Please let me know in the comments if i missed one. When they kick a regular kickoff and the receiving team doesnt touch the ball and the kicking team does. In this article, we will discuss how this play works, and the various rules and regulations that are associated with it. During this process, the committee asks several questions about each potential rule change. Insight into the nfls experiment with an onsidekick alternative. The dolphins made just about the best attempt at it i have seen since the rules change. Referee in oklahomas upset loss to kansas state explains. The broncos floated the onside kick proposal before last season to the same rules committee, but the change was not adopted. Onside kicks are chaotic, happen rarely, and are often quite confusing, even to football fans. Onside kicks arent a special thing if we exclusively look at the rulebook. The nfl competition committee receives and considers input from coaches, general managers, owners, current players and nfl legends, the nfl players association, medical personnel and the media, and conducts hours of discussion and film study before recommending changes to any rule. History says its 5050 if itll become a fulltime change. The kick must cross the receiving teams restraining line normally 10 yards in front of the kicking teams line, unless the receiving team touches the ball before that line. Effective with the 2018 season, the nfl requires that the kicking team line up with.
Onside kicks used to be one of the more exciting and dangerous plays in football. What are the rules for the onside kick in professional. All of the talk about an onside kick alternative possibly added to the nfl rulebook for 2019 was for naught at the annual league meeting, nfl team owners voted on. If a kicker obviously attempts to kick a ball short and the ball never goes 20 years, it is defined as an onside kick this also applies to a safety kick. Chronology of kickoff rules changes football zebras. Special thanks to savage brick sports for letting me use a few clips for. A free kick is a kickoff or safety kick that puts the ball in play to start a free kick down. Download a printable pdf of the 2019 nfl rulebook 2019 rule changes. There were only four successful onside kick recoveries all season, down from a season ago. The kicking team is under no obligation to announce that they are going to attempt an onside kick.
Added trying to advance the ball to clear up the ambiguity. At what point does the ball belong to the receiving team. The onside kick is a strategy used by many nfl teams as a lastditch effort to turn a losing game around. Since the nfl modified the kickoff rules to require five players to line up on each side of the kicker, as a safety measure, the success. Nfl will test onside kick alternative, a fourthand15. An alternative to the onside kick will get a trial run at the 2020 pro bowl. Onside kicks alternative, extra officials and more. Referee in oklahomas upset loss to kansas state explains crucial onside kick call the sooners recovered a key onside kick late in the game, but it. All the stats you need for every nfl matchup click here. Nfl to test potential onside kick, falsestart rule. I believe they are allowed as i vaguely remember a few from when i was a kid 25 years ago.
As with so many situations in our great game, there is a lot for the officiating crew to consider on an attempted onside kickoff, and it all happens. Member clubs of the league may amend the rules from time to time, pursuant to the applicable voting procedures of the nfl constitution and bylaws. Full list of xfl rule changes for 2020 season sports. He declined to go into detail about why the officials told him the kick was disallowed. If the ball travels less than 1o yards and the receiving team. Nfl will reconsider onside kick rule change proposal the. In most cases, the onside kick is an incredibly risky play. The cardinals went on to score a touchdown, taking a 140 lead. Mac percivals gamewinning kick in 1968 sparked the nfl to reevaluate the rule that offseason, but no change was made. Footballs onside kick rule states that the kicking team can recover a kickoff and retain possession after the ball travels 10 yards from its kicking point.
Teams will have to declare ahead of time if they wish to attempt an onside kick, which will be attempted using nfl rules. Onside kick an attempt by the team that is kicking off to kick the footballso that they can recover it. The meetings are a time for the leagues owners, presidents, general managers and coaches to get together to discuss matters of the league and vote on any changes to the rules, bylaws or league. In gridiron football, an onside kick is a kickoff deliberately kicked short. However, late game situations may force teams into an attempted onside kick. There have only been 4 onside kicks returned for touchdowns that i know of. Onside kicks in the nfl are successful 26% of the time. On an onside kick, the kicking team may not block in the first 10 yards. Four nfl teams have proposed potential rule changes ahead of the 2020 season. The nfl does not always adopt pro bowl rule changes, but the presence of the onside kick alternative is an indication that at least some league decisionmakers would like to see it in action. Titans coach mike mularkey remained angry about how the situation played out after the game. Onside kicks alternative, extra officials and more a list of some of the new rule proposals.
