Football fans react to the XFL’s kickoff rules

Some fans are calling for the NFL to steal the XFL’s kickoff setup.

The 2020 XFL season kicked off on Saturday in Washington D.C., and the first play of the game looked a little strange for NFL fans. The XFL has made several rule changes in an attempt to make the game safer and more exciting, and the kickoff setup is radically different from what you’re used to seeing in the NFL and college football.

In the XFL, the kicker is the only player on the kicking team on his own half of the field, as the rest of his teammates are lined up at the opposing 35-yard line. The receiving team’s blockers are lined up just five yards away, and only the kicker and returner are allowed to move before the ball is caught (or is on the ground for more than three seconds). Once the returner has possession, every other player is allowed to move. The standard NFL practice of kicking for a touchbacks have also been discouraged, as any kickoffs that go through the endzone will move out to the 35-yard line.

The XFL kickoff scheme both reduces the number of violent collisions on the most dangerous play in football, while also ensuring that kickoff should have a return.

The kickoff looked strange at first glance, but fans already seem to prefer the XFL’s system to the NFL’s setup.

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