The NFL owners are set to vote on Thursday for a proposal which will effectively eliminate the onside kick, instead allowing teams a chance to keep possession late in the game by giving them one chance to convert a first down on 4th-and-15 from their own 25 yard line.
Here’s the updated language of the proposed rule change on an alternative to the onside kick – and it *doesn’t* specify that a team must be trailing to attempt it. Limit of two tries per game, but this would open up strategic options. NFL teams will discuss next Thursday. pic.twitter.com/VsLm0NI7XJ
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) May 22, 2020
This proposal went to a vote last year and the competition committee voted 7-1 in favor, but the owners voted it down.
For it to pass this year, the league’s owners will need a 75% yes vote, meaning 24 of the 32 owners will need to approve the proposal.
The proposal would allow a team to use the 4th-and-15 rule twice per game, after any scoring play – including a safety. It would be used primarily in late game situations, as the risk of not picking up a first down is huge, giving the other team the ball in scoring position.
This rule was put into place in the short-lived Alliance of American Football (AAF) league in 2018, with the first team to attempt it successfully converting a first down.
Onside kicks are borderline unobtainable with the NFL’s new rules on kickoffs. In 2019, only 12.5% of onside kicks were recovered by the kicking team, while 4th-and-15 chances were converted 28.6% of the time, and 24.1% of the time dating back to 2015.
The league allowed this rule to go into effect during last year’s Pro Bowl, and the NFC team – coached by Pete Carroll – attempted one late in the game, a pass from Kirk Cousins intended for Kenny Golladay that was instead intercepted by former Seahawks safety Earl Thomas.
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