I didn't state clear enough, I don't think the old kick offs are the best. the point I was getting at is that This kick off scheme seems poorly thought up, bland, and hard to really play around with in schemes. I absolutely think player safety is more important than watching guys run down field full speed to get concussed. I just don't like THIS specific solution.
In short, coaches haven't figured out how to bust open the line just yet. It takes time. How long did it take before the concept of throwing the ball in the NFL became a the norm? Or the west coast offense? I'm actually intrigued to see how coaches design schemes in the xfl
I don’t mind the change. Yes it takes the ferocity and violence out of the kick-off, and yes it looks very elementary before anyone figures it out. Good thing is I think once coaches figure this out it’ll be fun to watch. It’ll be easy to break off some good returns.
This is going to get exploited sooooo much. Especially with only one returner. Theres a better way to do this. And thats Before you get to the fact that the XFL talent level is lower so you’re already going to get *wayyyy* more kick returns, like college.
Yeap. We did see one schemed KOR last season ('20). Coaches just have to decide it's worth setting up for. I'm warming to this from advocating for no kickoffs. It brings football to the one element of the game that was devoid of it.
I agree. In 2020, the first XFL season, I believe there were 2 touchdowns scored off the kick. So it might not take too long for coaches to start figuring it out
Not only does it have player safety in mind, but we actually get to see kick off returns (unlike the NFL where it’s always out of the end zone). I don’t think this method is perfect but it is already better than what the NFL is doing.
Did you listen to the video? His main complaints were the terrible non-schemes and one point that kicking the ball didn't seem to mean anything as no one does anything until the returner has the ball. Lastly, he complains that they're running interviews while this is happening. Where, in all of that, do you see any complaints that relate in any way to player safety? What part of his complaint was explained by "player safety?"
I like the kickoff change. It fits the XFL's point of being around, which is being the crossroads in peoples careers in which they move onto the NFL or finally give up the dream. And keeping those players safe so they could move on is a major part of that.
I actually like this a lot. better than having the majority of kickoffs end in touchbacks. maybe wasnt fun this week but look at Battlehawks week 3 kick return. that was incredibly fun, especially live
The kickoff is genius. It allows for kickoffs to actually happen and returns. It's better than NFL's who have tried to just eliminate it completely by moving the kicker further up so they can enforce knees in the end zone.
The change is obviously about player safety more than anything. I wouldn't write it off yet, there's very little chance that these kickoffs look the same 10 weeks down the line.
I think this change is inevitable in the NFL. It's boring right now but once they iron out the kinks this will probably be the future. Introducing some stagger setups on the return setup will allow for more exciting play as well.
I love it honestly. The NFL has been trying to get rid off kickoffs for a while now for saftey concerns, but I can TOTALLY see them using this. IT has the same effect as the current kickoffs without the danger.
Weird because in HS tons of teams have bad kickers who don't clear the endzone. Kickoffs are a regular part of the game yet parents don't seem to complain about it. I dont understand the safety concerns. I'm pretty sure the NFL moved the kickoff back for fantasy football reasons.
@@paulkaehn6203 defend yourself when your on a football field at all times. Like what do you want me to say? I bet you anything the fringe players who barely make rosters would risk all that for more playing time and a bigger role in the game. It's just bozo fans and old players that whine the most. Not to mention the fantasy football morons.
@@jlking8724 Find me a clip or quote from throughout the entire history of the NFL. One just ONE example of a player complaining about too many kickoffs or kickoffs being too violent. The players want special teams back. Bottom line. Don't let idiot fans and dinosaur players and soccer moms decide for the actual people playing the game and risking it.
The 2020 xfl had these same rules and had no problems, it takes practice. Also I don’t mind them doing this because I’ve seen the after effects of kickoffs, I’d rather wait for them to figure it out over time instead of a ended career because of the original kickoff.
I think if they want to do this setup, do 7 on 7 for the kickoffs, or maybe 7 blockers/coverage plus the returner & kicker. That might make it more interesting 🤔
You want to see kickoffs and punts done right? Check out the CFL. On kickoffs and punts, the defenders must stay outside of a five-yard circle around the return man until he catches the ball. If they don't, it's a five-yard penalty if they don't touch the return man and 15-yards if they do. The best part, no fair catches! Every punt is returned. And if the return team chooses to not return a ball out of the endzone, the kicking team gets a point. It's called The Rouge.
I prefer usfl kickoff. Xfl had more drama, but usfl had a better format it most ways. I did like the challenge anything rule xfl has. When it comes to kickoff I would take the Isaac rule. It good to have safety, but making any play more boring like xfl did just encouraged me to use bathroom or grab a snack after almost every score
@@MrRokkit doesnt depend who wins haha its always gonna start at a 40 yard line either way isnt a long drive. And that's what i mean, punts would be rare because the teams are always starting with a short drive more likely to end in points and another onside kick sorry to pick apart a fun suggestion haha just wouldnt wanna see that, long drives are part of what makes football unique and fun
You really enjoyed the last few years of fair catches and touchbacks? Get real. What is your solution for minimizing concussions by having players smash into each other with a 30-40yd head start?
The kickoff was changed for player safety, I actually think that this new kickoff is better and more interesting as almost every kick is returned unlike the boring touchbacks of the NFl
I like the approach the CFL does where it places emphasis on keeping the ball in the immediate of the field and live play as possible, that's why teams get penalized if they try to touch back, or if kickers aim for the endzone to discourage a return
@Ramboost007 I almost said that but I couldn't remember where they would put the ball - the idea was that you'd most likely punt, but with these super charged go for it on 4th all the time type offenses now I don't know if that's a wise choice
Yeah it was kinda underwhelming. I'd much rather just use a 4th and 15 concept, though I'd make it a little different. Instead of a basic 4th and 15, I'd love it where the rules state its only 5 yards to gain UNLESS you have someone listed as QB on the field, then its a 10 yard penalty (making it 15 yards to gain). Call it "improper possession down procedure", and hopefully it'd inspire fake punts by making it less of a challenge, but also not remove the ability to just go for it with your offence.
