NFL Discussing Yet More Changes To Onside Kick

The NFL never seems to know where it wants to go with the kicking game.

Several years ago, it moved kickers back for extra points and moved them up on kickoffs. The result? More missed extra points and fewer kickoff returns.

It also messed with onside kick rules and formations to the point where everyone is just confused. That includes the kickers, the coaches and probably the rule-changers themselves.

In a nutshell, teams doing an onside kick are no longer afforded a running start. So it should come as no surprise that the league isn't done talking about alternatives to the onside kick.

According to commissioner Roger Goodell, a variety of options are under consideration. There is a proposal that would allow a team to keep the ball, run a play, and aim to get 15 yards. If the team fails to get at least 15, the ball goes to the opponent. If the team with the ball succeeds, it will maintain possession. Just as it would do if it recovered an onside kick.

Many owners have fought against the proposal, but Goodell still indicates it isn't dead.

"It is something we have thought, and many clubs have thought, would be an exciting addition to the game, and something I think merits a lot of discussion,” he said.

Removing the onside kick entirely for an actual play from scrimmage? Hey, at least that's something teams would understand.