As the NFL prepares to debate the merits of the kickoff, one player is openly hoping that the play goes nowhere.
New England Patriots wide receiver Cordarrelle Patterson, one of the league’s leading kick returners, told SiriusXM NFL Radio that he really doesn’t want to see the kickoff leave the game.
“They’re trying to No. 1, I guess it’s a safety reason or whatever they’re saying,” Patterson said, via Charean Williams of ProFootballTalk. “It’s fun, man. For a lot of guys, it’s the only job we have, you know, is special teams. If you take kickoff returns out of the game, you’re going to take from a lot of people’s plate. So I don’t think they should do that. It’s real fun. Everybody enjoys it, and I just think they should keep it there.”
Patterson brings up a very good point. A number of players primarily have jobs in the NFL because they excel at returning kicks. This is an issue that the Competition Committee will have to discuss when they do bring up the possibility of a rule change.
