The NFL’s most recent switch to kickoffs isn’t sitting well with future Hall of Fame head coach Andy Reid.
Reid, who has led the Kansas City Chiefs to two Super Bowl victories in the past four seasons, is a fan of special teams. While he cares about player safety, he sees this rule, which will allow teams to catch kickoffs and safety kicks and place them at the 25-yard line, as a pathway to «flag football.»
«My thing is, where does it stop, right?» Reid told NFL Network. «We started taking pieces and we’ll see how this goes. But you don’t want to take too many pieces away, or you’ll be playing flag football.»
CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COM
Kansas City Chiefs head coach Andy Reid looks on against the Seattle Seahawks during the third quarter of the game at Arrowhead Stadium on December 24, 2022 in Kansas City, Missouri. (David Eulitt/Getty Images)
Player safety has been of the utmost importance to the league, and kickoffs have long been a talking point due to the propensity to see someone injured when the whistle blows at the end of them.
«We can’t sit idly by and do nothing,» Jeff Miller, the NFL’s executive vice president of communications, public affairs and policy, told Yahoo Sports. «Sitting still and continuing to do nothing was unacceptable. And I think that’s where the membership referred to this.»
CHIEFS’ PATRICK MAHOMES ON BROTHER’S LEGAL ISSUES: ‘IT’S A PERSONAL KIND OF THING’
The league found that kickoffs produce the highest rate of concussions in the league, so on a trial basis for this season, the NFL will see how this new rule, which essentially makes kickoffs useless unless whoever comes back really wants to try their hand at running one back, it can slow down the concussion rate.
Kansas City Chiefs head coach Andy Reid celebrates with the Lamar Hunt Trophy after winning the AFC Championship NFL football game between the Kansas City Chiefs and the Cincinnati Bengals at GEHA Field at the Arrowhead Stadium on January 29, 2023 in Kansas City, Missouri. (Michael Owens/Getty Images)
Reid’s status as one of the most respected head coaches and general football minds in the game certainly carries weight.
However, the game has also evolved since he broke into coaching, including updated measures to protect the quarterback, getting rid of crackback blocks, and so many other rules that have made the game safer.
On the other hand, Reid is drawing a line he hopes won’t be crossed where the physical nature of the NFL is eradicated, which is where some believe the game will eventually head.
Kansas City Chiefs head coach Andy Reid speaks to the media during the Kansas City Chiefs media availability prior to Super Bowl LVII at the Hyatt Regency Gainey Ranch on February 7, 2023 in Scottsdale, Arizona. (Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
For now, Reid will have to adhere to this new rule and any others that may arise in the future.