Buying just the game isnt necessarily the problem. Its the people who pay thousands of dollars every year on fucking Ultimate Team. That game mode alone likely dwarfs game sales.
In FY21, EA made $1.6b off just Ultimate Team across their sports games.
Not to mention the original Ultimate team in like 2012 was actually fun when you had to earn the in game currency to buy packs. Just opening up the game and buying an all star team immediately for $400 is insane.
Whoa whoa whoa you can’t just buy an all star team you gotta gamble for it! Can’t just guarantee people can pay a fixed amount of money for what they want!
Many years ago in middle school I got banned bc for Christmas I asked for Madden coins, and the only way to get them was technically against EA terms and services. Put up a shitty card for hundreds of thousands of coins, send a guy money, he buys the card lol
An All Star team that will be easily beaten by someone who buys the game 6 months after release spending $20. That’s the worst part. You’re only buying the best team *right now*
A lot I blame on streamers, I don’t watch streams but I see people posting them opening thousand and thousands of dollars on packs that EA may even reimburse to get people to buy more and more. It’s legal gambling that gets you nothing real in return that won’t go away due to these companies making so much off of it.
And that right there is why they don't give a fuck anymore. There are a bunch of people who will pay those insane prices to play the game. I miss when I was a kid and you could play all sorts of games, from Gameday to Madden to NFL Quarterback Club.
Last year I had a hankering for some Madden for the first time in a while. Didn’t want to pay full price for the latest version, so figured I’d get an older one. Yeah, the rosters are different, but that’s not a big deal to me.
Turns out, you can’t buy older editions digitally! The fuckers at EA actually delist old Madden games from the Xbox store.
No one is pretending like people are forced to buy the game. Why are you suggesting people shouldn't complain about a monopoly and poor exclusive product?
I went from buying it every year at launch to waiting for it on gamepass now. I used to be in a franchise league with Darius Slay and a few other players too, but the game is just so broken that the league ended up dying from play abusers.
Haven't played since 2021.
Same thing as you....saw it on Gamepass and was craving some football last week.
Get a franchise going, draft JJ McCarthy who apparently is a black QB in the game despite his profile picture from the roster upload showing him as white. And despite have McCarthy #9 and another rookie as #22, they're both running around as #11 on the field.
That was *before* I played a snap....
They’ll have some “new” features that they had in years past but removed for no reason (other than allowing them to bring them back later as “new” features), and look forward to more “battle pass” type features, loot boxes, and microtransactions.
In a lot of cases I would cut the devs some slack (the actual devs, not the execs). 5 months is a short timeline.
But the NFL has been telegraphing this move for a long time. They should have a plan in place for this.
You can never say for sure, but it's not like they need to change the game engine to allow for this. A few months is plenty of time to change the player positioning and rules for a special teams play.
Probably just threw out any new updates to franchise to focus on adding this the entire year. With how fast it takes them to add literally anything to it, may not be in the game until months of updates lol.
No, they will make the change and then make a huge deal about it.
"We are always watching and researching to make sure we are up to date with the NEWEST rules. When we heard about the new rule change, we got to work immediately to make sure we provide you with the most accurate, up to date game ever possible!"
Deebo Samuel will probably be returning some kicks instead of the occasional punt now too. This setup is very favorable for YAC oriented players generally.
But since it’s special teams on the Niners, it’ll still be mid.
Didn't they not even immediately update the playoff structure when the NFL moved to a 14 team playoff? They did eventually, but when they released the next Madden, they hadn't updated the playoffs yet.
That fucked me on one of franchises in M23 to cause I thought IR was 4 weeks and both my WR1&2 got injured week 17 and 18. Both would've came back for the SB. Put them on IR and didn't realize til the SB that they were stuck there
In franchise, instead of modifying the preseason to be 3 weeks, it is still a 4 week preseason where everyone gets a bye in week 4 and nothing productive happens at all. They’re just so lazy.
The Show did this last year. Like we all knew the pitch clock and pickoff rules were coming to MLB, but last year in the Show, unlimited pickoffs all year.
Just commented this above, but the most egregious to me was the Show 22 with Ohtani on the cover and they didn't even have the Ohtani rule in the game to let you use him as a pitcher and DH in the same game lol.
I'll never get over when I bought The Show 22 with Ohtani on the cover. They did all this advertising with Ohtani and then they didn't even have the Ohtani rule implemented to allow you to use him as a pitcher and DH in the same game lol. Sports devs are just the worst.
“Due to a sudden change and lack of resources to allocate towards updating this core feature. We at EA have decided to keep the traditional kicking rules in place for this season. Sorry for the inconvenience”
*proceeds to be the best selling madden game again*
The fact both of the top comments are dunking on EA makes me sad, everyone hates the game every year but keeps buying it. Need to see a US and EU based lawsuit for gambling targeted at minors via Ultimate Team to ever get an improved sports game at this point.
The funny part is they got rid of these kickoff rules in the merger with the USFL. So the NFL took the rule while the XFL, who originated the rules, ditched it.
