ends up in the end zone, it's a touch back to the 20 yd line. Not sure why this is the new rule but it is. Now about that flat earth thing, does flat vs spherical planetary shape alter the new thought that the goal line stretches around the world and that's why players can leap clearly out of bounds in the air outside of the end zone zone and never land in the end zone but somehow catch a piece of the orange pylon and still have it count as a TD? The 2 feet in bounds rule doesn't apply either. Josh Dobbs must also consult with the Commish's Office.

 

This has always been the case. No new rule. If the momentum of the ball takes it into the endzone you are ,and always have been, able to down it for a touchback. Touching it first or not has no effect. Only thing you can't do is purposely bat it back into endzone.

In fact, you can actually catch the ball in the field of play and if your momentum takes you into endzone you can also down it without it being a safety. In this case you get the ball wherever you first established possession. Same goes for an interception.

That's always been the rule. Cleveland guy was well coached, and knew that

 

Bleedblackngold - your my hero. Thank you - even the announcers didn't know that.

 

He muffed the kickoff on the one yard line and it rolled back into the end zone where he downed the ball. I think the rule is if he would have caught it cleanly and then ran back in the end zone, then it would have been a safety. Not catching the ball cleanly saved him from giving the Steelers 2 points in the play.

 

I have kind of an unfair advantage when it comes to knowing the rules. I watched quite a few games with my father-in-law and picked his brain during the games. He is the only official in the HOF

 

McNally? That’s pretty cool.

 

Yes, he was a great man God rest his soul. Loved hearing some of his stories including when the refs called him at the Immaculate Reception game for one. We tried to get him to write a book, but he was far to humble and didn't want attention in that way.

 

Doesn’t matter what the rule is, the new kickoff is irritating. Just scrap kickoff altogether.

 

@bleednblackngold is totally correct, but my confusion came from exactly what You said.

 

All I remember from back in the day was "you cannot advance on a muff". But only as it pertains to football.