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New NFL Kickoff Rule, Hip Drop Tackle and Guardian Cap Explained

VaselineSeptember 5, 2024

0 4 minutes read

New NFL Kickoff Rule, Hip Drop Tackle and Guardian Cap Explained

The NFL looks a lot different than it did during Game 1 tonight, when the Kansas City Chiefs face the Baltimore Ravens for kickoff.

As in previous years, a soccer ball is kicked from one side of the field to a returner on the other side. Otherwise, it may not be recognizable to fans who haven’t watched the preseason games.

And that won’t be the only change this season aimed at making the game safer.

Perhaps one or two players on the field wear a soft, protective covering over their helmet.

And maybe a player tackles the kick returner with too much of his own body weight and lands on the returner’s legs. Add a 15 yard penalty to that.

These three changes for the 2024-25 season offer the broadest protections for the most players in recent history. Here’s a quick look at each.

What is the new NFL kickoff rule?

The kickoff is the most visible of the three changes. It creates a five-yard buffer between all but a few players on the field, and more closely resembles a play from scrimmage than the traditional kickoff.

According to the NFL Competition Committee, the “dynamic kickoff” will offer fans a little more action and will largely eliminate the quick hits players take from the team running down the field.

◾ The best part: The kicker remains on the other half of the field and sets up the ball on the 35-yard line.

◾ The kicking team: The 10 other players from the kicking team line up on the receiving team’s 40-yard line.

◾ Two zones: The receiving team is divided into two zones: the setup and landing zones. At least nine members of the receiving team are in the setup zone and a maximum of two players can receive the kickoff in the landing zone.

◾ The to wait: Only the kicker and returner(s) may move before the ball touches the ground or hits a returner. Fair catches are not allowed.

◾ The landing zone: The ball must, you guessed it, land in the landing zone. If it falls short, the receiving team starts at the 40-yard line. If it falls too far, play starts at the 30-yard line.

Read more details about the kick-off rule here.

What exactly is a hip drop tackle?

In a hip-drop tackle, the defensive player approaches from behind or from the side, wraps his arms around the offensive player, and becomes dead weight as he falls to the ground. Often, the defensive player’s body lands on the offensive player’s legs. According to NFL executive Jeff Miller, the risk of injury is 25 times greater than with a normal tackle.

“A hip-drop tackle is so dangerous,” said Dr. Robert Glatter, a former sideline physician for the New York Jets and assistant professor of emergency medicine at Lenox Hill Hospital, Northwell Health in New York. “The defender is essentially swinging his entire body weight as he lands on his ankle, leg or knee. That puts the lower body at risk for serious ankle and ligament damage.”

Some players and the NFLPA have complained that the hip-drop tackle, which has led to a handful of high-profile injuries, is too loosely defined and leaves officials with highly subjective decisions to make. This season, if a player is flagged for a hip-drop tackle, it will result in a 15-yard penalty and an automatic first down.

Read more details about the hip-drop tackle here.

What is a Guardian Cap?

The NFL will require players to wear Guardian Caps for the first time during regular-season games, potentially expanding the use of the protective gear after it was first mandated for certain positions during exhibition games in 2022.

Colts tight end Kylen Granson told The Athletic last week that he will wear a Guardian cap when Indianapolis plays the Houston Texans on Sunday. He reportedly told the publication, “Why wouldn’t I (wear it)? Just because it looks ridiculous? I feel like health and safety is more important than aesthetics.”

The Guardian Cap is a soft, padded cover that wraps over a regular helmet to absorb contact and minimize the impact of violent impacts, reducing concussions.

“We now have two years of data showing that players who wear Guardian Caps experience significantly fewer concussions,” Jeff Miller, the NFL’s executive vice president of player health and safety, said in a statement in April.

When the Guardian Caps debuted in 2022, the NFL said they could reduce the force of head contact by 10% for a player wearing one. If all players wore them, that could increase to 20%.

Players suffered about the same number of concussions over the past two seasons: 213 in 2022 and six more in 2023. The number of concussions has been declining since 2018. The NFL said it conducted about 1.6 concussion evaluations per game in 2023. About every three to four evaluations resulted in a positive concussion diagnosis.

Learn more about Guardian Caps

Other new rules for the 2024 NFL season

◾ Extra challenge: If a team is successful in one of the two challenges, they can take on a third challenge.

◾ Two more plays worth reviewing: 1. Was a passer contacted or out of bounds before throwing a pass? 2. Delay of Game: Did the game clock run out before a snap?

◾ Ball exchange foul: Gives referees the ability to assess a major penalty for the foul before a change of possession occurs – when both teams commit a penalty on the play. The team that regains possession retains possession and the ball is spotted with the penalty meter added.

VaselineSeptember 5, 2024

0 4 minutes read