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Revamped NFL Kickoff Procedure


Bobref

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In an effort to have more kickoffs returned, but also limit those injury-producing high speed collisions, the NFL has radically modified the kickoff procedure. Now, the teams will line up closer together, and won’t start moving until the kick is touched by a receiver, or hits the ground. Here are the details of the new procedure:

ALIGNMENT

  • All kicking team players other than the kicker will line up with one foot on the receiving team’s B40 yard line
    • Kicker cannot cross the 50-yard line until ball touches the ground or player in landing zone or end zone
    • The 10 kicking team players cannot move until the ball hits the ground or player in the landing zone or the end zone
  • The receiving team will line up as follows:
    • Setup Zone – a 5-yard area from the B35 to the B30 yard line where at least 9 receiving team players must line up
      • At least 7 players with foot on the B35 yard line (restraining line) with alignment requirements (outside numbers, numbers to hashes, and inside hashes)
      • Players not on the restraining line must be lined up in setup zone outside the hash marks
      • All players in the setup zone cannot move until the kick has hit the ground or a player in the landing zone or the end zone
    • A maximum of 2 returners may line up in the landing zone and can move at any time prior to, or during, the kick

LANDING ZONE

  • Landing zone is the area between the receiving team’s goal line and its 20-yard line.
  • Any kick that hits short of the landing zone – treated like kickoff out of bounds and ball spotted at B40 yard line; play would be blown dead as soon as kick lands short of the landing zone
  • Any kick that hits in the landing zone - must be returned
  • Any kick that hits in the landing zone and then goes into the end zone – must be returned or downed by receiving team – if downed then touchback to B20 yard line
  • Kick hits in end zone, stays inbounds - returned or downed – if downed then touchback to B35 yard line
  • Any kick that goes out of the back of the end zone (in the air or bounces) – touchback to B35 yard line

MISCELLANEOUS

  • No fair catch or signal is allowed. Officials will blow the play dead
  • If conditions cause ball to fall off tee twice, then kicker will be allowed to use kicking stick to keep the ball in place. The closest covering official will pick up the stick immediately after the kick
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2 hours ago, Irishman said:

I posted this in the off season topic. 

Onside kick is only permitted in the 4th quarter. I believe it would revert back to the traditional formations. 

I know the trend has been to limit all kicks as much as possible. That being said perhaps I’m naive, but I don’t see onside kicks being overly used in the HS game, and much like a shot clock in BK, I don’t think it has a place in the HS game…..yet. 

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