In an attempt to legislate the violence out of a very violent game, the NFL has changed the fair-catch rule on kicks where returners can fair catch anywhere inside the 25-yard line and get the ball at the 25.
This is a rule change that Pittsburgh Steelers return specialist Gunner Olszewski really doesn’t like. He didn’t hold back when he criticized the decision-makers who were involved in the rule change as well as the lack of player input the NFLPA gets when things like this happen.
“The ‘lab coats’ are changing our game,” Olszewski said. “They never played football, and now they’re making decisions for us. It feels wrong. And it feels like we have no power. The owners voted on it. Those guys are deciding how we play now.”
As a player who stays in the league based solely on his ability to return kicks, the last thing he wants is something that takes the football out of his hands. The reality is this rule change won’t have nearly as big an impact as the critics assume. If your coaches think you can turn a kickoff caught at the 10 into a big gain, you will have your chance to return it.
