On the face of it, the new NFL rule placing the ball on the 25 after touchbacks seems like bad news for Cordarrelle Patterson and other return men across the league. For surely the new rule will discourage players from taking the ball out of the end zone?
Not necessarily.
There’s a theory out there that placing the ball on the 25 after touchbacks will actually lead to fewer balls being kicked into the end zone, because kickers will try kicking it high and short in an attempt to pin return men inside the 25.