What innovation does regular kickoffs bring tho, just a bunch of touchbacks and a huge return here and there, when a play results in a touchback most of the time but also has the highest volume of injury it needs changes idk
You've got kick off reverses, you have double teams on the front line, you have sweeping blocks from the backside to create lanes. It's very rarely just guy block guy and you also have how the returner runs to set up the kick off with his running lane and then of course, finding and hitting a very small hole so fast it just looks like he ran in a straight line the whole time
There didn't used to be touchbacks hardly ever (at a high level). You used to actually be allowed to block, and the kicking team had to kick from the 30 yard line. [Which was back when a kicker making a 50 yard field goal was very unusual.] It's the most exciting play in football. Well, it once was. Now I couldn't tell you what the nfl does anymore because I stopped watching that s hit around the time they made the game as boring as possible and called their fans "racists".
@@IsaacPunts I understand your point, the variety just isn’t seen as much to the average viewer, and I feel like sacrificing that for a less injury prone method is better, maybe there would be more variety if they were 10~15 yards apart
@@aking4974 Yes, we laugh at any team who tries a kickoff reverse now. We all know the safe and the best option is for the kicker to hoof it for a touchback
The XFL kick off is not bad, the ELF has adopted it too. It does need all work, I mean it looks onside, I mean maybe big the scrimmage line or neutral zone closer to the middle of the field. Ofcourse I noticed this could be a serious advantage to the return team. Maybe the kicking team need to stagger thier lines? Idk
A few thoughts. 1) A play doesn't have to be complicated to be entertaining. I enjoyed this style of kickoff and it gave the XFL a unique personality which is something spring football needs if it has a hope of sticking around. 2) This kickoff could have become more complex if coaches were given time to acclimate to the rule, but they haven't been given that time yet and now we may never know. 3) Your question of why have a kickoff if they can't move until the ball is caught is interesting. I must admit I had to think about that one. The returner could just start with the ball in his hand and the whistle blows and it would be no different. So I have to admit this is not a flawless approach to the kickoff and you helped me see that. I'd still like to see some form of this kickoff, but with some kind of tweak that would need to come from smarter folks than me. I do like the safety approach as opposed to the traditional kickoff and I'm not in favor of eliminating the play altogether. Good video, it made me think.
Let me add... Did you see the last version of the XFL where there was actually a kickoff taken for a touchdown? I hated the AAF always starting on the 25 with no kickoffs, this is better. I forget exactly how it worked, but there was a reverse of something taken back for six. I'm no sure if the XFL allows multiple returners, but some slight tweaks might work. If you like this general idea, but would like to allow both sides to have a few players back on both sides, I think that'd be in the spirit of what they're trying to do and might happen.
I really liked AAF's rule change: eliminate the kickoff. The scoring team can choose to have the scored-upon team set up at the 25 yd line, or they can opt to go for a fourth down play deep in their territory as a higher chance emulation of the onside kick. While the XFL does have the latter (and actually makes extended possession feasible therefore more exciting), it tries to preserve a play that's existed since the beginning of the game, but nevertheless is an old relic that just needs to go away since its format is too different from virtually every other play from scrimmage.
My take right now is that its just week 1 and we should give them time to figure it out. There is (at least) 2 major opinions about nfl kickoffs that is 1. it causes injuries due to players running full speed into each other and 2. it is boring and unnecessary due to the high touchback percentage. In the case of xfl, they are trying to have a compromise that keeps the kickoff without the two issues mentioned above. This leads to this weird-looking kickoff formation but this is just week 1, and coaches tend to be conservative in the beginning. I do predict that there will be more creative playcalls on kickoffs in the upcoming weeks once coaches are more comfortable with these rules and also we will be more comfortable seeing this kickoff formation and the bizarreness might go away somewhat.
There didn't used to be touchbacks hardly ever (at a high level). You used to actually be allowed to block, and the kicking team had to kick from the 30 yard line. [Which was back when a kicker making a 50 yard field goal was very unusual.] It's the most exciting play in football. Well, it once was. Now I couldn't tell you what the nfl does anymore because I stopped watching that s hit around the time they made the game as boring as possible and called their fans "racists".
Personally I thought the change is better than what the NFL did moving the kickoff farther down the field. At least there will be consistent returns this way and won't be a touch-back every time. For that reason I think it is better but time will tell.
It’s for player safety one thing that killed the xfl the first time in the 2000s was the rate of injuries players suffered. The kickoff is the most injured play in the sport. XFL makes up for the excitement missing from kickoffs with game play changes to speed up the pace
...NFL will copy XFL just like the camera angles and running on field with camera where the NFL said was dumb and then started doing it, play after touchdown is way better also...
I think I do remember back in 2020 there were a few tes that were able to pull off a few exciting returns. Keep in mind they only have had 5;weeks to practice for the 1st game I sure you will start to see perhaps a few teams trying to put a few wrinkles into to special teams as far as punts and kickoffs
Just watched his super bowl video. Knew Issac punts would either love or hate the chiefs seeing as they won both the afccg and super bowl on monster punt returns
Solution since the NFL is considering this. Why not have the lines set up as a standard play and allow the returner the ability to do a forward pass. The play starts when the returner touches the ball. Having the ability to pass would allow the teams to scheme the hell out of it, while making the returner position become more important. The NFL should try this in flag football leagues with variations to see what variation provides the most excitement without compromising player safety
I think we need to wait a couple of weeks. I have a feeling that you will see some wrinkles. And I like the fact that there is better player safety, but also no touchbacks (kicking team actually gets penalized for a touchback, or a too-short kick). I think you need to revisit this in a couple of weeks after the coaches look at it a little bit more.
