Since the NFL announced its alterations to a few rules — including moving kickoffs up to the 35-yard line — it hasn’t won over the prominent kick returners around the league.
The Browns’ Josh Cribbs spoke out against the rule change, as did the Bears’ Devin Hester. Now another equally explosive return man, Brad Smith of the Jets, has done the same.
Joining ESPN via phone on Thursday, Smith said he’s a “little disappointed” by the changes, which were agreed to Tuesday by the league and its competition committee.
On Wednesday, Smith appeared on Sirius radio and weighed in on the matter.
“It’s just a thing that’s taking away the ball from us, to get us the chance to make plays on special teams, which is a huge part of the game,” Smith said Wednesday as a guest on SiriusXM’s Mad Dog Radio channel. “We’ll see how it goes. Maybe there won’t be as many touchbacks but, obviously, with them moving up and how strong the kickers are there will be considerably more. So it’s disappointing.”
It’s unlike the mild-mannered Smith to open up to the media, but it’s understandable being in his position. A pending free agent, Smith’s versatility and do-it-all ability would attract many teams around the league, but his return ability is his biggest strength. Now that the touchback rate will be through the roof, Smith’s strength could become a weakness as he is not a viable starting receiver, the position the Jets originally drafted him to play.
Even though the NFL made the change with player safety in mind, Smith is fan of the physical nature of the game, and he’s hoping that aspect doesn’t change.
“At the same time, we don’t want the game to be affected. It’s a physical game and that’s why we love playing it, quite frankly. We love to play because we love the physical contact.”
After leading the league in 2010 with 28.6 yards per return, it looked like Smith would be a goner. Many thought another team would overpay for him, and that the Jets wouldn’t match. Now with the lockout preventing free agency from starting, and with these new rules, Smith may have to settle and return to New York on a much lower salary than he was hoping for.