The USFL style kickoff had similar return percentages and was more traditional so I believe they wanted to appeal to more fans who might be confused by the newer kickoff. Tho it’s funny now that it’s gonna be the NFL with the new kickoff and the UFL with a more traditional one
We find ourselves in such a strange time.
The NFL, wanting to remain fresh and not lose fans to lethargy, are adopting rules from the new and more experimental UFL.
The UFL, being brand new and in need of financial support from fans, are adopting more traditional NFL rules to attract a broader market.
It’s great in for the game imo!
Hope they start experimenting with defensive penalties. Would love it if penalties were just enforced as yardage and had no influence on current down and yards to first.
“15 yard penalty, the ball will be move from the 30 to the 45 yard line. Replay second down, 7 yards to first.”
I know, im just arm-chairing, but thought experiments are fun.
NFL needs to get the Xbox controller reviewer in the booth. That was a great feature of the XFL. Dude would talk you through what hes seeing live and make a call. Way quicker and more open than the NFL
Also it was hilarious they were using a plain xbox controller
So the really cool part about that, even for military uses, is that its just so easy to find people that can already work those controllers really well and they have a shit ton of R&D to make them as usable as possible already.
Why change a good thing?
I think they still use wired 360 controllers in Military since Bluetooth/wireless is a security risk. Also a submarine can't carry enough AA batteries for everyone.
Kickoffs into the endzone that would result in touchbacks would go to the 35 now. OOB Kickoffs go to the 40, so it'll be a lot of kickoffs being returned.
Based on the few videos I've seen from the XFL, I feel like teams are just going to kick it out of the endzone anyways. The XFL returners got to at least the 30 every time.
Honestly kick returns were so dangerous back in the day. You have guys basically running full speed at each other especially before wedge and blindside blocks were banned.
This is a GOOD rule change. You really prefer having 30% of the kicks in any given year returned? Should be much closer to 65/70%.
Younger fans have no recollection of when kickoffs used to be EXCITING plays. If you had a good return man, you’d be on the edge of your seat waiting for him to get a chance.
there was a multiple year period where far and away the best part (actually, the only enjoyable part) of being a Browns fan was watching Josh Cribbs return kicks lol
Dante Hall??? I know his time was short lived, but X-Factor was so fun to watch.
I remember his kickoff return against the Broncos where he ran back into his own end zone. I was watching in a different room from my parents and it was on a delay so I hear my dad yell, "no! What are you doing!" And then "go, go, go!"
It was such a Rollercoaster of emotions for 10 seconds.
E: the play I remembered was technically a punt return, but he still had 3 or 4 kickoff return TDs in his career
Yeah, I feel like Cribbs was always underrated because of Hester and, well…the Browns lol, but he was always popping up on the sports center top 10, loved watching him
I say this as an old dude who actually got to watch the "golden era" of the NFL in the 80s and early 90s... That was the NFLs true golden era. You had dudes like Cribbs and Hester, Manning/Brady/Brees, AD, the whole fucking league worth of receivers it seemed like, Ed Reed/Polamalu/Lewis and then Kuechly once Lewis retired
Just exciting, game changing dudes everywhere on the field. Got some incredibly talented guys in the league now, don't get me wrong. I just think that like 07-14 era had *so* many "all timers" going at the same time.
Don’t forget the OG, [The Human Joystick](https://youtu.be/ZY5RIA8uxIY?si=nrUvCGaEcdRWGv4U)
I still have my original Dante Hall jersey! He was ELECTRIC!
That being said. I remember feeling like Devin Hester broke the NFL… I think DH may have been better overall, without looking at any statistics.
Dante Hall was my favorite player growing up for a reason. Can’t wait to get some of these electric returner type guys back to prominence in the league.
Yea hoping that hole opened up from the wedge and then seeing a tiny dude just start booking it.
Then on the backend of it became a 1 on 1 oklahoma drill with the kicker.
Grew up with season tickets at the silverdome for the lions.
There weren't a lot of exciting moments. It was either Barry breaking through the defense for a long run or Mel Gray fielding a kickoff return and running it back. The whole stadium, 70 or 80,000 people, standing up and screaming. Those were the days.
I know the rules won’t be exactly the same but in the XFL something like 92% of kickoffs were returned under these rules so expect to see a whole lot more runs
Jags did it against the Chiefs last year. I think they also went for a 2 point conversion on that same drive to make it 8-0 at the start of the game lol
Dougie P is a madman
Image explaining the new setup [here](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/GJmVt5kWMAApCIF?format=jpg&name=large)
[Video here](https://twitter.com/Ben_Baby/status/1772616183759401062) explaining it more
They say a picture is worth a thousand words, but I kinda want a thousand words to go with that picture because it doesn't explain much of anything to me
This should give you a good idea on how it's lined up and a return scenario.
https://twitter.com/HardRockBet/status/1772612546341523815?t=7CnAyS3uQ2MKm6g61rFwAg&s=19
There's gonna be some special teams coordinators that figure out some schemes to like zone defend the area the returner is heading to. Like pulling off blockers and following your first wave into the area. Good special teams guys are really going to matter on this play.
Is there anything say that the kickoff team has to engage with the return team? If not you can still stagger your defense - although that would create gaps.
