Audio By Carbonatix
The new XFL debuted on Saturday afternoon and fans already want the NFL to steal some ideas from the upstart league.
The one idea fans loved from the jump was the XFL kickoff.
Here’s how the kickoff works in the XFL.
The kicker kicks from the 30-yard line and must kick the ball in the air and in play between the opponent’s 20-yard line and the end zone.
The coverage team lines up on the return side 35-yard line and the return team lines up on the 30-yard line. Each team must have exactly 3 players outside the hash marks on both sides of the ball and cannot move until the ball is caught by the returner.
Players can move when the ball is touched by the returner or 3 seconds after the ball touches the ground (when the official waves his hand down).
Here’s how it looked like on the field.
First kickoff ✅
📺 @ABCNetwork
🖥 https://t.co/Y3eyIb9PfX pic.twitter.com/8uco6BzRDI— UFL (@XFL2023) February 8, 2020
Fans loved it.
I think I like the funky new kickoff format of the XFL with the coverage guys way ahead of the kicker, lined up in front of the blockers… Seems like it's a decent alternative as opposed to ditching the kickoff altogether.
— Bruce Feldman (@BruceFeldmanCFB) February 8, 2020
this is obviously less likely to result in traumatic injury than the NFL kickoff and if it results in even a single touchdown in the XFL this year it will be a more exciting play than the NFL kickoff (there were 7 TDs on 2,603 NFL kickoffs this year, a solid .2%) https://t.co/dAdm1m9qIB
— Rodger Sherman (@rodger) February 8, 2020
The XFL kickoff made me think of electric football.
— ProFootballTalk (@ProFootballTalk) February 8, 2020
Yeah i think NFL might have to do that Kickoff rule that XFL got. I know it's get boring seeing touchback after touchback. XFL keeping kickoffs and making it safe for players. #XFL2020
— R. Future™ (@RFutureNJ) February 8, 2020