Buccaneers head coach confirms suspicion about major rule change that will shake up the 2024 season
One of the biggest, and most exciting/intriguing, changes to the NFL comes in the form of the new kickoff rules, which are sure to make a big impact in 2024. On the surface, before we've actually seen anything play out, it certainly seems like the new rule will affect everything from the process of roster composition […]
One of the biggest, and most exciting/intriguing, changes to the NFL comes in the form of the new kickoff rules, which are sure to make a big impact in 2024.
On the surface, before we've actually seen anything play out, it certainly seems like the new rule will affect everything from the process of roster composition to who blocks, tries to beat blocks, and who returns the kicks.
There's a lot of guessing, right now, and rightfully so. But Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coach confirmed a lot of suspicions revolving around the intrigue of the new rule earlier in the week when he spoke to the media.
"I think it’s going to be a lot different," said Bowles. "There’s going to be a lot of experimentation in preseason, whether it’s a running back, a bigger guy, a smaller guy, what kind of athletes are on the kickoff going down there, and what kind of guys you need on kickoff return. It could affect the roster in certain ways, whether you keep extra middle[-sized] guys like tight ends and [linebackers] or whether it’s more D-linemen or you still keep the extra DBs that you need to keep.
"It’s going to be interesting to see.”
The new rule will even dictate who kicks the ball off, to an extent. For instance the Kansas City Chiefs recently said they're thinking about removing All-Pro placekicker, Harrison Butker, from kickoffs on a down-to-down basis because there will be a lot more tackling, contact, etc. to where a kicker is more prone to get hurt. And for the Chiefs, losing a weapon like Butker would be a huge blow. Therefore, they're thinking about putting safety Justin Reid on kickoffs.
Baltimore Ravens legend Justin Tucker recently said (jokingly, but with truth behind it) he's putting on more weight in order to prep for the change. And then, not to bring up a sore spot, but think about the Houston Texans and Dare Ogunbowale (the guy who used to play for the Bucs), who made a field goal against the Bucs and handled kickoffs, last year, when Ka'imi Fairbairn went down.
"I like to have somebody that can go back who is able to make a tackle," Chiefs special teams coordinator Dave Toub said a while back. "Butker is able to make a tackle, but I really don't want him making tackles all year long. If you watch the XFL — we watched every play — I bet kickers were involved in probably at least 25-40% of the tackles, either trying to make a guy bounce back, or making the tackle itself, or just missing the tackle. We don't want Butker in that situation, but he will be a kicker. He'll be a guy we'll use in certain situations. He's got a lot of ability to move the ball, whereas the other guys may not be as apt at doing that, and we'll use him."
"The personnel is going to be huge in terms of who you can put out there you know, because you eliminate the 25 yards," Vikings special teams coordinator Matt Daniels told reporters a couple of weeks ago. "Maybe you can get a Cam Bynum, Ivan Pace, you know, more starters on defense out there, because now it's more close proximity, close quarter combat, and you don't have to worry about those guys running down, and taking breath away from their first defensive snap…
"… There's going to be different ways you can [and] want to play with, in terms of who's going to be out there."
It's going to be a lot of fun to see who capitalizes on the rule first and sure enough, teams will certainly find themselves stealing a win or two because of the change.
And it's going to be exciting as hell to watch it all play out.
