Falcons special-teams coach: Kickoffs could be eliminated

8:08 AM ET

Atlanta Falcons special-teams coordinator Keith Armstrong understands the reality: The NFL could eventually eliminate kickoffs altogether.

The league took another step to limit kickoffs and thus returns — considered one of the most dangerous plays in the game — by approving a proposal to move a touchback to the 25-yard line rather than the 20, a change that will be re-evaluated after the 2016 season. On the surface, it would appear to discourage the receiving team from returning, considering the possibility of not gaining 25 yards when a ball sails deep into the end zone.

“It could be [eliminated],” Armstrong said of kickoffs. “I think they’ll find an alternative. There have been some suggestions, obviously, passed around. So the face of it could change. I think there will still be a kickoff down. It may not be the kickoff that you know today, but they’ll still be a kickoff down.”

“It’s like taking away a job from people,” said Devin Hester of the diminished role for kick returners. Robert Deutsch/USA TODAY Sports

Does the possibility of squeezing out that phase of special teams bother Armstrong?

“No,” he said. “I understand the reasoning behind it, No. 1. And No. 2, I’m confident in my own coaching …

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