Nobody utilized new kickoff rule in Hall of Fame Game

Thursday’s Hall of Fame Game between the New York Jets and Cleveland Browns was the first opportunity for NFL fans to get a potential look at the league’s new kickoff rule.

They will have to wait at least another week to see how it works, because nobody utilized it during the Browns’ 21-16 win.

Starting this season, teams can fair catch a kickoff within the field of play and get an automatic starting field position at the 25-yard line. 

The idea is to cut down on the number of kickoff returns and hopefully reduce injuries. The kickoff return is regarded as one of the most dangerous plays in football. This new rule is simply the next step in cutting down on the number of returns that will happen. A lot of special teams coaches and players were highly critical of the rule over the offseason, but the league seems intent on getting rid of that aspect of the game.

But on Thursday there was no real change, as every kickoff either resulted in a traditional touchback or a return. 

Nobody utilized the fair catch.

That actually makes a little bit of sense given the circumstances. 

This is preseason football and nobody is really worried about starting field position or actual game strategy. The main thing at play in these games is a fight for roster spots or starting spots. Making plays and showing that you belong on an NFL field is what is important.

And when it comes to special-teams play, those are usually players who are simply fighting for one of the last spots on the roster. Nobody is going to get a chance to earn that spot by simply signaling for a fair catch. There is additional incentive for the kick returners to make a play and for the coaching staff to encourage them to return kicks.

It will be interesting to see how the rule plays out over the course of the preseason this month and how that compares to the strategy when the games actually count in the regular season.