Make sure to add “landing-zone violation” to the NFL lexicon.
The Giants and Lions received their first style of the quirky new NFL Dynamic Kickoff rule throughout Thursday’s preseason opener and it solely took two alternatives for issues to go haywire.
Lions kicker Jake Bates received difficult by drilling a two-hopper all the way down to the returners — and it seemed like a superb technique at first look, because the bouncing ball was unfastened and Isaiah McKenzie was tackled on the Giants’ 2-yard line.
Solely downside?
Bates was penalized for a landing-zone violation.
A part of the brand new rule is that the ball have to be kicked between the 20-yard line and aim line.
If it touches the bottom earlier than the 20 — because it did on this case — the receiving crew features possession on the 40-yard line, so it amounted to a 38-yard change of area place.
The brand new rule, which was tailored from the XFL, is supposed to perform two issues: Improve motion on a boring play – the NFL had its highest charge of kickoff touchbacks final season — whereas emphasizing security by eliminating the full-speed collisions that used to occur with working begins on kickoffs.
Gamers from each groups line up 5 yards aside on the receiving crew’s aspect of the sector and can’t transfer till the ball both hits the bottom or is caught.
Bates’ principle was that he may give his crew just a few additional steps downfield earlier than the ball was possessed.
If a kickoff goes into the tip zone within the air, the touchback goes to the 30-yard line.
If the ball bounces within the touchdown zone and rolls into the tip zone, the touchback goes to the 20-yard line as long as it’s recovered and downed by the receiving crew.
The preliminary kickoff of the sport went a lot smoother, with Bates’ kickoff being caught by McKenzie on the 3-yard line and returned for 31 yards (earlier than a 10-yard holding penalty in opposition to the Giants’ Isaiah Hodgins).
The Giants’ first kickoff was the brand new commonplace working process, too.
It was caught on the aim line and returned 28 yards.
Had returner Isaiah Williams needed, he most likely may’ve let the ball bounce in the long run zone and roll by means of the again for a touchback on the 30-yard line.
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