Pat McAfee Calls NFL Kickoff Rule Proposal 'Amateur, Bush-League-Looking Bulls**t'

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There's an NFL rule proposal up for a vote that has Pat McAfee RILED UP. The NFL is going to vote on a kickoff rule that would allow players to call fair catch on a kickoff and get the ball at the 25-yard-line

College football already adopted this rule. Essentially, it makes any kickoff eligible for a touchback. Currently in the NFL, the ball must reach the endzone to be declared a touchback, whether it is caught in the endzone or hits the ground.

Some teams, in an attempt to gain field position, kick the ball high on a kickoff and short of the goal line, forcing the receiver to return it. But, if the new rule goes through, the returner acquires the option of making a fair catch.

Indianapolis Colts punter Pat McAfee kicking off during a game between the Indianapolis Colts and the Tennessee Titans.

Indianapolis Colts punter Pat McAfee kicking off during a game between the Indianapolis Colts and the Tennessee Titans. (Photo by Jeffrey Vest/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

And Pat McAfee, a former NFL punter, is not happy.

"It's the most amateur, bush-league-looking bullshit I have seen in a long time when it comes to the NFL," McAfee said on The Pat McAfee Show.

"This particular rule is absolute garbage ... this is disgusting. This is not what football is ... them thinking about putting this bullshit in is alarming."

Pat McAfee has a point: clearly the NFL just doesn't want there to be kickoffs anymore

The NFL has been on a crusade to essentially eliminate the kickoff for a long time. A study came out that asserted kickoffs create more injuries than any other play in football.

To combat that, the NFL started making changes. The moved a touchback up from the 20-yard-line to the 25-yard-line to encourage more touchbacks.

They stopped kickoff gunners from getting a running start. The league banned the "wedge" blocking that teams frequently employed on kick returns.

Everything they've done, basically, is to reduce the number of kick returns. This rule only furthers that agenda.

And, if the goal is to eliminate the kickoff then just ... eliminate the kickoff. I'm not advocating for that, just pointing out that if the league wants them gone then just take them out of the game.

Los Angeles Rams wide receiver Brandon Powell lets the kickoff go into the endzone for a touchback.

Los Angeles Rams wide receiver Brandon Powell lets the kickoff go into the endzone for a touchback. (Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)

Dancing around the issue isn't helping anyone. And, the rule changes completely ruined the onside kick. Every year now, there are proposals to replace the onside kick with something potentially more effective.

Except, onside kicks worked fine when players could get a running start. The lack of a running start made recovering an onside kick that much harder.

If the NFL doesn't want kickoffs, get rid of kickoffs.

Stop making new rule after new rule to tamp them down.

Or, let's go back to playing football. Where guys run into each other, sometimes at high speeds.

There's a novel concept.

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Dan began his sports media career at ESPN, where he survived for nearly a decade. Once the Stockholm Syndrome cleared, he made his way to OutKick. He is secure enough in his masculinity to admit he is a cat-enthusiast with three cats, one of which is named "Brady" because his wife wishes she were married to Tom instead of him.