I just like the fact that we actually get to see kick returns. The returns also mostly put the offense past the 25 yard line as well. There's no monotony to it at all like the touchback to the 25 yard line
Apparently this is supposed to make kickoffs "safer". So then why do they penalize you for out of bounds kicks and touchbacks on punts? Honestly I was confused by these kickoffs so I'm glad you brought this up.
They want returns still, so if it's kicked into or out the back of the end zone, it's a 25 yard touchback. However if the ball lands in play then bounces out of the end zone, it's only a 15 yard touchback.
The problem is that the current NFL touchback rules make kickoffs basically a formality. If the kicker is just going to sail the ball past the baseline every time then why not just start the offense on the 25 every time the other team scores and skip it altogether.
You're definitely wrong here. "Worst change to football the xfl made" is a pretty ridiculous comment. To call this play "boring" when the play its replacing is a 3 minute commercial break followed by a kick thru the end zone followed by a 3 minute commercial break..
Please go back to the old kick off rule. A few thoughts come to mind: If the majority of kick offs result in touch backs then player contact would be limited. I believe the average return of last night's game was about 22 yards (about the same as the average from last season). If the owners really cared about player safety (THEY DON'T). They would not have added a 17th game, and are now considering an 18th game. You have eliminated the On side kick with the new kick off rule. Trust and believe there are going to be plenty of situations where you are going to wish your team could try and onside kick, only to realize your team has no chance now.
It’s all for player safety, I think it’s pretty fair overall considering how many injuries come from the kickoffs in the nfl with regards to what percent of plays they are
I agree, but you could've said the same 3 years ago. I appreciate your tactical suggestions, but there isn't a lot you can do within those rules. For many years I've had in mind, and wrote in some places, suggested changes which would be both more conservative (to the free kick concept and the game generally) and pose more interesting possibilities for both the kicking and the receiving side. If you just want a solution "out of the box", just swipe the Canadian (amateur or pro) rules on this.
I liked this a lot with XFL 2.0. I'm glad it's back for XFL 3.0, but as in 2.0, the teams start too close to each other. Move the kicking team blockers back another five or ten yards. This will (a) give the receiving team more room to develop a play to get the ball downfield and (b) give the runner more time to gain speed. It's great in concept (fewer injuries), but it needs to be tweaked a bit.
Positives: Player Safety and the fact that there are actual returns. Negatives: 1 step and you're on your man already... doesn't open anything up. Seems very boring. Solutions: Try 10 yards between teams. Give at least a couple steps between coverages... at least there SHOULD be some holes to exploit. Try staggered start... at least some holes would be naturally opened... 2 in the middle at 10 back and at least 2 along both sides must be 10 back. It might work... have to give some time for teams to understand it with actual malice in the play.
I think its fine. Its only year 1 for these guys. Give them time to innovate. Geez dude lol One thing I don't like is taking away time outs when a player is injured.
It's very safe, and it makes coaches think outside the box. First week was entertaining and I'm looking forward to next week. Year round football = ABSOLUTELY
@FreshBoxLive so the kicking team builds a lot of momentum from running down the field and if your kicker has a lot of hang time that could set up the returner (on the other team) to get clobbered. The way it is set up in the xfl is safer.
@@michaelowen6113 I don't understand how that is any more dangerous than a regular play. Don't you realize how quickly an NFL player gets to top speed? They are not going any faster than they would be on a regular play, if anything they get down to the first line of the kick return and are already getting winded and at that point have to deal with blockers.
@FreshBoxLive think of it this way, 2 cars in a parking lot going 5 miles an hour and both cars collide. Vs 2 cars going in a residential neighborhood going 25 mph and colliding. The faster moving vehicles will cause more damage then the slower moving vehicles.
@@michaelowen6113 it's totally different dude. I understand physics. Like I said NFL players achieve top speed in 10 yards anyway. There isn't any extra speed to gain. It's barely any worse than regular plays.
The wide shot of players standing still while a ball sails way up in the air is what feels weird to me. If there were some options for different formations, or some players that could start further back, or even move within certain limitations, then the play would feel interesting right away. I like the direction we're going, but we need to keep improving this.
I like the XFL okay, but the rules changes don't make me like the game more. I don't know if it's a negative, but it's definitely not a positive. It just seems gimmicky to me.
It's still better than the NFL's kick offs. It's safer, and you actually get some what of a return. Also given that this is only week one I'm sure in time these special teams coaches will eventually come up with better schemes. The kick off won't be going anywhere. Kick offs aren't gonna ever be exciting till someone scores. That's the reality on all levels of play. I do like the rules of the kick off here to protect the players.
This kickoff change is better than the NFL constantly having touchbacks and the ball go out the back of the end zone. It’s like once devin Hester did what he did the NFL punished players for being good. The XFL is headed in the right direction fasho. And this kickoff solution is great more football being played
kickoff team starts on their own 25 to 35, with 4th and 15 or 4th and 20. That way the entire offensive playbook is open, the entire fake punt playbook is open, and "on-side" kick attempt rate and success rate can be dialed in very easily by changing it from 4th and 15 to 4th and 10 or 20 or 25 or whatever, without having to fundamentally change the rules. And it also gives the opportunity for a botched deep-snap or punt, and gives the opportunity for defenses to come up with an awesome punt block in retaliation for just having been scored on. Kickoffs are the worst part of the game. Punts are pretty great.
