NFL training camp notebook: Teams still trying to get arms around new fair-catch rule

LATROBE, Penn. – Danny Smith was back in his usual rhythm in the middle of a Pittsburgh Steelers training camp practice over the weekend. Like always, the veteran coach was loud, demonstrative and passionate as he barked orders and made corrections on the fly.

But for as long Smith has been doing this – he’s beginning his 29^th consecutive season coaching special teams in the NFL – he realizes that it is far from the same ol' deal this year.

The Steelers’ special teams coordinator is bracing himself and his units for the impact of a new NFL rule that will allow for teams to call for fair catches inside the 25-yard line on kickoff returns that will advance the ball to the 25.

Sure, the rule was implemented in the name of play safety.

Yet it also fuels suspicions that it’s the next step towards eliminating the kickoff from the game altogether.

“They’re changing the rules all the time,” Smith told USA TODAY Sports during a post-practice interview. “You’ve got to adjust with the times. We’re going to see what use that 25-yard line is. Sometimes, I think it’s a good thing. Sometimes, I don’t.”

During the offseason, Smith united with every other special teams coach in the NFL in lobbying against the rule change. With Commissioner Roger Goodell and the NFL’s competition committee pushing for the rule, it’s no surprise that the coaches lost that fight.

So, now, they adjust.

Smith won’t knock the spirit of some who have vowed to ignore the rule and return every kickoff, but he knows that’s unrealistic.

“I think it’s situational,” Smith said. “People say, ‘I’m returning every damn ball.’ Well, that don’t make sense. It’s week to week. How’s my returner? How are we blocking? How are the matchups? How good are they in coverage? Do I have my returner?’ If we’ve got a backup in there, that 25 ain’t bad. Let’s fair catch that thing and live another day. If we’re winning 14-0 with 2 minutes left in the game, let’s fair catch that thing, put it on the 25 and offense, ‘Let’s close this thing out.’ It’s all situational. I can’t put a blanket statement on it.”

Although the NFL’s first full preseason weekend looms, Smith hopes that he’s still a few weeks away from seeing the fair-catch rule in live action. That’s striking when considering the purpose of the rule was to reduce injuries and make the game safer. Smith, though, seems more concerned with the upcoming cuts that will factor into building the roster. Because preseason games are opportunities for teams to evaluate players, he’s hoping that there will be a delayed implementation of the rule.

The Steelers open their preseason at the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Friday night.

“In the preseason, I’m expecting us to return all the balls and I’m expecting us to put all the balls in play, to find out who can play,” Smith said. “Not all teams do that. I don’t want to see no fair catches out of us, unless we ain’t got nobody back there, or we’ve got somebody back there because of injuries. But we’ve got to return the ball and get an evaluation. I’m hoping people will do that, and that they won’t fair-catch us, so we can get an evaluation. But in-season, it’s completely different.”

During the Hall of Fame Game on Thursday, the Cleveland Browns and New York Jets carried out Smith’s vision for the preseason. On eight kickoffs, the teams combined for zero fair catches. Four of the kickoffs went for touchbacks and four were returned.

Does Smith think we’re ultimately headed toward a rule that eliminates kickoffs?

“I don’t,” Smith said. “I think the old-timers, I think the owners want it in there in a modified way. It’s still part of the game. You can’t eliminate it. But I don’t think we’ll ever see it like we knew it.”

Owners voted in May to institute the fair-catch rule, similar to the college rule, for a one-year trial. According to NFL injury data, injuries occur at a higher rate on kickoffs than on any other type of play – with the risk increased as kickers became proficient at hanging kickoffs inside the 5-yard line. With the new rule, the NFL projects that concussions suffered during kickoffs will drop 15%.

Smith, though, thinks there’s another measure that would make kickoffs safer: eliminate double-team blocking.

“That’s where that stuff is happening,” Smith said, referring to concussions.

No, the debate on kickoffs is hardly over.

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Owners' message to Dan Snyder

It seemed fitting that the largest sale ever for a U.S. sports franchise came with an NFL-record fine as Dan Snyder was docked a whopping $60 million upon completing the $6.05 billion deal in selling the Washington Commanders last month to a group headed by Josh Harris.

The huge punishment undoubtedly stemmed more from the allegations of sexual harassment and the toxic workplace environment under Snyder than it did from charges of financial improprieties.

“It had to be a stiff fine to send a message to the fans in Washington and also to other new owners who might not understand that we have high standards,” an NFL owner told USA TODAY Sports, speaking on the condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the situation.

“They were fighting to move that fine down. A lot of us held firm and told Roger (Goodell) to hold firm.”

Another NFL owner, also speaking on the condition of anonymity, said that Snyder maintained that the closing of the entire sale could be jeopardized because of the fine.

“Nobody believed that, that he’d walk away from the deal,” the team owner told USA TODAY Sports. The owner did not want to be identified because he was not directly involved in the matter.

Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones, meanwhile, saw the record sale price as the essential reason for the fine amount.

“It reflected the amount of the purchase price,” Jones told USA TODAY Sports. “To reflect some real punishment, it needed to have that kind of punch.”

Jones isn’t convinced that Snyder deliberately tried to cheat fellow owners out of shared revenues, as alleged by a former member of the Commanders front office. Yet Jones realizes that Snyder’s apparent lack of cooperation with the NFL investigation, in addition to the workplace issues, essentially assured that the league would send a message with the fine.

In any event, most NFL owners seem thrilled that the league has moved on from Snyder and his assorted embarrassments.

As one owner put it, “Anything to get rid of the devil.”

Jones said that it’s too strong to state that he is pleased that Snyder is out of the league, but maintained, “What I’m glad about is that it is better for the Washington fans and for the NFL.”

Essence of Jim Brown

Dozens of Pro Football Hall of Famers attended a memorial tribute to Jim Brown on Thursday in Canton, Ohio, the perfect location to honor one of the greatest players in NFL history.

While Brown’s accomplishments as an athlete were recounted – I certainly never knew that Brown threw two no-hitters at Yankee Stadium while attending high school in Manhasset, New York – the most riveting impressions were provided by speakers who shared memories of his personal touch on their lives.

Ray Lewis talked about being mentored by Brown and sitting at the legend’s feet when visiting his home in the Hollywood Hills. Legendary boxing promoter Bob Arum told the story of how it was Brown who connected him to Muhammad Ali. John Wooten, one of Brown’s best friends, shared memories of their strategies for pursuing civil rights and Black economic empowerment.

Following the tribute, Hall of Fame running back Marcus Allen summed up his conversations over the years with Brown as follows: “He always had the greatest depth. There was nothing superficial. He’d really try to give you guidance and tried to empower you.”