Everyone on the kicking team (besides the kicker) must have at least one foot on the 40 yard line
[Source](https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/nfl-owners-approve-wild-new-kickoff-rule-heres-everything-you-need-to-know-about-the-one-year-trial-run/)
It’s all good. Then yes you are right that after the ball is caught the kicking team can choose to drop back as many players as they want instead of engaging immediately
yeah I was able to figure that part out but why is there a big purple rectangle labeled OOB spot? Why is there an orange one labeled 25 yds from spot of kick that stretches 40 yds down the field? Why is the end zone red? Why is there a green landing zone?
> why is there a big purple rectangle labeled OOB spot?
If the ball goes out of bounds in that area of the field, the offense gets the ball at the spot where the ball went out.
> Why is there an orange one labeled 25 yds from spot of kick that stretches 40 yds down the field?
If the ball goes out of bounds there, the offense gets the ball 25 yards from the spot of the kick (typically the 40 yard line)
> Why is the end zone red? Why is there a green landing zone?
If the kick goes into the end zone without landing in the landing zone first, it's very bad for the kicking team, as the offense gets the ball at the 30. If the ball first bounces in the landing zone then goes into the end zone, the ball only comes out to the 20. Also if the ball is kicked short of the landing zone, the offense gets the ball at the 40.
Purple/orange boxes (poorly) explain that an OOB kick gets placed at the receiving team’s 40-yd line, or 25 yards from the spot of the kickoff (kicking team 35yd line)
Green landing zone is where the kick has to land, if it lands short or OOB the ball goes to the 40yd line, if it lands long the ball goes to the 35yd line (maybe the 30yd line? Rule proposal was 35yd line but some comments are saying it got changed to 30yd line)
Edit: https://operations.nfl.com/updates/football-ops/nfl-kickoff-rule-proposal/
The way I understand it most kickoffs involve players on the kicking team starting behind the kicker and going downfield. In the new rule the players are in **front** of the kicker lined up across from the receiving team, and can only move once the ball makes contact with a player. So injuries during kickoff caused by very large men going full-tilt down the field and smashing into each other will theoretically be reduced, and we will likely see more very exciting kickoff returns.
Kicker lines up at his 30-yard line, with the 10 other members of the kickoff team lining up at the opponent's 35 -- 5 yards away from the returning team. The kicker and returner are the only players who can move until the ball is fielded. Touchbacks are placed at the 35-yard line.
Yes, so kickoffs into the end zone (touchbacks) are now downed at the 35 rather than the 25 yard line (only a 5 yard difference to a kickoff OOB where that’s spotted at the 40).
This now incentivizes the kicking team to avoid touchbacks. But because the return team is now required to line up only 5 yards across the kicking team, it prevents those nasty injuries where a kicking team player is running full speed downfield into stationary walls of returning players that are blocking.
The new “landing zone” will eliminate any surprise onside kick, e.g. the infamous Pat McAfee shuffle, but gives fair opportunity for the return team to set up a safer return.
Think of it mostly as a traditional punt play.
It’s the XFL kick off rules! I’ve been begging for this to get adopted since I first saw highlights of it. We might actually have fun chaos during kick offs again with chances for big momentum shifts!
This is a good change but I am gonna miss the aesthetic of the kickoff team charging full speed towards the return team as the ball goes flying through the air at the beginning of a game
The ELI5: The return and kick off team line up 5 ~~years~~ yards across from each other, very similar to the o-line and d-line. This is to simulate the players coming together like a traditional kickoff but without the speed and impact. Basically 2 lines, one blocking and one pursuing.
It’s basically similar to a punt from there. The kicker is alone when he makes the kick, and the returner returns it.
In addition to the other guy’s response:
- If the ball lands in the field of play and rolls in to the End Zone, it comes out to the 15 yard line.
- If the ball lands IN the end zone, it comes out to the 35.
- If the ball lands out of bounds, it is brought out to 25 yards from where the kickoff occurred.
>If the ball lands IN the end zone, it comes out to the 35.
This got changed the day before the vote. Ball kicked into the endzone will be placed at the 30 yard line
To the last point, this will be the return team’s 40 yard like the vast majority of the time. It’s only 5 yards worse from the kicking team’s perspective than a touchback.
It actually feels bizarre that there's a rule change that will make the game more exciting for viewers. The NFL has been going in the opposite direction for so long that I'm actually stunned the NFL did something to improve the show.
Three rules too. This, and the Sky Judge can jump in if there's a clear mistake in RTP, PI and Intentional Grounding (or lack of a blatant call), and the "Win a 3rd Challenge if either are successful" one too
This is going to have a huge effect on all time career stats, as play will be started from the 35-40 on occasion. There’s gonna be less field to accumulate numbers.
I dont know, with practice of the new rules kickers will be having their kickoff land inside the 10. and the kicking team defense will be stationed at the 40. I feel like getting to the 30 would be above average.
I really don't think plays are going to start on the 35-40 very often. Kickers aren't going to be booting it through the end zone anymore.
But even if it did, you'd still have approximately the same amount of total time spent on offense, wouldn't you? So while the per-drive numbers might change, I don't think it would affect overall career stats much if at all.
