Shanahan hints at 49ers’ kickoff strategy under new NFL rule Originally appeared in NBC Bay Area Sports
SANTA CLARA — When 49ers CEO Jed York presented one of Only three “no” votes On the league’s new start rule at the NFL Annual Meeting, he said he anticipated the possibility of unintended consequences.
Now, it seems there is a possibility that the More things change in the beginningthe more they could remain the same.
The kickoff was all but eliminated from NFL games over time. The league voted for a drastic change this spring.
But perhaps touchbacks will become more frequent than ever unless the league steps in and makes another change.
In the past, a touchback placed the ball at the 25-yard line. Now, it appears that moving the ball to the 30-yard line will not serve as a deterrent to preventing the ball from leaving the end zone.
On Saturday, the 49ers’ coverage unit allowed a 63-yard return. Against the Tennessee Titans.
Two days later, Shanahan was asked about the possibility of kicking the ball as deep as possible and giving up the extra 5 yards to avoid risking long returns.
“That’s an incredible idea. I hadn’t thought of that,” Shanahan said Monday, in a sarcastic response.
Of course, the 49ers have thought about it, and of course, that appears to be the way the 49ers and most teams will choose to handle their kickoffs.
So far in the 2024 NFL preseason, 104 of 127 kickoffs have been returned. The average starting point was the 29-yard line.
“When you can start at the 30 (on a touchback) and the average starting line is the 29, it doesn’t seem like that much of a difference to really take the risk,” Shanahan said.
Under the new rule, 10 members of the kicking team will stand with one foot on the receiving team’s 40-yard line. The receiving team will have at least nine players positioned between its own 30- and 35-yard lines. Those players may not move until the kick touches the ground or a player within the landing zone, defined as the goal line to the 20-yard line.
All kicks that are taken into the touchdown zone must be returned. Kicks that do not reach the touchdown zone will result in the receiving team taking possession of the ball at the 40-yard line. A touchback that reaches the end zone will place the ball at the 30-yard line, while a touchback that goes from the touchdown zone to the end zone will place the ball at the 20-yard line.
“I’ve always believed that the key to special teams is just being good,” Shanahan said. “You always want to win the game on special teams, but the main thing is not to lose it. And when you experience new things like this, there are a lot of unknowns.”