New touchback rule appears to be backfiring (2024)

FAQs

What are the new rules for touchback? ›

American football

The NCAA made a further rule change effective in its 2018 season, treating a fair catch on a kickoff, or free kick following a safety, between the receiving team's goal line and 25-yard line as a touchback. All other touchback situations in both rule sets result in possession at the 20.

In an attempt to reduce the frequency of kick returns—and by extension cut down on injuries—the NFL decided in the offseason to put the ball on the 25-yard line after a touchback. The rationale, of course, was that the extra five yards might cause returners to gamble less often on kicks that go into the end zone.

What makes a touchback? If a kicked ball, either as a result of a punt, kickoff or missed field goal, touches the ground in the opposing team's end zone, rolls out of the back-end zone or touches the goal post, the play is ruled a touchback and the ball will be spotted at the 25-yard line.

The Kickoff Rules

The change prevents a running start and aims to reduce the speed of collisions. "In the past, you got free runners coming down the field blowing up returners, so we took that away with this new setup," Coach Toub said.

If a ball is fumbled in a team's own end zone or in the field of play and goes out of bounds in the end zone, it is a safety, if that team provided the impetus that sent the ball into the end zone (See 11-5-1 for exception for momentum). If the impetus was provided by the opponent, it is a touchback.

The quarterback must pass the statistical line of scrimmage to avoid the sack. If a passer is sacked in his own end zone, the result is a safety and the defending team is awarded two points, unless the football is fumbled and recovered either in the end zone by the defense, or outside the end zone.

Of course, a touchdown in football is actually worth six points. However, the point-after-try is so automatic (99.3% success rate in 2014) that a touchdown is basically worth seven points except for the rare occurrences when coaches attempt a 2-point conversion.

If that spot is in the end zone, the result of the play is a touchback, even if the ball is not on, above, or beyond the goal line.

“There isn't normally a touchback on the opening kickoff because the ball is a brand-new ball, it's basically just plastic. Most balls that you kick have been rubbed down for 30 minutes by your equipment manager and the other team's equipment manager in the presence of an NFL official and it's beat up a little bit ...

The idea was to reduce the number of kickoff returns, and therefore the number of traumatic injuries that occur on a play in which high-speed collisions occur regularly. The thinking was a receiving team was more likely to take a touchback on a kick into the end zone knowing the ball would be spotted at the 25.

Does a fair catch count as a touchback? ›

Explaining college football's fair catch rule

In order to qualify as a fair catch, the ball must be caught within the return team's 25-yard line. When caught, the fair catch results in a touchback and the offense begins play on the 25-yard line.

First, the NFL moved the kickoff from the 30-yard line to the 35 in 2011. The NCAA followed suit in 2012 while also moving the touchback on kickoffs from the 20-yard line to the 25. The NFL moved the touchback to the 25-yard line in 2016.

It must be made from any point on the kicking (offensive) team's restraining line and between the inbounds lines. 1. A kickoff puts the ball in play at the start of each half, after a try, and after a successful field goal. A dropkick or placekick may be used for a kickoff.

Kicking teams will no longer be allowed to sprint to the 35-yard-line before the ball is booted to the receiving team. All kickoff coverage members must be stationary before the ball is kicked. "Setup zone" created: The league will require eight of the 11 return men to line up within 15 yards of the ball.

In 1997, the law was changed back, so that the initial kick-off was once again taken by the team losing the toss. The law was changed once again so beginning on June 1, 2019, the side winning the toss once again has the choice between kicking-off and choosing ends.

Bill King, the Raiders' radio broadcaster, called it “the most zany, unbelievable, absolutely impossible dream of a play.” The Raiders converted on the extra point and won, 21-20 – and the odd series of events led to a new NFL rule banning any player other than the fumbler from advancing it after the two-minute warning ...

Remember, a player cannot fumble after he's in the end zone; at that point, he would've already scored a touchdown.

The pylon is regarded as out of bounds when touched by any part of a player's body. If the ball breaks the plane or touches the pylon before a runner is out of bounds, it is a touchdown.

The offensive line protects the quarterback in football. The offensive line includes the center, two offensive guards, and two offensive tackles.

The pros count sacks against a team's passing stats, but not against individual QBs' numbers. (After all, sacks aren't always the QB's fault.) NFL statisticians also don't count them against QBs' individual rushing stats. They instead use a separate category, sack yards.