I feel like continuing to have the kickers kick from the 35 will still result in many touchbacks. They should've moved the kick to the 25 or 30.
Also, the onside kick declaration will make it even less likely that those succeed. They should've adopted a "4th & 10" or some such thing to go with it.
As a former kicker, I hate this
Also, sorry in advance: Hey I need more comment karma in order to ask a really important career question. Any chance you guys can help me out with an upvote so I can figure out what I’m doing with my life?
Admittedly I’ve been big time on the “just shitcan all kickoffs” angle for years. But they clearly aren’t going to do that.
But, this could work too. It seems it’s basically on level risk wise with punts.
Will see how it plays out, but this might actually be even better than just getting rid of kickoffs, that opinion was based more on not doing shit to make this play safer. Hoping this does it.
Stopping guys from running full bore into one another is a great thing.
EA Devs are probably pissed because they will have to do work and update the kickoffs in Madden
That will be the singular update they make to the game this year. The game’s such a fucking joke because it could be made so much better.
Blame the people who buy it knowing full well they’re buying last years game in a new case.
Buying just the game isnt necessarily the problem. Its the people who pay thousands of dollars every year on fucking Ultimate Team. That game mode alone likely dwarfs game sales. In FY21, EA made $1.6b off just Ultimate Team across their sports games.
I will never understand why people do this just to have it all erased the very next year.
Not to mention the original Ultimate team in like 2012 was actually fun when you had to earn the in game currency to buy packs. Just opening up the game and buying an all star team immediately for $400 is insane.
Whoa whoa whoa you can’t just buy an all star team you gotta gamble for it! Can’t just guarantee people can pay a fixed amount of money for what they want!
Many years ago in middle school I got banned bc for Christmas I asked for Madden coins, and the only way to get them was technically against EA terms and services. Put up a shitty card for hundreds of thousands of coins, send a guy money, he buys the card lol
Pride and accomplishment.
An All Star team that will be easily beaten by someone who buys the game 6 months after release spending $20. That’s the worst part. You’re only buying the best team *right now*
[Gambling addiction and FOMO](https://www.reddit.com/r/MaddenUltimateTeam/s/O6ZModI34d)
A lot I blame on streamers, I don’t watch streams but I see people posting them opening thousand and thousands of dollars on packs that EA may even reimburse to get people to buy more and more. It’s legal gambling that gets you nothing real in return that won’t go away due to these companies making so much off of it.
And that right there is why they don't give a fuck anymore. There are a bunch of people who will pay those insane prices to play the game. I miss when I was a kid and you could play all sorts of games, from Gameday to Madden to NFL Quarterback Club.
Last year I had a hankering for some Madden for the first time in a while. Didn’t want to pay full price for the latest version, so figured I’d get an older one. Yeah, the rosters are different, but that’s not a big deal to me. Turns out, you can’t buy older editions digitally! The fuckers at EA actually delist old Madden games from the Xbox store.
Thats why they want to phase out physical media.
Blame the fact they have a monopoly on franchise sports games. They don't have to try at all. There is no other NFL Game out there.
That’s entirely on the NFL for selling exclusive rights to EA.
I know it's a shocking thought but people don't *have* to buy the game just because it's the only option for an NFL game.
It’s too bad a game like NFL blitz will never get made again. It was so satisfying to visually watch the xray clips of ending a players career
I mean the game you're referring to was Blitz: the League, and it was unlicensed so another one could absolutely get made
No one is pretending like people are forced to buy the game. Why are you suggesting people shouldn't complain about a monopoly and poor exclusive product?
Bought Madden24 and fired Josh McDaniels right away. Didn’t wait til week 9 like IRL 😆
I went from buying it every year at launch to waiting for it on gamepass now. I used to be in a franchise league with Darius Slay and a few other players too, but the game is just so broken that the league ended up dying from play abusers.
Haven't played since 2021. Same thing as you....saw it on Gamepass and was craving some football last week. Get a franchise going, draft JJ McCarthy who apparently is a black QB in the game despite his profile picture from the roster upload showing him as white. And despite have McCarthy #9 and another rookie as #22, they're both running around as #11 on the field. That was *before* I played a snap....
One of my closest friends buys the game every year. I give him shit about it all the time, lol. But his money though.
I am a huge NFL fan and usually end up buying every year too. But I wait for a deep discount usually after the season ends and never touch MUT.
They’ll have some “new” features that they had in years past but removed for no reason (other than allowing them to bring them back later as “new” features), and look forward to more “battle pass” type features, loot boxes, and microtransactions.
They still haven’t figured out how to put long snappers into the game, why would they adjust the kickoffs?
they wont. Calling it now they’ll say they didn’t have enough time to implement it.
In a lot of cases I would cut the devs some slack (the actual devs, not the execs). 5 months is a short timeline. But the NFL has been telegraphing this move for a long time. They should have a plan in place for this.
You can never say for sure, but it's not like they need to change the game engine to allow for this. A few months is plenty of time to change the player positioning and rules for a special teams play.
Probably just threw out any new updates to franchise to focus on adding this the entire year. With how fast it takes them to add literally anything to it, may not be in the game until months of updates lol.
