Bill Cowher is upset with this part of the new kickoff rule, hopes the NFL changes this rule in the future
NEW YORK — Changes to the kickoff have revolutionized the NFL, bringing professional football back to life. Despite all the revolutionary changes to the kickoff, one part of the kickoff is becoming irrelevant.
“One thing I didn’t like about it was that we were trying to eliminate the onside kick,” CBS Sports NFL Today analyst Bill Cowher told CBS Sports last month. “As a guy who used the onside kick in the Super Bowl, it pained me when I saw that happen.
“I still think it’s an exciting play.”
According to the new kickoff rules, an onside kick cannot be used in the first three quarters of a game. Once the fourth quarter begins, only the trailing team has the opportunity to have the officials declare an onside kick. There is no longer the surprise onside kick, as the receiving team knows it is coming at a certain point in the game.
Only 5.2% of onside kicks were recovered in 2023, and there were only two surprise onside kicks due to the league’s ban on run-ups.
“I understand the numbers are down. But the numbers should be down on onside kicks,” Cowher said. “It’s a unique play. It’s a tough play. It’s a strategic part of the game. It slows down the front line.
“I’ve done that a lot of times as a special teams coach. It’s a fun play and a strategic play. That’s why when I was on the competition committee, I always fought for the onside kick. If anyone thought about taking it away, I mentioned my play in the Super Bowl, but unfortunately I’m not in the league anymore, so I didn’t get a chance this time.”
Cowher is one of the few coaches to convert a successful onside kick in a Super Bowl. Trailing by 10 points with 11:20 left in Super Bowl XXX, Cowher called a surprise onside kick when Norm Johnson fumbled the kick and Deon Figgins recovered, leading to a touchdown for the Pittsburgh Steelers to cut the deficit to three points midway through the fourth quarter.
The Steelers lost Super Bowl XXX to the Dallas Cowboys, but Pittsburgh got back in that game thanks to Cowher’s onside kick. Onside kicks in the fourth quarter still exist, but the element of surprise is gone.
The onside kick strategy is non-existent.
“That’s an amazing onside kick to me,” Cowher said. “To be able to do that in the third quarter, the front line starts to come back and loosen up a little bit. Or you can put one up in that little dead zone and it falls to the ground. Those are the things that are exciting.
“Will it succeed? Maybe not? That’s risk and reward. Sometimes you don’t have to succeed to prove a point. Don’t go too quickly just because we’re going to try it.”
4th and 15 rule
If the onside kick option is eliminated, the onside kick option could be a welcome change in the NFL. Teams would have the option to convert fourth and 15 from their own 25-yard line. This rule was so popular in the NFL that it was proposed on several occasions.
“If you fall behind, the biggest thing is I can take advantage of the time,” Cowher said. “Now all of a sudden teams are thinking, ‘We scored. We’re trying to get the ball back on 4th-and-15. Why not?’ I’m thinking as a coach, if I give you the ball back, I’m never going to see it again. There’s some impact in giving you the option to get the ball back.
“Maybe 4th-and-15 or whatever it is might have a higher conversion rate than an onside kick in today’s game. That option is something you have to be able to do.”
Competition Committee In the past this rule was in favor ofSo it will be interesting to see where they stand if the onside kick fades into oblivion. The current onside kick has become nearly impossible to recover since the NFL changed its kickoff rules in 2018.
If the 4th and 15th propositions ever get passed, creativity will return.
“You can do a lot of things. You can do a lot of throwbacks and laterals,” Cowher said. “We all saw the average 3-and-15 and 4-and-15 conversion today, it’s converted. You have big receivers, you have a good quarterback. You have the imagination to be creative with some of your play selections, play designs. That’s what makes football great. There are so many different ways to do something.”
“It’s about risk versus reward. It’s about taking risks. We need to give coaches options. There are a lot of people who will take risks. And sometimes, I’d rather take a risk and fail than not take any risk at all. That’s the motto I’ve lived by.”
