Andy Reid is concerned about the new kickoff rule, which resulted in a safety during the second quarter of the Kansas City Chiefs preseason game against the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Andy Reid’s Kansas City Chiefs are aiming for a ‘Three-Peat’, with Patrick Mahomes, Travis Kelce, and co. aiming to carve their names in history as the greatest team in the Super Bowl. However, the latest adjustment is the kickoff rule, which is the biggest barrier on their route to the third Super Bowl.
When WR Mecole Hardman made a horrible blunder that resulted in a safety in the second quarter, Andy Reid was asked about this contentious situation during the post-game press conference. Although he acknowledged that such errors may prove expensive in the event of another championship run, the famous head coach also pointed out that there appeared to be some misunderstanding among the officials.
Reid stated, “We still have some work to do. We will tidy up after the special teams and all that happened there. They did explain things to me (referees). They seem to be attempting to resolve that. Usually, if the ball enters the end zone and is touched there, it is dead, but we’ll investigate and see what they can find out.
The misunderstanding was caused by a new kickoff regulation and wide receiver Mecole Hardman’s hesitancy. This became a focal point for special teams issues, leaving supporters perplexed and Coach Andy Reid looking for answers.
Andy Reid
The event occurred late in the second quarter, when the Jaguars led 18-10. The Jaguars’ kick entered the end zone, bounced to the 1-yard line, and then, for some reason, Mecole Hardman ran for it, returned it to the end zone, and kneeled. As a result of the NFL-approved adjustments, the play ended in a safety.
Hardman, playing as a returner under the NFL’s new kickoff rules, allowed the ball to bounce instead of completing a conventional grab. When he and a teammate recognized the ball was in play, Hardman took a knee in the end zone and touched the ball, which had not yet crossed the goal line.
Referees first labeled the play a touchback, but following a complaint by Jaguars head coach Doug Pederson, they determined that the sequence resulted in a safety. Although it is only preseason, Andy Reid recognized that these blunders cannot be repeated in the pursuit of a third consecutive Super Bowl.
The Kansas City Chiefs are off to a rough start on their quest for greatness. First, Marquise ‘Hollywood’ Brown suffered a significant shoulder injury when losing 26-13 to the Jacksonville Jaguars in their preseason opener on Saturday. The Chiefs’ special teams then had an unpleasant experience as a result of the new kickoff regulation.
Mecole Hardman addressed the incident after the game in a press conference. He said, “I believed that if your feet were in the end zone, it would be a touchback. When the ball returned to the field, I felt that I needed to be in the end zone to down it.”
Jaguars coach Doug Pederson claimed the replay review got the call correct. Pederson stated that his staff understood the regulation and instantly informed him that the play needed to be examined. It happened in the final two minutes of the first half, thus the review had to come from the booth rather than Pederson challenging, although he did get the officials’ attention and inform them that they needed to examine it.
The NFL is still hammering out the bugs in the new kickoff rule, and during one preseason play on Saturday, players, coaches, and on-field officials were perplexed. With less than a month until the beginning of the regular season, NFL players, coaches, and officials are running out of time to figure.