I feel like the NFL should just keep the same format it already has but incentivize kickers to not kick out of the back of the end zone. That way it’s safer than it used to be but still stays interesting.
What I hate th emsot is that there is no pressure on the kickoff returner which sometimes force a fumble. Now no stress, even if he drops , he's the only one close enough to recover it anyway.
The NFL may as well give up kickoffs, same with any other league doing conventional kickoffs. What these other leagues should do is either outlaw touchbacks or a touchback means a team starts on their own 5, and a "fair catch" means a 15 yard penalty, and I mean 15 yards, where a "fair catch" inside your own 15 means two points for the kicking team and you're punting. I could be okay with an adjustment where either team can have some players up to 10 yards back, since a kick has to reach the 20, but I like this better than the other leagues where it's touchbacks all day. Treat kickoff touchbacks like double unsportsmanlike conduct. Two touchbacks on the fly for the kicker, he gone! Two for the returner, siyanora! Let's see some action!
You gotta remember that the NFL shifted the rules so teams start at the 25 instead of the 20 after a touchback-this was to give players incentive to perform a touchback rather than attempt to run downfield and get injured. While it reduces injury, which is a good thing, it makes kickoffs almost unemployable because almost all of them are touchbacks when the ball is kicked to the endzone. The XFL is trying to make the game more exciting, while still keeping safety in mind. Instead of having a rule that makes kickoffs almost useless, you have teams form up in a way that reduces the chance of high-speed collisions (and therefore injury) but also reduces the chance the ball will end up in the end-zone. That way, kickoffs are actually useful again. In games where teams didn’t want ANY injured players, like the super bowl, it is much more likely to see players do a touchback. Which means that the most important games have the most boring kickoffs
And it’s not like they had only the couple of Weeks of XFL play from a couple of years ago to study. The ELF played an entire season with this rule. Why not just Punt on Kickoffs? It’s way more exciting and safer and makes the onside kick less awkward because you do that with your offence.
I didn't state clear enough, I don't think the old kick offs are the best. the point I was getting at is that This kick off scheme seems poorly thought up, bland, and hard to really play around with in schemes. I absolutely think player safety is more important than watching guys run down field full speed to get concussed. I just don't like THIS specific solution.
Yayyy, gotta love watching the game go right to the 25 yard line after a ball rolls out the end zone every kickoff🤡
They really could have tried out The Sachiano Proposal. Alas
In short, coaches haven't figured out how to bust open the line just yet. It takes time. How long did it take before the concept of throwing the ball in the NFL became a the norm? Or the west coast offense?
I'm actually intrigued to see how coaches design schemes in the xfl
Yeah there's alot of scheming involved when the ball touches back 95% of the time
Pro coaches are risk-averse.
Doing something different is a risk.
I don’t mind the change. Yes it takes the ferocity and violence out of the kick-off, and yes it looks very elementary before anyone figures it out. Good thing is I think once coaches figure this out it’ll be fun to watch. It’ll be easy to break off some good returns.
It will be really interesting to see how this will develop during the leagues history
This is going to get exploited sooooo much. Especially with only one returner.
Theres a better way to do this.
And thats Before you get to the fact that the XFL talent level is lower so you’re already going to get *wayyyy* more kick returns, like college.
Yeap. We did see one schemed KOR last season ('20). Coaches just have to decide it's worth setting up for.
I'm warming to this from advocating for no kickoffs. It brings football to the one element of the game that was devoid of it.
I agree. In 2020, the first XFL season, I believe there were 2 touchdowns scored off the kick. So it might not take too long for coaches to start figuring it out
"Yes it takes the ferocity and violence out of the kick off"....pretty sure that was the whole point.
The kickoff change was made for player safety. It's brilliant, really.
Not only does it have player safety in mind, but we actually get to see kick off returns (unlike the NFL where it’s always out of the end zone). I don’t think this method is perfect but it is already better than what the NFL is doing.
But the point is, they could have done something interesting AND safe. But what would Issac suggest there, I'd like to know...
Did you listen to the video?
His main complaints were the terrible non-schemes and one point that kicking the ball didn't seem to mean anything as no one does anything until the returner has the ball.
Lastly, he complains that they're running interviews while this is happening.
Where, in all of that, do you see any complaints that relate in any way to player safety? What part of his complaint was explained by "player safety?"
I like it. Not enough to watch it. But i like it.
It's obvious the current kickoff cannot continue in the pros. What better place to try new stuff?
I like the kickoff change. It fits the XFL's point of being around, which is being the crossroads in peoples careers in which they move onto the NFL or finally give up the dream. And keeping those players safe so they could move on is a major part of that.
If you wanted to achieve the same goals but even more so, just adopt the American Sevens (Town Beef) rules on kickoffs.
I actually like this a lot. better than having the majority of kickoffs end in touchbacks. maybe wasnt fun this week but look at Battlehawks week 3 kick return. that was incredibly fun, especially live
Week 3? It's only been one week
@@scrapson8789 he means in 2020. Battlehawks ran a reverse on the kickoff.
@@CoffeeFresh_ I saw a reverse on one this year can’t remember which team they still didn’t get a lot out of it
The kickoff is genius. It allows for kickoffs to actually happen and returns. It's better than NFL's who have tried to just eliminate it completely by moving the kicker further up so they can enforce knees in the end zone.
The change is obviously about player safety more than anything. I wouldn't write it off yet, there's very little chance that these kickoffs look the same 10 weeks down the line.
