The talks for abolishing the onside kick, in favor of something that may yield a higher success rate, have been tabled. A rule change was not passed during an owners’ meeting on Thursday afternoon, so the talks will continue at a later date.
Tom Pelissero of the NFL tweeted about the owners’ meeting conversation on Thursday.
Rich McKay, chair of the competition committee, says the 4th-and-15 alternative to onside kick had longest discussion today: 20-30 minutes. Confirms it was tabled. Roger Goodell asked CC to get all feedback from clubs on ways to address it and bring it back, so the CC will.
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) May 28, 2020
The alternative proposed to an onside kick is a 4th-and-15 try from the team’s own 25-yard line. If a penalty is incurred by either team after a score, it would move the try forward or back, depending on the offending party.
In theory, a 4th-and-15 would yield a higher success rate than an onside kick, which works only around 10 percent of the time. Successful onside kicks took a dive when kickoff rules were changed a few years ago. The changed rules disallowed the kicking team to get a running start, which greatly hurt their chances.
The NFL is in support of the change, while not all owners and coaches are. Pass interference would play a large role, and other penalties and strategies may play a part in voting. It is unclear when a new vote will take place.
Featured Image courtesy of USA TODAY
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