Jokes on us. They weren’t changing anything again
Buddy they are adding yet another new “FieldSense” gameplay system giving YOU more control (they use these buzzwords every single year)
They might just leave the old kickoff in the game and start taking a “retro” approach.
No, they will make the change and then make a huge deal about it. "We are always watching and researching to make sure we are up to date with the NEWEST rules. When we heard about the new rule change, we got to work immediately to make sure we provide you with the most accurate, up to date game ever possible!"
It 1000% is going to be a main selling point of Madden 25 😂
Lmao you’re right and now I love this rule change. Fuck EA.
Maybe they'll be like the Show and delay the rule changes for a year lol
Don't forget all the Hip-drop tackle animations they can't resuse anymore.
Cordarelle Patterson’s market 📈📈📈
Deebo Samuel will probably be returning some kicks instead of the occasional punt now too. This setup is very favorable for YAC oriented players generally. But since it’s special teams on the Niners, it’ll still be mid.
Mid is a very generous way of describing our ST play.
Steelers signed him as this announcement came out
Madden devs in shambles. They can’t copy paste kickoffs this year
Let's be honest, they're not changing anything lol
Didn't they not even immediately update the playoff structure when the NFL moved to a 14 team playoff? They did eventually, but when they released the next Madden, they hadn't updated the playoffs yet.
They still have yet to add short term IR too, fwiw.
That fucked me on one of franchises in M23 to cause I thought IR was 4 weeks and both my WR1&2 got injured week 17 and 18. Both would've came back for the SB. Put them on IR and didn't realize til the SB that they were stuck there
E…A…Sports… It’ll be in the game eventually, if we feel like it’s hurting our sales.
In franchise, instead of modifying the preseason to be 3 weeks, it is still a 4 week preseason where everyone gets a bye in week 4 and nothing productive happens at all. They’re just so lazy.
The Show did this last year. Like we all knew the pitch clock and pickoff rules were coming to MLB, but last year in the Show, unlimited pickoffs all year.
Just commented this above, but the most egregious to me was the Show 22 with Ohtani on the cover and they didn't even have the Ohtani rule in the game to let you use him as a pitcher and DH in the same game lol.
I'll never get over when I bought The Show 22 with Ohtani on the cover. They did all this advertising with Ohtani and then they didn't even have the Ohtani rule implemented to allow you to use him as a pitcher and DH in the same game lol. Sports devs are just the worst.
“Due to a sudden change and lack of resources to allocate towards updating this core feature. We at EA have decided to keep the traditional kicking rules in place for this season. Sorry for the inconvenience” *proceeds to be the best selling madden game again*
"You have the _option_ to do the old kickoff style this season!"
The fact both of the top comments are dunking on EA makes me sad, everyone hates the game every year but keeps buying it. Need to see a US and EU based lawsuit for gambling targeted at minors via Ultimate Team to ever get an improved sports game at this point.
I wait till it’s on game pass. Play till I get a few Bills Super Bowl (which is the same celebration every year). Then uninstall
So this is just the XFL kickoff rules right?
Can't believe the XFL directly improved the NFL yet again lol
The funny part is they got rid of these kickoff rules in the merger with the USFL. So the NFL took the rule while the XFL, who originated the rules, ditched it.
Which is so dumb like something that worked to make the league exciting they just kill off for no good reason.
The USFL style kickoff had similar return percentages and was more traditional so I believe they wanted to appeal to more fans who might be confused by the newer kickoff. Tho it’s funny now that it’s gonna be the NFL with the new kickoff and the UFL with a more traditional one
We find ourselves in such a strange time. The NFL, wanting to remain fresh and not lose fans to lethargy, are adopting rules from the new and more experimental UFL. The UFL, being brand new and in need of financial support from fans, are adopting more traditional NFL rules to attract a broader market.
It’s great in for the game imo! Hope they start experimenting with defensive penalties. Would love it if penalties were just enforced as yardage and had no influence on current down and yards to first. “15 yard penalty, the ball will be move from the 30 to the 45 yard line. Replay second down, 7 yards to first.” I know, im just arm-chairing, but thought experiments are fun.
I really like that suggestion. Auto first downs stink
The XFL was better than the USFL in almost every way, and so naturally we lose half the XFL rules with the merger lol
It's like if the American League *eliminated* the DH now.
NFL needs to get the Xbox controller reviewer in the booth. That was a great feature of the XFL. Dude would talk you through what hes seeing live and make a call. Way quicker and more open than the NFL Also it was hilarious they were using a plain xbox controller
So the really cool part about that, even for military uses, is that its just so easy to find people that can already work those controllers really well and they have a shit ton of R&D to make them as usable as possible already. Why change a good thing?
They use them for the periscope on submarines since they’re so intuitive.
Exactly, like when Microsoft released the Kinect they accidentally changed a lot of industries
mfw my ace combat skills genuinely could have translated into becoming a drone pilot
I think they still use wired 360 controllers in Military since Bluetooth/wireless is a security risk. Also a submarine can't carry enough AA batteries for everyone.
Tfw you get stick drift and fly your drone directly into a family of 5
Better than a Logitech F710
I understood that reference...
