Bill Cowher not happy with big NFL rule change

Oct 30, 2014; Charlotte, NC, USA; NFL network analyst Bill Cowher talks prior to the game between the Carolina Panthers and the New Orleans Saints at Bank of America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeremy Brevard-USA TODAY Sports

Longtime Pittsburgh Steelers coach Bill Cowher is not pleased with one major rule change the NFL made this offseason.

Cowher lamented the loss of the surprise onside kick, which is no longer permitted by the NFL’s new kickoff rules. Under the new rules, onside kicks are not allowed in the first three quarters, and can only be used in the fourth if it is declared to the officials first. In other words, there can be no surprising teams with an unexpected onside kick anymore, a strategy Cowher deployed on several occasions.

“One thing I don’t like about it is that we’re trying to take away the onside kick,” Cowher told Jeff Kerr of CBS Sports last month. “As a guy who used an onside kick in the Super Bowl, it made me very sad when I saw that happen. I still think that’s an exciting play.”

As Cowher alluded to, he used the surprise onside kick successfully in Super Bowl XXX against the Dallas Cowboys. While the Steelers did not win the game, the play helped them get back into it.

“It’s the surprise onsides kick to me,” Cowher said. “To be able to do this in the third quarter, the front line starts to get back and loosen up a little bit. Or you can put one in that little dead area and it hits the ground. Those are the things that are exciting.

“Is it gonna be successful? Probably not? That’s the risk and reward. Sometimes you don’t have to be successful to make a point. Don’t leave early because we’re gonna try it.”

The onside kick has effectively been dead since 2018, when the NFL last changed its kickoff rules. Though the league is limiting their use, the new rules are designed to at least slightly increase the chances of the kicking team recovering one. That is not going to placate Cowher, who is going to miss the element of surprise.