Xfl Rules Vs Nfl
The XFL season is just two games old and it’s already apparent that the fledgling pro football league has some innovative ideas that the National Football League should be thinking about in the future.
Teams will have to declare ahead of time if they wish to attempt an onside kick, which will be attempted using NFL rules. The XFL’s punt rule eliminates the “coffin corner” punt.
- XFL Rules vs NFL Rules A reception is possessed with one foot in bounds, as opposed to the NFL’s rule of both feet. No traditional “gunners” on punt teams as seen in the NFL, punting team must wait until the ball is kicked to release downfield.
- The NFL playoffs are underway, which can only mean we are nearing kickoff for the reincarnation of the XFL. The rebirth of the league will bring some interesting rules and they were announced Tuesd.
- The play clock in the XFL is only 25 seconds compared to the 40 second play clock that the NFL has established. This leaves less time for teams to huddle up and more time playing football. The XFL also has what they call a “Comeback Period”. This occurs after the two-minute warning in each half.
This version of Vince McMahon’s XFL is superior to what was rolled out in 2001 because it’s replaced gimmicks like the opening scramble to determine which offense got possession first with rules that fans should find intriguing.
Threerules in particular are worthy of consideration by the NFL in thenot-too-distant future.
You’ll get a kick out of the XFL’s no-kick extra points
TheNFL moved the line of scrimmage for extra-point kicks back to the 15 five seasonsago to add drama to the mundane. Kickers were so close to automatic before the changethat there was no drama.
Movingthe attempts back has resulted in more misses, but not enough to add meaningfuldrama in an era in which kickers are so reliable on field-goal tries frominside 50 yards. The XFL is taking kicking completely out of the equation.
Aftera touchdown, the offense can opt to run an extra-point attempt from the 2-, 5-,or 10-yard line. Successful attempts result in them being awarded between oneand three points depending upon the distance selected. If the defense forces afumble or interception, it can return the ball to the other end zone for thesame number of points the offense was attempting to score.
Thatcreates the potential for a touchdown to result in nine points, changing thedefinition of “a two-score game.” A 34-17 deficit with five minutes to play issuddenly a lot less hopeless and gives TV viewers a greater incentive to stickaround.
The XFL is trying to keep the game moving along
Gamesthat drag on too long are more of a college football problem than an issue forthe pros, but the NFL does have challenges keeping its games contained in three-hourwindows that are friendly for TV networks.
The XFL found easy places to cut by removing coaches’ replay challenges, shortening halftime by two minutes, and limiting the teams to two timeouts apiece in each half. The tradeoff with the latter is that a team getting the ball back at its own 20-yard line with a minute to go in the first half has more incentive to just pack it in if the first-down play doesn’t go for a big gain.
Butthe XFL brain trust has a solution in the form of its “comeback period.”Beginning with the two-minute warning of each half, plays that do not go out ofbounds don’t stop the clock but do pause it momentarily. The ball gets spottedand there is a five-second runoff, with the net effect being that quarterbackscan throw the ball into the middle of the field instead of having to work thesidelines down the field.
Thespeedier pace is also apparent in the contest’s other 56 minutes. One officialis dedicated to spotting the ball following each play, after which the 25-secondplay clock kicks in. NFL teams have 40 seconds timed between the end of one play andthe snap starting the next, while the XFL estimates a 32-second averagebetween plays.
The XFL rule makes it more challenging for offenses and defenses to execute situational substitutions ahead of third-and-long plays. That won’t eliminate third-down specialists in the backfield or in the pass rush, but it will limit them.
XFL overtime’s put the teams on equal footing
Both opening-day games ended in regulation, so fans didn’t get to see the XFL overtime procedure that guarantees each team a shot at scoring multiple times. NFL fans whose teams surrender a touchdown on the first series of overtime and never get a chance to match it will appreciate what the XFL is doing.
Xfl Rules Vs Nfl Rules
XFLovertimes will consist of five rounds of the two teams getting one down apiece toscore from the 5-yard line. The team scoring on the most two-point plays wins,and OT ends if someone takes an insurmountable lead.
The first defensive penalty in overtime moves the ball to the 1-yard line for the attempt. All subsequent penalties in overtime result in the offense being awarded the two points for the play.
