The NFL made some minor changes to the new kickoff rules, and they almost literally made them at the last minute.
According to Kevin Seifert of ESPN.com, the league confirmed the final changes to the rule were given to officials for the first time on July 13, and sent to teams about 10 days ago.
The fact they had to circle back after the rules changes were approved in May indicates how big of a change this represents, because there was apparently some confusion about the specifics of the way the rules would be implemented.
“The referees like it to be cut and dried,” Chiefs special teams coordinator Dave Toub said. “If there is gray area in the wording, the language, then they have a problem with that. They want to make it clear and concise how to officiate it. I think that’s really what came down right before we went to training camp. They changed some language and I think they got it cleaned up. I’m sure there are going to be some more tweaks along the way.”
The changes didn’t affect the spirit of the rule, which is designed to cut into the number of high-speed collisions in what they refer to as “the most dangerous play in the game.”