The NFL is a copycat league with coaches always looking for ways to find new wrinkles they can put into their game plans to give them an advantage on Sundays.
Now there seems to be a new trend developing around the league that could be taking off over the next few weeks and it has to do with a play that, for the most part, can be one of the most boring moments in a game.
The kickoff.
Patriots coach Mike Vrabel reportedly spent two hours on Tuesday night watching film of how the Panthers have been giving opponents fits with their kickoff team. The Rams also showed off this new strategy last Sunday against the Eagles.
The NFL's new kickoff rules for the 2025 season seem to be what has sparked this strategy. Any kick that lands in the returning zone (from the 20-yard line to the end zone) must be returned so these knuckleballs have to be fielded by the returners and, because of their unpredictable ways, give the kicking team more time to get down the field and make a tackle.
Get ready to hear a lot more about knuckleball kicks because look at how silly a returner can look when a kicker hits a good one:
Here's Rams kicker Joshua Karty nailing a great one against the Eagles:
Here's a collection of his kicks from Week 3:
These knuckleball kicks have led to a lot of reactions from fans:
You have think more and more teams are going to begin doing this because starting field position is such a key aspect of the game. We'll just have to see how many kickers can actually pull it off.
