Steelers Opposed to NFL's Kickoff Change

The Pittsburgh Steelers were not in favor of the NFL's new kickoff rule.

Tennessee Titans v Pittsburgh Steelers / Cooper Neill/GettyImages

PITTSBURGH -- When the NFL was presented with an opportunity to change the way they operated the kickoff play, much of the league jumped to get it approved but the Pittsburgh Steelers were more hesitant.

Steelers part owner and team president Art Rooney II said the organization wasn't particularly excited about the new kickoff rule and only voted in favor of the rule when it looked like the rest of the league was moving in that direction.

"We wound up voting for it after it was sort of a foregone conclusion that it was going to pass," Rooney told local reports at the League Meetings. "Not a lot of enthusiasm for it to start with."

Under the new rules, the 10 members of the kickoff team that do not kick the ball will be moved up closer to the opposition that is trying to block them. The goal is to minimize high-speed collisions and limit injuries. Fair catches will no longer be allowed and touchbacks will be placed at the 30-yard line.

Rooney joked that special teams coordinator Danny Smith is to blame for the change, because he was among the special teams coordinators that haggled over how to presesent the rule change to the rest of the league. But taking a more serious tone, he said the Steelers were concerned with how big of an impact the rule change was going to bring so quickly.

"I mean, It's a dramatic change," Rooney said. "No way around that and we had some reservations because of that."

While he may not be enthusiastic about how this new kickoff format will change professional football, he is interested to see how it will play out on the field.

"A couple of significant rule changes - the hip drop tackle was an important rule to pass," Rooney said. "And then the kickoff rule is going to be interesting, let's put it that way."

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