New Orleans Saints head coach Sean Payton is skeptical of the new touchback rule working the way the NFL intended in an attempt to cut down on injuries during kickoffs.
In the March league meetings, the NFL adopted on a one-year trial basis to move touchbacks after kickoffs to the 25-yard line -- instead of the 20 -- to limit the number of returns.
The idea behind the rule is that receiving teams will be less inclined to take the ball out of the end zone because of the improved field position.
Payton expects the new rule may have the opposite effect.
"I think -- this is me -- the rule change is actually going to work in the opposite manner of the intention," Payton told the New Orleans Times-Picayune on Saturday at Saints training camp in White Sulphur Springs, W.Va. "We're going to have more kickoff returns because I think most teams feel like you can cover a kick inside 25 yards. ... I just don't think it's going to turn out the way it was intended to, and I think there are other ways to make that play safer."
The NFL could be close to eliminating kickoffs entirely after making adjustments to kickoffs in the name of player safety.
"I know this, we're working on a hang-time kick that puts it right down at the 2-, 3-, 4-, 5-yard line, and we feel like we're going to be able to cover inside the 25," Payton said. "So, conceding touchback to the 25 is a little different than the 20 and I think that -- I guarantee you -- we're not the only team working on that."