Justin tucker attempted a conventional onside kick, firing a ground ball at the line and waiting for. If the kicking team doesnt recover the ball, the opposition is gifted possession around midfield. Article 1 a free kick is a kickoff or safety kick that puts the ball in play to start a free kick down. It must be made from any point on the kicking offensive teams restraining line and between the inbounds lines. So yeah, all these changes also apply to onside kicks.
This weird nfl rule lets you score 3 points without. If the ball travels less than ten yards and the receiving team grabs the ball they may advance the ball. In the nfl, there are rules governing the onside kick that make it much harder for the kicking team to recover. In the 2020 pro bowl, a team scoring a touchdown or field goal will be able to. The first step in understanding and making sense out of the onside kick is to categorize it as a tactic, not a special type of play that has special rules. After the rule changed in 2018, that number declined. The nfl has paid cursory attention to this crisis, even going so far as to consider replacing the onside kick with a fourthand15 play from your own 35yard line. Since the nfl barred running starts on onside kicks, its success rate has declined dramatically. It breaks the plane of and remains beyond team bs restraining line exception. Nfl to test potential onside kick, falsestart rule changes at 2020 pro bowl.
I really dont know what the rules are on them though and i cant find a definitive answer anywhere. This change was made to be consistent with the definition of an onside kick in the official playing rules rule 3 section 16. Raiders onside kick returned for touchdown in 1980 jason sehorn. The nfls new kickoff rules have made onside kicks impossible. In 2017, before the new kickoff rules were enacted, nfl teams were successful on 11 of 57 onside kicks. The kickoff has gone through many changes over the years. The ball is dead if it is not touched by the receiving team and touches the ground in the. The onside kick is a tactical option during any kickoff play for the team kicking off. Among the proposals are changes to the onside kick, preseason and. Nfl announces 2019 playing rules proposals tim twentyman senior writer. Nfl to experiment with alternative to onside kick at pro bowl. The xfls punt rule eliminates the coffin corner punt by. The denver broncos proposed adding a slightly modified version of the aafs onside conversion rule to the nfl rules for the 2019 nfl season. The kick must be a free kick a kickoff, or free kick after a safety.
Players on the kickoff team are no longer able to get a running start before the kick. If a team wishes to run an onside kick, it must indicate this to the official before the play and the two teams will be permitted to line up using traditional nfl rules i. But thanks to the new kickoff rules implemented for the 2018 season, the onside kick became one of the. Below is a chronology of revisions to the kickoff rules, which were handled by the college rules committee until the nfl adopted its own rulebook in 1932. This does not apply when the kicking team lines up in an obvious onside kick formation. Onside kicks are a way for teams to keep possession after a scoring play. The kick is caught the kick is caught or recovered legally at the a46. Like, whether the ball moves 10 yards or 60, the same rules apply. In many cases, the intent is obvious, based on the game situation i. Under rule 4, section 3, article 2 of the nfls rulebook, if the game clock is stopped after a. What are the rules for the onside kick in professional football nfl.
It must be made from any point on the kicking offensive teams restraining. Make onside kicks great again, or replace them yahoo sports. According to the washington post, teams successfully recovered onside kicks 21% of the time in 2017. A faircatch kick is a kick attempt worth three points if it goes through the uprights. Among the proposals are changes to the onside kick. The nfl rulebook has become pretty complicated over. During an onside kick if the ball is kicked more then 10 yards then it is a live ball. I havent seen an onside kick after a safety in the nfl for a long time. The 2020 pro bowl will keep stretching the nfl rulebook nfl officiating announced two new rules that will be tested during the pro bowl on sunday in orlando, florida. This edition of the official playing rules of the national football league contains allcurrent rules governing the playing of professional football that are in effect for the 20 nfl season. Why hasnt the fair catch kick been eliminated from the nfl rulebook, when its clearly a remnant of premodern football.
The nfl introduced new provisions to help make footballs most dangerous play, the kickoff, a little safer. A brief history of the nfl testing possible new rules in. With the successful onside kick now a relic, the nfl will reconsider the fourthand15 proposal the inclusion of the fourthand15 option gives the. We could again see the rulebook amended to keep the game up to date. The philadelphia eagles have proposed four new rules to the nfls competition committee. Illegal touching no team a player may touch a freekicked ball until after. The 2020 pro bowl will keep stretching the nfl rulebook. The nfl annual meetings kick off sunday in arizona and last until wednesday. According to rule 3 section 17 of the official nfl rules.
318 325 1152 955 1137 1182 1068 987 631 247 14 616 871 771 777 243 1584 891 475 987 1046 756 1308 1550 46 1566 1554 682 636 1423 622 1194 657 1177 97 589 37 957 775 450 503 157 1316 511