Can an NFL team score 1 point? ›

In American football, if a team attempting an extra point or two-point conversion (officially known in the rulebooks as a try) scores what would normally be a safety, that attempting team is awarded one point. This is commonly known as a conversion safety or one-point safety.

Mike Jordan had the most total touchdowns by an offensive lineman in 2022, with 1 touchdown.

Brett Favre/Emmitt Smith

After scoring a touchdown, Favre exuberantly took off his helmet and sprinted off the field with a joyous face. Unfortunately, during the 1997 NFL offseason, the NFL decided to ban players from removing their helmets on the field, especially during a touchdown celebration.

In the NFL, Rule 12-1-4 states that it is a foul for an offensive player to pull the ball carrier in any direction.

What happens if you intercept a two-point conversion try? A defensive team is eligible to score on an offensive two-point conversion attempt. If the offense turns the ball over, via interception or fumble, the defense has the opportunity to return the ball to the opposite end zone. If they make it, it's two points.

The ball is out of bounds when it touches any surface, object, or ground outside the court. A BALL TOUCHING THE BOUNDARY LINE IS GOOD!

If a team is award a touchback off a kickoff, that team starts with the ball on their 25-yard line. If a touchback occurs but not on a kickoff, then the ball goes out to their 20-yard line.

For the return team, taking a touchback can be advantageous because it guarantees that their offense will start the play in decent field position. Often, if they were to try to return a kick or punt that reached their own end zone, they wouldn't be able to gain more yards than if they simply took the touchback.

Despite the trend in kicker improvement, in 2021, following two consecutive years of record highs, the rate of touchbacks on kickoffs dropped to 57%.

There are no points awarded for a touchback. A touchback can also occur if a player catches a kick in the end zone and chooses not to return the ball. If the receiver refuses to return the catch by running, they need to go on one knee.

What happens if the ball is intercepted in the end zone? ›

If that spot is in the end zone, the result of the play is a touchback, even if the ball is not on, above, or beyond the goal line.

The idea was to reduce the number of kickoff returns, and therefore the number of traumatic injuries that occur on a play in which high-speed collisions occur regularly. The thinking was a receiving team was more likely to take a touchback on a kick into the end zone knowing the ball would be spotted at the 25.

From the NFL Rulebook, “A touchback in football is when the ball becomes dead on or behind the goal line a team is defending, provided that the impetus comes from an opponent and that it is not a touchdown or an incomplete pass.” The ball is automatically reset at the 25-yard line for the offense.

The lowest possible score is 0-0 and has been achieved 73 times, though the most recent scoreless tie came on Nov. 7, 1943.

After a touchdown, a Try is an opportunity for either team to score one or two additional points during one scrimmage down.

Conversion safeties (one-point safeties)

In American football, if a team attempting an extra point or two-point conversion (officially known in the rulebooks as a try) scores what would normally be a safety, that attempting team is awarded one point. This is commonly known as a conversion safety or one-point safety.

What happens if you intercept a two-point conversion try? A defensive team is eligible to score on an offensive two-point conversion attempt. If the offense turns the ball over, via interception or fumble, the defense has the opportunity to return the ball to the opposite end zone. If they make it, it's two points.

The first is tackle made on a player in his own end zone or alternatively to push said player out of the end zone. In order to avoid a safety, the offensive team must get the entire ball out of the end zone, which is to say more than half the football must cross the line.

For the return team, taking a touchback can be advantageous because it guarantees that their offense will start the play in decent field position. Often, if they were to try to return a kick or punt that reached their own end zone, they wouldn't be able to gain more yards than if they simply took the touchback.

In 2011, the league voted to move kickoffs up from the 30-yard line to the 35. The idea behind that move to reduce the number of kicks that got returned in favor of more touchbacks. That rule change also cut down the running start that players on the coverage team could take to five yards.

What is the difference between a touchback and a safety? ›

On one hand you have a touchback -- the team with the football gets an offensive possession started at their own 25-yard line. On the other hand, a safety -- the team with the football not only loses possession of the football altogether, but the opposite team scores 2 points.

Scott decides to stop complaining about his life and he is happy about what he has and never regret it. He also decides to be an assistant coach to his old mentor coach. He also reunited with his wife and his two kids.

Taking a knee isn't the only way to initiate a touchback on the kickoff. If the ball rolls out of the end zone, it will be called a touchback.