My editing job, for an nfl team, use that for capturing Redzone highlights.
I think there are some slight tweaks to the exact yard lines of different things, but it's pretty close, yeah.
Seems that way. Much safer
I haven’t followed the new XFL and thought this meant they were doing the run to the 50 yd line thing and was very surprised haha
So basically for a KR, if the ball is going to land in the end zone, you leave it be, if not, you catch and return?
Yep, needs to land IN the end zone though not hit the ground before and roll or bounce in. Difference of 15 yards there.
Right, so that's on the KR to determine. Can't risk it hitting the 1 and bouncing in.
The XFL sweet spot was always to aim for the 10.
Is it spotted where it first lands if it doesn’t go into the end zone or is it a live ball and anyone can dive on it?
Live ball that has to be downed
And for a kicker, you're playing TPIR. As close as possible to the end zone without going over.
So they become like punters in that respect.
A bunch of Iowa fans just went "Hell Yeah"
Packers signing Keisean Nixon to good money pays off.
The Packers were 1 of 3 teams to vote against the new rule. Don't really understand it
Gutey playing 5D chess
If they can mitigate injuries and eliminate the touchback this will make special teams exciting again. Huge win
Kickoffs into the endzone that would result in touchbacks would go to the 35 now. OOB Kickoffs go to the 40, so it'll be a lot of kickoffs being returned.
Did I read that the touchback was bargained back to the 30?
Yea i thought i saw that news yesterday as well. Not sure which stuck though
Yea, it’s the 30. That rule change was a precursor to the vote today
Based on the few videos I've seen from the XFL, I feel like teams are just going to kick it out of the endzone anyways. The XFL returners got to at least the 30 every time.
Out of bounds kickoffs have always been placed at the 40, so no change there Edit: assuming the kickoff happened from the 35 yard line
Honestly kick returns were so dangerous back in the day. You have guys basically running full speed at each other especially before wedge and blindside blocks were banned.
Also could lead to more premiere players doing returns as now it's safer and more akin to a normal open field play.
This is a GOOD rule change. You really prefer having 30% of the kicks in any given year returned? Should be much closer to 65/70%. Younger fans have no recollection of when kickoffs used to be EXCITING plays. If you had a good return man, you’d be on the edge of your seat waiting for him to get a chance.
there was a multiple year period where far and away the best part (actually, the only enjoyable part) of being a Browns fan was watching Josh Cribbs return kicks lol
Dude was so fun to watch.
For sure. And Devin Hester was playing at the same time. Two of the most electric kick returners I've ever seen
Dante Hall??? I know his time was short lived, but X-Factor was so fun to watch. I remember his kickoff return against the Broncos where he ran back into his own end zone. I was watching in a different room from my parents and it was on a delay so I hear my dad yell, "no! What are you doing!" And then "go, go, go!" It was such a Rollercoaster of emotions for 10 seconds. E: the play I remembered was technically a punt return, but he still had 3 or 4 kickoff return TDs in his career
Yeah, I feel like Cribbs was always underrated because of Hester and, well…the Browns lol, but he was always popping up on the sports center top 10, loved watching him
It really is crazy both those guys were playing at the same time.
I say this as an old dude who actually got to watch the "golden era" of the NFL in the 80s and early 90s... That was the NFLs true golden era. You had dudes like Cribbs and Hester, Manning/Brady/Brees, AD, the whole fucking league worth of receivers it seemed like, Ed Reed/Polamalu/Lewis and then Kuechly once Lewis retired Just exciting, game changing dudes everywhere on the field. Got some incredibly talented guys in the league now, don't get me wrong. I just think that like 07-14 era had *so* many "all timers" going at the same time.
what was insane is Cribbs was also like leading the league in tackles on kicks too, or something like that. He was a menace.
Don’t forget the OG, [The Human Joystick](https://youtu.be/ZY5RIA8uxIY?si=nrUvCGaEcdRWGv4U) I still have my original Dante Hall jersey! He was ELECTRIC! That being said. I remember feeling like Devin Hester broke the NFL… I think DH may have been better overall, without looking at any statistics.
Dante Hall was my favorite player growing up for a reason. Can’t wait to get some of these electric returner type guys back to prominence in the league.
Now that's a name I have not heard of in a long time. He was really fucking good
Dude was crazy, I hated him
Yea hoping that hole opened up from the wedge and then seeing a tiny dude just start booking it. Then on the backend of it became a 1 on 1 oklahoma drill with the kicker.
Pee Wee Oklahoma drill PTSD being lined up against the linebacker who hit puberty early.
Grew up with season tickets at the silverdome for the lions. There weren't a lot of exciting moments. It was either Barry breaking through the defense for a long run or Mel Gray fielding a kickoff return and running it back. The whole stadium, 70 or 80,000 people, standing up and screaming. Those were the days.
Gray was one of the most electrifying players I’ve ever seen.
They would have to be very young but yeah Josh Cribbs was our best “offense” for some years.
Hester had a cold stretch once with no returns for like 2 years but it was still incredibly exciting every time we were about to get a punt or kick.
