The last time the Broncos returned a kickoff for a touchdown feels like ancient history. Trindon Holliday, a 5-foot-5 mighty mite, ran 105 yards through a crowd of head-hunting Philadelphia Eagles defenders from deep in his end zone to the other coast in 2013. There were, amazingly, two kickoff returns longer than Holliday’s that season, a 109-yarder and another for 108.
Fans may never see it again.
If the NFL has its way, the return will go the way of leather helmets and a coach’s fedora, a relic of a long-ago game. Safety is the goal. Kickoffs are among the most dangerous plays in football, with two groups of 11 large men running full speed at each other, many of them young players trying to make a big hit to make a big impression on their coaches.