Several NFL head coaches are not happy with a controversial new rule, but the league decided to pass it anyway.
The new fair catch rule also discourages teams from trying to go for kickoff returns, and Detroit Lions HC Dan Campbell apparently wasn’t satisfied with that.
Campbell claimed that his team would follow the new rules like everyone else, but said that it was extremely disappointing and that such rules would only bleed the game.
#Lion HC Dan Campbell calls the new fair catch rules for kickoffs “extremely disappointing,” especially when coaches around the NFL were against it.
“I hate that we’re drifting further and further away from the game. That’s what really worries me.”
( @Lion,pic.twitter.com/HTVvLCQWYF
— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) May 25, 2023
While conservatives have often been against rule changes of any kind, this time Campbell may be right.
For those who don’t know about this new fair catch rule, it pretty much allows all teams to start with the football on their own 25-yard line, with any ball that goes beyond that line Asks for fair catch.
This would basically be a touchback without the end zone, and it discouraged either team from trying to return the ball on the kickoff, which often led to injuries.
This may not seem like a huge change, as only six kickoffs were returned for touchdowns 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 leagues also need to listen to their coaches and players when trying to pass new rules.
It will 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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Lions had special guests at OTA today