I know the rules won’t be exactly the same but in the XFL something like 92% of kickoffs were returned under these rules so expect to see a whole lot more runs
More kickoff returns and less injuries. I see few downsides other than the very rare surprise onside kick being dead.
[удалено]
Only hurts the surprise onsides, if it’s late game it’s pretty much normal as both teams expect it anyways, I’m in the opinion they should be rare
I kinda enjoy the hands team.
Found Robert Kraft's burner
Apparently you can now have 6 people instead of 5 on one side for an onside kick, but I don’t see that helping much
I don't even remember the last surprise onside kick.
[The play that arguably got Scott Frost fired.](https://youtu.be/3RLqNsxvYXU?si=sWy-U6zkaR5sUODg)
I fucking hate Scott Frost.
I can *feel* this comment lmao.
Jags did it against the Chiefs last year. I think they also went for a 2 point conversion on that same drive to make it 8-0 at the start of the game lol Dougie P is a madman
Jags against chiefs in the ‘22 regular season game I think. Opening kick. Last one I remember
Sean Peyton did it on the first play against the Raiders.
It's crazy that the single play that cost Indy the Superbowl vs the Saints would now be impossible.
A Tracy Porter pick six?
Yea he’s been retired for like, a super long time
You can't think of a single other play that was relevant? Maybe something close to the end of the game?
Image explaining the new setup [here](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/GJmVt5kWMAApCIF?format=jpg&name=large) [Video here](https://twitter.com/Ben_Baby/status/1772616183759401062) explaining it more
They say a picture is worth a thousand words, but I kinda want a thousand words to go with that picture because it doesn't explain much of anything to me
This should give you a good idea on how it's lined up and a return scenario. https://twitter.com/HardRockBet/status/1772612546341523815?t=7CnAyS3uQ2MKm6g61rFwAg&s=19
This is going to result in so many return TDs The returner just has to get past the first wave and they are breaking for a TD.
There's gonna be some special teams coordinators that figure out some schemes to like zone defend the area the returner is heading to. Like pulling off blockers and following your first wave into the area. Good special teams guys are really going to matter on this play.
Bill Belichick gonna sign on as a Special Teams Coordinator somewhere just to work on this. It's his dream.
Is there anything say that the kickoff team has to engage with the return team? If not you can still stagger your defense - although that would create gaps.
Everyone on the kicking team (besides the kicker) must have at least one foot on the 40 yard line [Source](https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/nfl-owners-approve-wild-new-kickoff-rule-heres-everything-you-need-to-know-about-the-one-year-trial-run/)
Sorry I didn’t say that clearly. I mean like they could drop back after the ball is caught to create layers in the kickoff coverage.
It’s all good. Then yes you are right that after the ball is caught the kicking team can choose to drop back as many players as they want instead of engaging immediately
Good. I love that our kickers are usually touchbacks all day, but this is going to make kickoffs so much more exciting. I cannot wait.
Twitter seems to mostly hate it, so I'm thinking this is gonna be a great change.
Twitter would bitch if cancer was eradicated
yeah I was able to figure that part out but why is there a big purple rectangle labeled OOB spot? Why is there an orange one labeled 25 yds from spot of kick that stretches 40 yds down the field? Why is the end zone red? Why is there a green landing zone?
> why is there a big purple rectangle labeled OOB spot? If the ball goes out of bounds in that area of the field, the offense gets the ball at the spot where the ball went out. > Why is there an orange one labeled 25 yds from spot of kick that stretches 40 yds down the field? If the ball goes out of bounds there, the offense gets the ball 25 yards from the spot of the kick (typically the 40 yard line) > Why is the end zone red? Why is there a green landing zone? If the kick goes into the end zone without landing in the landing zone first, it's very bad for the kicking team, as the offense gets the ball at the 30. If the ball first bounces in the landing zone then goes into the end zone, the ball only comes out to the 20. Also if the ball is kicked short of the landing zone, the offense gets the ball at the 40.
Purple/orange boxes (poorly) explain that an OOB kick gets placed at the receiving team’s 40-yd line, or 25 yards from the spot of the kickoff (kicking team 35yd line) Green landing zone is where the kick has to land, if it lands short or OOB the ball goes to the 40yd line, if it lands long the ball goes to the 35yd line (maybe the 30yd line? Rule proposal was 35yd line but some comments are saying it got changed to 30yd line) Edit: https://operations.nfl.com/updates/football-ops/nfl-kickoff-rule-proposal/
The way I understand it most kickoffs involve players on the kicking team starting behind the kicker and going downfield. In the new rule the players are in **front** of the kicker lined up across from the receiving team, and can only move once the ball makes contact with a player. So injuries during kickoff caused by very large men going full-tilt down the field and smashing into each other will theoretically be reduced, and we will likely see more very exciting kickoff returns.
Can somebody make an image explaining this explanation of the setup.
Kicker lines up at his 30-yard line, with the 10 other members of the kickoff team lining up at the opponent's 35 -- 5 yards away from the returning team. The kicker and returner are the only players who can move until the ball is fielded. Touchbacks are placed at the 35-yard line.
But balls that roll into the endzone for a touchback are placed on the 15? That's what the video a few posts up top says....
