When NFL owners approved a rule Tuesday that allows teams to start a drive at the 25-yard line when a fair catch is signaled on a kickoff, the league knew a backlash was coming.
«It’s never easy for special teams coaches
«But the changes needed to be made because, in our minds, we have the data that said they needed to be made.»
Travis Kelce of the Kansas City Chiefs and Jason Kelce of the Philadelphia Eagles watch Game 6 of the NBA Eastern Conference semifinals between the Boston Celtics and the Philadelphia 76ers at the Wells Fargo Center on May 11, 2023 in Philadelphia. (Tim Nwachukwu/Getty Images)
And backlash ensued, with the Kansas City Chiefs tight end travis kelce and Philadelphia Eagles offensive lineman Jason Kelce breaking the rule on the «New Heights» podcast.
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«I think this is absolutely stupid,» Travis Kelce said. «I don’t think it’s making the game any safer. I think it’s making it more boring and it takes a lot of the excitement out of the opening play of the game. This is crazy.»
«We’re getting closer to getting rid of special teams,» added Jason Kelce. «All that’s left now is the punt. When is someone not going to catch it and take the ball at the 25-yard line? Unless it’s a really bad punt, right?»
The rule was passed with player safety in mind, as concussion rates have increased over the past two seasons on kickoffs, according to ESPN.
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Travis Kelce of the Kansas City Chiefs celebrates onstage with the Vince Lombardi Trophy during the first round of the 2023 NFL Draft at Union Station on April 27, 2023 in Kansas City, Mo. (David Eulitt/Getty Images)
«The data is very clear on the highest injury rate on that play,» commissioner Roger Goodell said. «We’ve been talking about it for a number of years. We haven’t made much progress on this play. This was a step that we feel was appropriate to address that. But we have a lot more work to do on how to continue to evolve going forward. Can we continue to maintain Is this played in an exciting way but, more importantly, in a safe way?»
The reaction to the new rule of the Kelce brothers came a day later Andy Reid, head coach of the Chiefs he said he sees the kick-off rule as a path to «flag football».
Kansas City Chiefs head coach Andy Reid answers questions from reporters during a news conference on February 7, 2023 in Phoenix, Arizona. (Jason Allen/ISI Photos/Getty Images)
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«My thing is, where does it stop, right?» Reid told NFL Network. «We started taking pieces and we’ll see how this goes. But you don’t want to take too many pieces away, or you’ll be playing flag football.»
The new rule will be in effect for at least one year.
Fox News’ Ryan Gaydos contributed to this report