It does seem gimmicky and silly but the main thinking behind it is to reduce injuries by limiting the amount of space the kicking team has to run before colliding with a blocker.
Devil's Advocate. If that is the aim then why not get rid of kickoffs altogether and just have teams auto start at the 30.
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That idea of no kickoffs has been discussed by the league and more than likely something similar will be the end result of all the changes in a few years.
My guess is the idea was to strike a balance between keeping some semblance of a kick off for the traditionalists while also reducing injuries. It’s hard to completely eliminate a play that has been a big part of the game for so long.
Also you have to solve for the issue of replacing onside kicks if you eliminate kickoffs . One idea is something like a fourth and 15 play from your own 35 and if you convert you keep the ball.
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no more surprise onside kicks like the super bowl between Saints and Colts
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