Lions special teams coach has much different take than Dan Campbell on new rule change
Detroit Lions head coach Dan Campbell stole a few headlines this week with his comments on the NFL's new fair catch rule for kickoffs. Earlier this week, the NFL passed a new rule (on a one-year trial basis) that says if a player calls for a fair catch on a kickoff, the ball will be […]
Detroit Lions head coach Dan Campbell stole a few headlines this week with his comments on the NFL's new fair catch rule for kickoffs.
Earlier this week, the NFL passed a new rule (on a one-year trial basis) that says if a player calls for a fair catch on a kickoff, the ball will be placed at the 25-yard line.
Campbell told reporters that he's "highly frustrated" by the new rule.
“I’m highly frustrated. It’s very frustrating,” said Campbell during a recent media session. “But look, I don’t make the rules. That’s the new rule and then we’ll live by the new rule. We’ll find a way to adjust, adapt, and still get what we want. That’s what you’ve got to do. But I hate that we continue to take away from the game.”
Lions special teams coordinator Dave Fipp, however, doesn't necessarily feel the same way as Campbell.
In fact, Fipp doesn't think the new rule is a big deal at all.
“Honestly, I don’t think it’ll change the game a whole lot, so I’m different than some of these people,” said Fipp. “I think what the numbers say is the shorter the kick or the further out it is for the return team—like the 10-yard line. If the ball is kicked to the 10, I think the data says you should return it. So I think we’re still going to see a lot of returns.”
Fipp pointed out that he thinks the NFL has done a great job of making the game safer in recent years.
“They’ve done a great job making the game safer for the players," explained Fipp. "I think it’s a better game than it was. It’s definitely different, but I think for the most part they’ve done a great job and I trust what they’re doing.”
College football has had this rule in place since 2018 and as someone who consumes a lot of college football, I can honestly say it hasn't really impacted the game that much. It's barely even noticeable.
It's not like we're watching NFL games for kickoff returns. Thanks to rule changes in recent years, electric kick returns have become rare (and it's not like kick returns were eliminated — there will still be players who will go for the big returns). So this new rule isn't really eliminating a big part of the game like some folks would lead you to believe.
Once the season gets going, this rule change will likely be an afterthought.