I'm going to be keeping a close eye on kick off innovations
Although it does limit the "excitement" on special teams, I'm assuming this setup of kickoff also limits the chances of a player getting injured
There’s been more kickoff return touchdowns off of this format per game than in the nfl lol
@@rangersking6699 you're comparing apples to oranges my dude
Has more excitement then NFL kick returns going out of the back of the end zone everytime
@@CHARRNAGE thats because NFL kickers are just that, NFL kickers.
If we want less injuries then the tackeling in nfl should be changed to rugby tackles instead of the human torpedo the nfl does.
Idk, these rules are for player safety, I say we give the XFL a few weeks before we judge
I think this change is inevitable in the NFL. It's boring right now but once they iron out the kinks this will probably be the future. Introducing some stagger setups on the return setup will allow for more exciting play as well.
Bro could not of been more accurate
I liked it a lot! Takes a lot of the violence out of the direct collisions for player safety, and still a fun play to watch.
Football is an inherently violent game on the simplest plays and this return style is stupid and unproductive
Who else was watching XFL highlights before this video was published
Hey algorithm buddy
I love it honestly. The NFL has been trying to get rid off kickoffs for a while now for saftey concerns, but I can TOTALLY see them using this.
IT has the same effect as the current kickoffs without the danger.
Weird because in HS tons of teams have bad kickers who don't clear the endzone. Kickoffs are a regular part of the game yet parents don't seem to complain about it. I dont understand the safety concerns. I'm pretty sure the NFL moved the kickoff back for fantasy football reasons.
@@FreshBoxLive kickoffs have the highest concussion rate
@@FreshBoxLive full-speed collisions in the NFL are a lot more dangerous since everyone is an athletic freak
@@paulkaehn6203 defend yourself when your on a football field at all times. Like what do you want me to say? I bet you anything the fringe players who barely make rosters would risk all that for more playing time and a bigger role in the game. It's just bozo fans and old players that whine the most. Not to mention the fantasy football morons.
@@jlking8724 Find me a clip or quote from throughout the entire history of the NFL. One just ONE example of a player complaining about too many kickoffs or kickoffs being too violent. The players want special teams back. Bottom line. Don't let idiot fans and dinosaur players and soccer moms decide for the actual people playing the game and risking it.
One of the best* changes. As this gives us a actual kickoff return instead of a touchback every kick
Coaches will come up with ways to scheme better for these plays. I'm excited to see what kickoffs look like by the end of the season
Would be cool for the return team to be able to have a max of 5 guys 5 yards behind their first line. You could have some interesting stagger setups
The 2020 xfl had these same rules and had no problems, it takes practice. Also I don’t mind them doing this because I’ve seen the after effects of kickoffs, I’d rather wait for them to figure it out over time instead of a ended career because of the original kickoff.
😮all judges 😢😢I
Move the kicking point to the 20 yard line, no gunners, five yard halo around receiver catching the ball. Ending game still sucks.
I think if they want to do this setup, do 7 on 7 for the kickoffs, or maybe 7 blockers/coverage plus the returner & kicker. That might make it more interesting 🤔
make it extremely easy for the returner?
Thats dumb give the return guy all the leverage to make it through every time just about
Lol there would be return td every game
@@Wardawg- what is a retrun?
I love the XFL rules. The kickoff is pretty good and takes out big full speed hits. In 2020 i watch a TD run back from a kivkoff.
You want to see kickoffs and punts done right? Check out the CFL. On kickoffs and punts, the defenders must stay outside of a five-yard circle around the return man until he catches the ball. If they don't, it's a five-yard penalty if they don't touch the return man and 15-yards if they do. The best part, no fair catches! Every punt is returned. And if the return team chooses to not return a ball out of the endzone, the kicking team gets a point. It's called The Rouge.
I think it's great. They incentivize returns (game play) while reducing injury. Case closed
I prefer usfl kickoff. Xfl had more drama, but usfl had a better format it most ways. I did like the challenge anything rule xfl has. When it comes to kickoff I would take the Isaac rule. It good to have safety, but making any play more boring like xfl did just encouraged me to use bathroom or grab a snack after almost every score
If you want to increase excitement while reducing injury, make it that they *have* to try onside kicks every time.
thats silly you would rarely have long drives
@@alltimenight Depends who wins! 🙂
I mean, you'd still have longer drives after punts. But I think the trade-off could make the game more exciting.
@@MrRokkit doesnt depend who wins haha its always gonna start at a 40 yard line either way isnt a long drive. And that's what i mean, punts would be rare because the teams are always starting with a short drive more likely to end in points and another onside kick
sorry to pick apart a fun suggestion haha just wouldnt wanna see that, long drives are part of what makes football unique and fun
@@alltimenight fair comeback. +1
It actually results in kickoff returns though instead of touchbacks all day. Touchbacks are far more bland than these.
They had this In xfl 2.0 it was brilliant way of making sure of player safety n actual not just watching kickbacks every time like the NFL.
You really enjoyed the last few years of fair catches and touchbacks? Get real. What is your solution for minimizing concussions by having players smash into each other with a 30-40yd head start?
