The NFL's new kickoff rule is public enemy number one in a lot of coaches minds, the latest being Cleveland Browns special teams coach Bubba Ventrone.
Ventrone said that he thinks the rule is “kind of silly” and doesn’t want a world in which kickoffs are taken away completely from the game.
“All the coordinators were against it, the players are against it,” Ventrone said. “I don’t think a lot of players want to use a fair catch, nor do coaches.”
The new rule allows teams to call for a fair catch inside their own 25-yard line on a kickoff and start with the ball at the 25. The league insists that this change will improve player safety. Ventrone doesn’t agree that it's a dangerous play.
“We see a cut-up of the concussions that happened on kickoff. Me personally, do I agree that all those concussions are a result of how the play is? No, I completely disagree on that, actually,” Ventrone said. “Do I feel like that play is safe? I do feel like that play is a safe play. I don’t feel like it’s a dangerous play.”
Bubba Ventrone played in the NFL for ten seasons, four of which were with the Browns. He's entering his ninth season as a coach and his first in Cleveland. He said that the Browns likely won’t utilize the new rule often and that he has confidence in his returners.
It will be interesting to see how often the new rule is used this season. Some teams may have confidence in their offense to score from 75 yards out or see it as a chance to save a little clock. The Browns don’t appear to be one of those teams.
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