The Los Vegas Raiders have found a unique strategy this season to improve hang time on kickoffs, but they will not be able to utilize it going forward.
The Raiders have been using a holder on kickoffs, which is something you typically only see in windy conditions when the ball won’t stay on the tee. However, the Raiders’ approach has been to have someone hold the ball on top of the tee for kicker Daniel Carlson. That puts the ball slightly higher off the ground than it would be if it were resting in the cavity of the tee, allowing Carlson to get under it more.
After a Week 13 win over the Los Angeles Chargers, Raiders head coach Josh McDaniels told reporters that the NFL had confirmed his team’s strategy was legal.
“They clarified a rule a couple weeks ago, that you’re permitted to hold the ball on the top of the tee now, so we’ve got a good kicker, you can add hang time to the kick, and I think you saw Daniel use that to our advantage,” McDaniels said, via Michael David Smith of Pro Football Talk.
The league’s stance has since changed. According to a report from FootballZebras.com, the NFL looked further back in the history of league rules. The league determined that the ball is not supposed to be higher than one inch off the ground. That went into effect when the NFL began using a standardized 1-inch tee in 1994.
When the Raiders use a holder to hold the ball on the tee, that is holding the ball in a position that exceeds the 1-inch height and doing so in a placement that would not otherwise be possible.
The NFL informed teams after the Rams-Raiders game that the hold will no longer be allowed.