The kickoff was changed for player safety, I actually think that this new kickoff is better and more interesting as almost every kick is returned unlike the boring touchbacks of the NFl
I like the approach the CFL does where it places emphasis on keeping the ball in the immediate of the field and live play as possible, that's why teams get penalized if they try to touch back, or if kickers aim for the endzone to discourage a return
I’d prefer the cfl’s method at least they still allow kickoff returns
The original proposals many years ago to "fix" kickoffs was to remove them altogether (problem is you'd lose the onside kick if you did that)
4th and 15
@Ramboost007 I almost said that but I couldn't remember where they would put the ball - the idea was that you'd most likely punt, but with these super charged go for it on 4th all the time type offenses now I don't know if that's a wise choice
Yeah it was kinda underwhelming. I'd much rather just use a 4th and 15 concept, though I'd make it a little different. Instead of a basic 4th and 15, I'd love it where the rules state its only 5 yards to gain UNLESS you have someone listed as QB on the field, then its a 10 yard penalty (making it 15 yards to gain). Call it "improper possession down procedure", and hopefully it'd inspire fake punts by making it less of a challenge, but also not remove the ability to just go for it with your offence.
You're really overthinking this...
I tore both my acls on kickoffs in college. I think this rule change is way safer.
I think your take is short-sighted. Just because you can't think of creative solutions doesn't mean coaches won't.
What innovation does regular kickoffs bring tho, just a bunch of touchbacks and a huge return here and there, when a play results in a touchback most of the time but also has the highest volume of injury it needs changes idk
You've got kick off reverses, you have double teams on the front line, you have sweeping blocks from the backside to create lanes. It's very rarely just guy block guy and you also have how the returner runs to set up the kick off with his running lane and then of course, finding and hitting a very small hole so fast it just looks like he ran in a straight line the whole time
There didn't used to be touchbacks hardly ever (at a high level). You used to actually be allowed to block, and the kicking team had to kick from the 30 yard line. [Which was back when a kicker making a 50 yard field goal was very unusual.]
It's the most exciting play in football. Well, it once was. Now I couldn't tell you what the nfl does anymore because I stopped watching that s hit around the time they made the game as boring as possible and called their fans "racists".
@@IsaacPunts I understand your point, the variety just isn’t seen as much to the average viewer, and I feel like sacrificing that for a less injury prone method is better, maybe there would be more variety if they were 10~15 yards apart
@@IsaacPunts kickoff reverses in the NFL since when 😂 so many touchbacks this season the kickoff is pointless now
@@aking4974 Yes, we laugh at any team who tries a kickoff reverse now. We all know the safe and the best option is for the kicker to hoof it for a touchback
This video aged like milk.
So the comment section isn't going how you'd hoped
The XFL kick off is not bad, the ELF has adopted it too. It does need all work, I mean it looks onside, I mean maybe big the scrimmage line or neutral zone closer to the middle of the field. Ofcourse I noticed this could be a serious advantage to the return team. Maybe the kicking team need to stagger thier lines? Idk
I love the 4th and 15 rule ever since I heard it from Jon Bois. If you want to make things safer AND more fun, that seems like the best option.
this kickoff is leagues better than just seeing a touchback 99% of the time
A few thoughts. 1) A play doesn't have to be complicated to be entertaining. I enjoyed this style of kickoff and it gave the XFL a unique personality which is something spring football needs if it has a hope of sticking around. 2) This kickoff could have become more complex if coaches were given time to acclimate to the rule, but they haven't been given that time yet and now we may never know. 3) Your question of why have a kickoff if they can't move until the ball is caught is interesting. I must admit I had to think about that one. The returner could just start with the ball in his hand and the whistle blows and it would be no different. So I have to admit this is not a flawless approach to the kickoff and you helped me see that. I'd still like to see some form of this kickoff, but with some kind of tweak that would need to come from smarter folks than me. I do like the safety approach as opposed to the traditional kickoff and I'm not in favor of eliminating the play altogether. Good video, it made me think.
Let me add...
Did you see the last version of the XFL where there was actually a kickoff taken for a touchdown?
I hated the AAF always starting on the 25 with no kickoffs, this is better.
I forget exactly how it worked, but there was a reverse of something taken back for six.
I'm no sure if the XFL allows multiple returners, but some slight tweaks might work.
If you like this general idea, but would like to allow both sides to have a few players back on both sides, I think that'd be in the spirit of what they're trying to do and might happen.
Better then the nfl 98% touchbacks
I like how he completely ignores the fact that normal NFL kickoffs touchback 95% of the time.
Yeah this totally so much more boring
I think it's smart people are not running full speed at the person running the ball.
I actually like this. Beats the endless amounts of touchbacks. 🤷♂️
It was literally the first weekend of the first season. Calm down. They have already proven they are willing to tweak game play and try new things.
You may be the only person who has this take lol… I really prefer the NFL’s version of nothing but touchbacks 😂
Yeah if anything I thought Isaac would have seen the potential in it.
I really liked AAF's rule change: eliminate the kickoff. The scoring team can choose to have the scored-upon team set up at the 25 yd line, or they can opt to go for a fourth down play deep in their territory as a higher chance emulation of the onside kick. While the XFL does have the latter (and actually makes extended possession feasible therefore more exciting), it tries to preserve a play that's existed since the beginning of the game, but nevertheless is an old relic that just needs to go away since its format is too different from virtually every other play from scrimmage.
My take right now is that its just week 1 and we should give them time to figure it out. There is (at least) 2 major opinions about nfl kickoffs that is 1. it causes injuries due to players running full speed into each other and 2. it is boring and unnecessary due to the high touchback percentage. In the case of xfl, they are trying to have a compromise that keeps the kickoff without the two issues mentioned above. This leads to this weird-looking kickoff formation but this is just week 1, and coaches tend to be conservative in the beginning. I do predict that there will be more creative playcalls on kickoffs in the upcoming weeks once coaches are more comfortable with these rules and also we will be more comfortable seeing this kickoff formation and the bizarreness might go away somewhat.
