I’m not one to gloat, but when it’s warranted—
Forget that. I love to say “I told you so”. Who among us doesn’t relish a well-timed “I told you so”? Anyone claiming otherwise ought to be strapped to a polygraph machine, and when it inevitably reveals the truth, we can all have our moment to say, “Knew it.”
The Dynamic Kickoff Dilemma
The NFL’s latest attempt at revolutionizing the kickoff, which was heralded as the “dynamic kickoff”, hasn’t exactly panned out as expected. Instead of being a game-changer, teams have quickly figured out there’s little incentive to risk a return when reaching the 30-yard line is practically guaranteed. It’s become almost routine – like ceviche at a Peruvian fiesta – to see kickers launch the ball out of the end zone, happily conceding the 30-yard line.
League Weighs New Touchback Rules
Mark Maske of the Washington Post has highlighted that the NFL and its Competition Committee are now “mulling” shifting the touchback point from the 30 to the 35-yard line. This potential change, which wouldn’t come into play until 2025 at the earliest, could potentially bring back that edge-of-your-seat excitement to kickoffs.
A little arithmetic tells the story here: through the first 64 games of the season, only 29% of kickoffs were returned. Sure, that’s up from last year’s 17%, but it’s still miles short of the 60% some anticipated with the new rule.
The Hurdle of Ownership Approval
For any rule change, at least 24 of the NFL’s owners need to give their green light. And come the end of the 2024 season, the whole dynamic kickoff thing will also need that same 24-owner approval for continuation, since it was greenlit for just one year. Originally, the proposed rule had the touchback at the 35-yard line, but a last-minute adjustment saw it drop to the 30 because it didn’t have enough votes.
Even when the league convened in August 2024, ostensibly to discuss a new private-equity rule, there were clear concerns about too many touchbacks, yet the shift to the 35 wasn’t made. It’s like they ordered lomo saltado but balked at adding the aji sauce – it just didn’t happen.
Before the regular season kicked off, the NFL didn’t seem too worried about a storm of touchbacks. The new rule aimed to keep high-speed collisions at bay – apart from the ball-carrier and the kicker, if they even got that far. The league figured they could live with: (1) better field position, (2) fewer live returns, and (3) the satisfaction of trying something new.
Integrity Intact for Now
The silver lining here is stability: no rule changes mid-season. Adjusting rules during play disrupts the flow and integrity of the game, and the NFL wisely avoids it like a missed field goal in overtime.
As the dynamic kickoff saga unfolds, one thing is clear – the league is learning, evolving, and keeping fans on the edge of their seats. One can only hope, like every fan awaiting the next touchdown, that the perfect balance will soon be found.
