When the NFL instituted the “dynamic” kickoff last season, the goals were to reduce injuries, and to see most kickoffs returned. The first year of the new rule accomplished only the first of those objectives: Injuries were down, but less than one-third of kickoffs were returned.
This year, the NFL tweaked the rules to encourage returns, and now returns are way up: Almost 80 percent of kickoffs are returned. And the good news is, injuries remain low.
NFL Executive V.P. for Player Safety Jeff Miller said today that there have been only two concussions and no ACL injuries on kickoffs this season, according to Mike Garafolo of NFL Network.
That’s despite 79.6 percent of kickoffs being returned this season, a huge increase over the 32.8 percent of kickoffs that were returned last season.
It’s possible that the league will continue to make minor tweaks to the kickoff rules, but it’s safe to say that the dynamic kickoff is here to stay. The NFL is getting what it wants from the new rules.
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