There didn't used to be touchbacks hardly ever (at a high level). You used to actually be allowed to block, and the kicking team had to kick from the 30 yard line. [Which was back when a kicker making a 50 yard field goal was very unusual.]
It's the most exciting play in football. Well, it once was. Now I couldn't tell you what the nfl does anymore because I stopped watching that s hit around the time they made the game as boring as possible and called their fans "racists".
And touchbacks are just soooo damn exciting.
The XFLs rules are so much better than the NFLs
Personally I thought the change is better than what the NFL did moving the kickoff farther down the field. At least there will be consistent returns this way and won't be a touch-back every time. For that reason I think it is better but time will tell.
What a brutal take. Nfl has a major safety issue and this is a simple alternative that increases safety while sacrificing almost nothing.
And lo and behold, the NFL adopted it today. We will get to see if this can get schemed better or not!
Who's here after they approved it for the NFL
It’s for player safety one thing that killed the xfl the first time in the 2000s was the rate of injuries players suffered. The kickoff is the most injured play in the sport. XFL makes up for the excitement missing from kickoffs with game play changes to speed up the pace
As Madden said, paraphrased: "Yeah, protect the player, but don't take away the game like that."
...NFL will copy XFL just like the camera angles and running on field with camera where the NFL said was dumb and then started doing it, play after touchdown is way better also...
The Battlehawks kick return back in 2020 was dope 👀
I think I do remember back in 2020 there were a few tes that were able to pull off a few exciting returns. Keep in mind they only have had 5;weeks to practice for the 1st game I sure you will start to see perhaps a few teams trying to put a few wrinkles into to special teams as far as punts and kickoffs
I won’t forget that moment
Beats touchbacks every kickoff
Just watched his super bowl video. Knew Issac punts would either love or hate the chiefs seeing as they won both the afccg and super bowl on monster punt returns
At least beats watching the returner take a knee for a touchback
Solution since the NFL is considering this. Why not have the lines set up as a standard play and allow the returner the ability to do a forward pass. The play starts when the returner touches the ball. Having the ability to pass would allow the teams to scheme the hell out of it, while making the returner position become more important. The NFL should try this in flag football leagues with variations to see what variation provides the most excitement without compromising player safety
I think we need to wait a couple of weeks. I have a feeling that you will see some wrinkles. And I like the fact that there is better player safety, but also no touchbacks (kicking team actually gets penalized for a touchback, or a too-short kick). I think you need to revisit this in a couple of weeks after the coaches look at it a little bit more.
I just like the fact that we actually get to see kick returns. The returns also mostly put the offense past the 25 yard line as well. There's no monotony to it at all like the touchback to the 25 yard line
Isaac Punts- Bio: Next Special Teams coordinator for the XFL
Once you begin to tweak and implement schematics then it'll be better.
Apparently this is supposed to make kickoffs "safer". So then why do they penalize you for out of bounds kicks and touchbacks on punts? Honestly I was confused by these kickoffs so I'm glad you brought this up.
They want returns still, so if it's kicked into or out the back of the end zone, it's a 25 yard touchback. However if the ball lands in play then bounces out of the end zone, it's only a 15 yard touchback.
The problem is that the current NFL touchback rules make kickoffs basically a formality. If the kicker is just going to sail the ball past the baseline every time then why not just start the offense on the 25 every time the other team scores and skip it altogether.
Between this or touchbacks, I'll take this.
You're definitely wrong here. "Worst change to football the xfl made" is a pretty ridiculous comment. To call this play "boring" when the play its replacing is a 3 minute commercial break followed by a kick thru the end zone followed by a 3 minute commercial break..
Please go back to the old kick off rule. A few thoughts come to mind: If the majority of kick offs result in touch backs then player contact would be limited.
I believe the average return of last night's game was about 22 yards (about the same as the average from last season).
If the owners really cared about player safety (THEY DON'T). They would not have added a 17th game, and are now considering an 18th game.
You have eliminated the On side kick with the new kick off rule. Trust and believe there are going to be plenty of situations where you are going to wish your team could try and onside kick, only to realize your team has no chance now.
It’s all for player safety, I think it’s pretty fair overall considering how many injuries come from the kickoffs in the nfl with regards to what percent of plays they are
that's why its called special teams not starting lineup
Dude, what a ridiculous take by you… The kickoff is great! Love the 1-2-3 choice option for extra points as well.
I agree, but you could've said the same 3 years ago. I appreciate your tactical suggestions, but there isn't a lot you can do within those rules. For many years I've had in mind, and wrote in some places, suggested changes which would be both more conservative (to the free kick concept and the game generally) and pose more interesting possibilities for both the kicking and the receiving side. If you just want a solution "out of the box", just swipe the Canadian (amateur or pro) rules on this.
I liked this a lot with XFL 2.0. I'm glad it's back for XFL 3.0, but as in 2.0, the teams start too close to each other. Move the kicking team blockers back another five or ten yards. This will (a) give the receiving team more room to develop a play to get the ball downfield and (b) give the runner more time to gain speed. It's great in concept (fewer injuries), but it needs to be tweaked a bit.
Positives: Player Safety and the fact that there are actual returns.
Negatives: 1 step and you're on your man already... doesn't open anything up. Seems very boring.
Solutions: Try 10 yards between teams. Give at least a couple steps between coverages... at least there SHOULD be some holes to exploit.
Try staggered start... at least some holes would be naturally opened... 2 in the middle at 10 back and at least 2 along both sides must be 10 back.
It might work... have to give some time for teams to understand it with actual malice in the play.
Wait until you find out the NFL is going to vote on this exact same design next month.
Clearly you’re out of your league when it comes to opinions.
