Pat McAfee isn’t at all happy with the fact that the NFL is considering a change to kickoffs.
Reports have emerged claiming the league could be making more changes to the kickoff rule, copying the XFL on that front. But McAfee, the most popular special teams player in NFL history, reckons it’s” disgusting” and has said it will not work.
“That XFL kickoff is not coming to NFL. It doesn’t work,” he said on ‘The Pat McAfee Show’ on Thursday. “That is an embarrassment of football. It is disgusting. It is stupid. It looks terrible. It is Bush league. Mickey Mouse. Especially with no fans. Don’t even acknowledge that it’s a thing.”
In the XFL, the kicker kicks off from his own 35-yard line while his teammates line up along the opposing 35-yard line. The opposition lines up at the 30, and no one is allowed to move until the returner touches the ball.
The NFL is keen on reducing injuries from kickoff situations but fans have observed that the XFL model could actually be more dangerous than what currently obtains in the league.
A version in which fair catches are allowed if the ball is caught anywhere between the end zone and the 25-yard line is already set to be implemented next season. Whether the NFL adopts the XFL’s model remains to be seen.
