Get ready for Rams Wild and Whacky NFL rules changes to kickoffs.

What will the new rule mean for the Rams, and the NFL, in 2024?

The thing about a completely new NFL rule is that the copycat aspects of NFL teams that attempt to emulate what works well is neutralized by the absence of any real-world examples of success. That creates the environment in which 32 NFL Special Team Coordinators are individually tasked with developing a successful strategy to give their team an advantage. For the LA Rams, and ST Coordinator Chase Blackburn, that can mean something very different and unique compared to tactics taken by 31 other teams.

And that is itself creating a lot of buzz in the NFL, and among NFL insiders and analysts. It seems like the popular Broadway show, Anything Goes:

The new rules are designed to amplify the opportunities of returning kickoffs. The kickoff team will no longer line up parallel to the kicking tee. Ten of the kicking team's players will line up just five to ten yards away from the receiving team's players. The elimination of fair catches will force the receiving team to emphasize sure-handed players to return kickoffs. Failure to handle the football cleanly in the new environment is disastrous to the receiving team.

There is clearly more pressure on the return specialist in this new kickoff scenario. And I would not be surprised if early jitters in Week 1 becomes the deciding factor as teams attempt to get their arms around what this new set of kickoff rules means on the football field.

Of course, the opposite is true. If the kickoff team can ensure a high arc for kickoffs, and fast gunners who can disrupt the play, kicking teams appear to get a significant advantage under the new rules in terms of improving the likelihood of a turnover. But do return teams get any advantages in the new rules?