I think its fine. Its only year 1 for these guys. Give them time to innovate. Geez dude lol
One thing I don't like is taking away time outs when a player is injured.
Isn’t year one for XFL, it was around like 20+years ago. I got a Memphis ManiAX hat to prove it.
Honestly I used to be get off my lawn about changing the kickoff but this is pretty great there can be so much strategy involved in this
I think this is more fun in all honesty
Better than every kickoff landing in the end zone every time!
I think the NFL should try something similar. Not an exact copy, but something that keeps kickoffs in the game, but limits injury
Couch potatoes are really ready to watch players get CTE and worse just for the sake of their entertainment 😭. Pathetic
It's very safe, and it makes coaches think outside the box. First week was entertaining and I'm looking forward to next week. Year round football = ABSOLUTELY
Where does this myth of "kickoff bad for player health" come from?
@FreshBoxLive so the kicking team builds a lot of momentum from running down the field and if your kicker has a lot of hang time that could set up the returner (on the other team) to get clobbered. The way it is set up in the xfl is safer.
@@michaelowen6113 I don't understand how that is any more dangerous than a regular play. Don't you realize how quickly an NFL player gets to top speed? They are not going any faster than they would be on a regular play, if anything they get down to the first line of the kick return and are already getting winded and at that point have to deal with blockers.
@FreshBoxLive think of it this way, 2 cars in a parking lot going 5 miles an hour and both cars collide. Vs 2 cars going in a residential neighborhood going 25 mph and colliding. The faster moving vehicles will cause more damage then the slower moving vehicles.
@@michaelowen6113 it's totally different dude. I understand physics. Like I said NFL players achieve top speed in 10 yards anyway. There isn't any extra speed to gain. It's barely any worse than regular plays.
The wide shot of players standing still while a ball sails way up in the air is what feels weird to me. If there were some options for different formations, or some players that could start further back, or even move within certain limitations, then the play would feel interesting right away. I like the direction we're going, but we need to keep improving this.
I like the XFL okay, but the rules changes don't make me like the game more. I don't know if it's a negative, but it's definitely not a positive. It just seems gimmicky to me.
Basically plain and simple, it's Not the NFL and it's their version of how professional football should be played
Blocking for NFL kickoffs is the same. I don’t get your point.
These guys aren't getting benefits/pay like the NFL
Why risk high collision play when there gonna have nothing to fall back too...
It's still better than the NFL's kick offs. It's safer, and you actually get some what of a return. Also given that this is only week one I'm sure in time these special teams coaches will eventually come up with better schemes. The kick off won't be going anywhere. Kick offs aren't gonna ever be exciting till someone scores. That's the reality on all levels of play. I do like the rules of the kick off here to protect the players.
This kickoff change is better than the NFL constantly having touchbacks and the ball go out the back of the end zone. It’s like once devin Hester did what he did the NFL punished players for being good. The XFL is headed in the right direction fasho. And this kickoff solution is great more football being played
kickoff team starts on their own 25 to 35, with 4th and 15 or 4th and 20. That way the entire offensive playbook is open, the entire fake punt playbook is open, and "on-side" kick attempt rate and success rate can be dialed in very easily by changing it from 4th and 15 to 4th and 10 or 20 or 25 or whatever, without having to fundamentally change the rules. And it also gives the opportunity for a botched deep-snap or punt, and gives the opportunity for defenses to come up with an awesome punt block in retaliation for just having been scored on. Kickoffs are the worst part of the game. Punts are pretty great.
I feel like the NFL should just keep the same format it already has but incentivize kickers to not kick out of the back of the end zone. That way it’s safer than it used to be but still stays interesting.
What I hate th emsot is that there is no pressure on the kickoff returner which sometimes force a fumble. Now no stress, even if he drops , he's the only one close enough to recover it anyway.
The NFL may as well give up kickoffs, same with any other league doing conventional kickoffs.
What these other leagues should do is either outlaw touchbacks or a touchback means a team starts on their own 5, and a "fair catch" means a 15 yard penalty, and I mean 15 yards, where a "fair catch" inside your own 15 means two points for the kicking team and you're punting.
I could be okay with an adjustment where either team can have some players up to 10 yards back, since a kick has to reach the 20, but I like this better than the other leagues where it's touchbacks all day.
Treat kickoff touchbacks like double unsportsmanlike conduct.
Two touchbacks on the fly for the kicker, he gone!
Two for the returner, siyanora!
Let's see some action!
i like the change you get wayyy more returns
You gotta remember that the NFL shifted the rules so teams start at the 25 instead of the 20 after a touchback-this was to give players incentive to perform a touchback rather than attempt to run downfield and get injured.
While it reduces injury, which is a good thing, it makes kickoffs almost unemployable because almost all of them are touchbacks when the ball is kicked to the endzone.
The XFL is trying to make the game more exciting, while still keeping safety in mind. Instead of having a rule that makes kickoffs almost useless, you have teams form up in a way that reduces the chance of high-speed collisions (and therefore injury) but also reduces the chance the ball will end up in the end-zone. That way, kickoffs are actually useful again.
In games where teams didn’t want ANY injured players, like the super bowl, it is much more likely to see players do a touchback. Which means that the most important games have the most boring kickoffs
Unwatchable-not unemployable 💀 why can’t autocorrect stop using words that I don’t even say that much
Who's here cause the NFL is doing this now 😂😂😂
And it’s not like they had only the couple of Weeks of XFL play from a couple of years ago to study.
The ELF played an entire season with this rule.
Why not just Punt on Kickoffs?
It’s way more exciting and safer and makes the onside kick less awkward because you do that with your offence.