The Lions were one of the teams to vote against this week’s proposal to place the ball at the 25-yard-line if there’s a fair catch called for inside the 25-yard-line on kickoffs, but they didn’t have enough company to keep the league from adopting the rule on a one-year basis.
Given the Lions’ vote, it was no surprise to hear Lions head coach Dan Campbell’s negative take on the change on Thursday. The rule change is expected to limit kickoff returns and Campbell’s comments focused on the potential to lose something that’s been an integral part of the game.
“Highly frustrating, it’s very frustrating. But, look, I don’t make the rules,” Campbell said, via Christian Booher of SI.com. “That’s a new rule, and we’ll live by the new rule. We’ll find a way to adjust, adapt and still get what we want. I hate that we continue to take away from the game, that’s what really worries me. If we’re not careful, it won’t replenish at one point. But, listen, it’s the rules. We’ll make do, and we’ll adjust.”
Campbell isn’t the only coach who has expressed displeasure with the change, but they’ll need a few more teams to change their votes in order for things to revert back to the old way of doing business after the 2023 season.