At Rams Practice, New Kickoffs Shock Pundit

Jan 3, 2021; Inglewood, California, USA; A general view of SoFi Stadium during the opening kickoff of the second half between the Arizona Cardinals and the Los Angeles Rams. The Rams defeated the Cardinals 18-7. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports | Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

The Los Angeles Rams' 2024 season is highly anticipated. L.A. will look to establish itself as a contender not only in the NFC but also throughout the league.

While the Rams look to do that, the game will look slightly different, especially when the game begins. The NFL kickoffs will look dramatically different starting this fall, and teams at OTAs, including the Rams, are getting their first taste of it.

NFL Network's Andrew Siciliano gave us a glimpse of what's to come as he attended L.A.'s OTAs.

Observation from Rams OTA yesterday:
New kickoffs are going to look VERY odd at first. 32 teams may have 32 different ways of handling. I wouldn't be surprised if there are 5 TD in Week 1, nor would I be stunned if there weren't any at all in September. Nobody knows.

— Andrew Siciliano (@AndrewSiciliano) May 29, 2024

The league agreed to change the kickoff at the NFL's Annual League Meeting in late March. The vote was passed 29-3.

With these new rules, the ball will be kicked from the kicking team's 35-yard line, but every player on the kicking team other than the kicker themself will now line up with at least one foot on the returning team's 40-yard line. No players other than the kicker and the returner can move until the ball is fielded by a returner.

The kickoff rule is similar to the changes the XFL underwent in 2020, where the NFL format originated. The rule will increase the kickoff, making it more exciting and worth watching, other than the standard fair catch. The NFL predicts that kickoff returns should be reduced by 7 percent with the new fair catch rule, leading to a 15 percent drop in concussions on those plays.

This will bring a new element to the game that will be unpredictable.

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