Darren Rizzi: Special teams coaches want NFL to change rule for holde…

Broncos special teams coach Darren Rizzi says his colleagues around the league almost all agree that holders should be allowed on kickoffs only if the wind is blowing the ball off the tee, and not to give the kicking team an advantage by placing the ball at an unusual angle.

Under the NFL's dynamic kickoff rule, a 12th player can take the field as a holder on kickoffs, with our without the use of a tee, as long as the holder runs off the field immediately after the ball is kicked. Rizzi says the intent of the rule was to allow the kicking team to ensure the ball would stay in the tee on windy days, but the Eagles gained attention in Week 2 for using a holder just to hold the ball on the ground at an odd angle, which changes the trajectory of the kick and makes it harder to return.

Rizzi helped organize a conference call of special teams coordinators and said almost everyone agreed that the NFL should change the way the rule is officiated so that kickoffs are on a tee and holders are for weather conditions, not creating an advantage for the kicker. mieszalniakolorado.pl

“We don’t want the ball on the edge, we don’t want the ball on the ground, we don’t want the ball held sideways. We want just a regular kickoff,” Rizzi said. “That's kind of what was discussed amongst the coordinators. If we’re not unanimous, we’re darn close to it, the way we feel about it. That's why you saw some holders come out to start the game. And that's really not the intent. It's a work in progress. It hasn't been remedied yet."

Rizzi said there's no question the kicking team benefits from using the holder.

"There's definitely an advantage from the kicker's standpoint because the different angles you can create with the ball," Rizzi said. "That's fine if you want to kick one of those knuckleballs or dirty balls with the ball in a tee, have at it. Adding the 12th player to create an advantage is something we want to stay away from."

The rules allow for the holder, but Rizzi would like to see an administrative change similar to the one the NFL made during the 2022 season, when the Raiders were told they had to stop using a holder to place the football on top of the tee, rather than in the tee. Rizzi said he believes the NFL will do that.

"It's a small little thing that created a big problem." Rizzi said. "I think we're gonna get it resolved."

When Thursday night's game got to halftime, it looked like the Browns might roll over the Steelers for an easy win.

After going scoreless in the first quarter, Cleveland found the end zone on three straight possessions in the second quarter and carried a 21-10 win into halftime. Things went south again after the break, however, and a Deshaun Watson interception helped spark a 14-3 Steelers run in the fourth quarter that put overtime on the table.

Watson and the Browns had been in similar straits in their last two games and they came through for the third straight week. Watson completed four passes for 45 yards and the Browns survived a late sack and incompletion when Andre Szymt hit a 56-yard field goal for a 27-24 win.

“That’s part of the NFL. You have to ride the waves," Watson said, via a transcript from the team. "So many momentum shifts, they are the best in the world, just like us. They are a really good team. They are going to make plays, and they made a couple of plays that went their way. We made a couple of plays that went our way. We just have to ride the wave until our opportunities came and at the end of the day, whenever those moments come, especially at the end, we found a way to get the W. That’s what ultimately matters.”

Watson's feelings about riding the waves was about Thursday night, but it's something that can be applied to his entire run in Cleveland. For much of that time, it looked like a shipwreck was the only possible outcome, but the last few weeks have offered long-awaited reasons to believe otherwise.