COACHES CORNER - WEEK 1

 

Kick-off.  Lots of small changes to the kick-off rules but the main changes are allowing teams to declare an intention to attempt an onside kick beforehand at any point in the game.  Previously, teams could only try for an onside kick if they were trailing in the fourth quarter.

 

After kick-off the touchback placement, after certain penalties, moves the ball placement from the 30 yard line to the 20 yard line and reduce the required number of receiving-team players on the setup line from six to five.  Previously, if a kicker simply kicked the ball out of bounds on a kick following a penalty, the receiving team would get the ball on the 25-yard line, whereas a touchback (the kick going into the endzone) would place the ball at the 30. Now a touchback will put the ball at the 20-yard line, in theory removing the incentive to kick out of bounds.

 

Replay officials can now review and enforce player ejections for missed flagrant football or non-football acts, and this can now be reviewed even if no penalty was originally called on the field.

 

 

Defensive holding is common in the NFL, corners, safeties and linebackers flagged for holding a receiver is often called.  How about holding on a defensive tackle and not for holding a receiver?  Its not often called but in the Bills/Texans game in week 1 Bills nose tackle Deone Walker was flagged for holding a Texans offensive lineman.

 

As the Lineman started clearing the way for what would become a Woody Marks 6 yard run up the middle and moving Walker out of the way, Walker held on to the lineman and prevented him from going to the second level to block downfield.  The run gained 6 yards, eventually tackled by Terel Bernard and Bradley Chubb, which became 11 yards due to the holding penalty for 5 yards.  It’s rare to see, or probably more accurate, rare to be seen.