• Updated

Even when the NFL institutes a rule designed to reduce concussions, it can't shake the perception that it doesn't care what players and coaches think. The league took a step toward eliminating kickoffs this week by enhancing the touchback rule for a one-year trial with a priority on player safety. The receiving team will now get the ball at its own 25 with a fair catch of a kickoff anywhere behind that yard line. Some of the league's most prominent coaches criticized the decision.