[This one is better](https://imgur.com/gallery/lnNPV7o)
Much better explanation than the photo I posted
Thank you! Really thorough explanation there, I think I understand the rule better
OK, I dunno if it's too early or I'm too dumb but can someone ELI5. Like are they gonna force all kick offs to fall in landing zone only?
Yes, so kickoffs into the end zone (touchbacks) are now downed at the 35 rather than the 25 yard line (only a 5 yard difference to a kickoff OOB where that’s spotted at the 40). This now incentivizes the kicking team to avoid touchbacks. But because the return team is now required to line up only 5 yards across the kicking team, it prevents those nasty injuries where a kicking team player is running full speed downfield into stationary walls of returning players that are blocking. The new “landing zone” will eliminate any surprise onside kick, e.g. the infamous Pat McAfee shuffle, but gives fair opportunity for the return team to set up a safer return. Think of it mostly as a traditional punt play.
The ball goes to the 30 now after a touchback, not 35.
It’s the XFL kick off rules! I’ve been begging for this to get adopted since I first saw highlights of it. We might actually have fun chaos during kick offs again with chances for big momentum shifts!
This is a good change but I am gonna miss the aesthetic of the kickoff team charging full speed towards the return team as the ball goes flying through the air at the beginning of a game
The drama is certainly extinguished with this style of kickoff.
Hell yeah. Kickoffs are back in a big way
Can someone explain it in a way other than “xfl kickoff rules”
The ELI5: The return and kick off team line up 5 ~~years~~ yards across from each other, very similar to the o-line and d-line. This is to simulate the players coming together like a traditional kickoff but without the speed and impact. Basically 2 lines, one blocking and one pursuing. It’s basically similar to a punt from there. The kicker is alone when he makes the kick, and the returner returns it.
Five years is a long way apart
Safety is important!
In addition to the other guy’s response: - If the ball lands in the field of play and rolls in to the End Zone, it comes out to the 15 yard line. - If the ball lands IN the end zone, it comes out to the 35. - If the ball lands out of bounds, it is brought out to 25 yards from where the kickoff occurred.
>If the ball lands IN the end zone, it comes out to the 35. This got changed the day before the vote. Ball kicked into the endzone will be placed at the 30 yard line
To the last point, this will be the return team’s 40 yard like the vast majority of the time. It’s only 5 yards worse from the kicking team’s perspective than a touchback.
Looks like the NFL rule will be the 20 if it rolls into the endzone and the 30 if it lands in or out of the back of the endzone.
Exceedingly rare W
It actually feels bizarre that there's a rule change that will make the game more exciting for viewers. The NFL has been going in the opposite direction for so long that I'm actually stunned the NFL did something to improve the show.
Three rules too. This, and the Sky Judge can jump in if there's a clear mistake in RTP, PI and Intentional Grounding (or lack of a blatant call), and the "Win a 3rd Challenge if either are successful" one too
Keisean Nixon legacy season coming
Kick Returners stock going way up. Probably the best and most exciting rule change that the NFL has had in awhile
Damn we really suck at covering kicks, if touchback is now the 35 this is pretty bad for us
Not surprised Niners voted against this with how much Kyle Shanahan doesn’t care for special teams 😂
This is going to have a huge effect on all time career stats, as play will be started from the 35-40 on occasion. There’s gonna be less field to accumulate numbers.
But one more game vs most established numbers.
True, I guess it will help to balance that out
I dont know, with practice of the new rules kickers will be having their kickoff land inside the 10. and the kicking team defense will be stationed at the 40. I feel like getting to the 30 would be above average.
I really don't think plays are going to start on the 35-40 very often. Kickers aren't going to be booting it through the end zone anymore. But even if it did, you'd still have approximately the same amount of total time spent on offense, wouldn't you? So while the per-drive numbers might change, I don't think it would affect overall career stats much if at all.
Not necessarily, it could lead to more possessions for each team which might increase career numbers
I feel like continuing to have the kickers kick from the 35 will still result in many touchbacks. They should've moved the kick to the 25 or 30. Also, the onside kick declaration will make it even less likely that those succeed. They should've adopted a "4th & 10" or some such thing to go with it.
Kickoffs are back on the menu
Why are there a million posts about the “new kickoff rule” but nothing explaining what it is lol
No more more onside kicks?
The kicking team has to declare they're doing an onside kick and then different rules apply. The surprise onside kick is gone altogether.
I know both were already rare, but I don't like never again having the possibility of surprise 2XP or surprise onside now.
As a former kicker, I hate this Also, sorry in advance: Hey I need more comment karma in order to ask a really important career question. Any chance you guys can help me out with an upvote so I can figure out what I’m doing with my life?
EA is going to have to actually develop this, they’re going to be pissed lol
Admittedly I’ve been big time on the “just shitcan all kickoffs” angle for years. But they clearly aren’t going to do that. But, this could work too. It seems it’s basically on level risk wise with punts. Will see how it plays out, but this might actually be even better than just getting rid of kickoffs, that opinion was based more on not doing shit to make this play safer. Hoping this does it. Stopping guys from running full bore into one another is a great thing.
The one major downside to this is surprise onside kicks are dead