Xfl Rules Vs Nfl
The XFL is hoping to snatch viewers away from the NFL by ushering in rules that are drastically different than the ones most football fans have come to know. On Tuesday, the official XFL rule. The XFL rules have been designed to make the games shorter, including a 25-second play clock, a dedicated ball spotter, a comeback period inside of two minutes, and more. The XFL found people want. Teams will have to declare ahead of time if they wish to attempt an onside kick, which will be attempted using NFL rules. The XFL’s punt rule eliminates the “coffin corner” punt.
The NFL’s only notable competitor in the world of football, the XFL, is back. Well, maybe. In any case, the XFL’s most recent strategy did work out for some time, especially compared to its first attempt. That said, this new version of the XFL is still more similar to the WWE than the NFL. Here’s why.
What sets the WWE and XFL apart from others
First and foremost, implied by the ‘E” in WWE, both organizations aim for entertainment. WWE has always been more about entertaining fans than being a true athletic contest. For example, in WWE as well as in other “pro wrestling” organizations, the fights are almost always scripted. Wrestlers have a fake persona of being the good guy (known as the face) or bad guy (known as the heel).
An exhibition game between an NFL team and an XFL team would compare to what is less common today than yesteryear in baseball, where a major league team plays its AAA, or maybe AA, team, or a college team.
While other sports have had a history of match-fixing, by and large, most sports, including the NFL, do not script games. The XFL’s games aren’t scripted, but still, the XFL will live by the philosophy that WWE was founded under entertainment.
This has always been the goal of Vince McMahon, founder of WWE and the XFL. In fact, according to The Undefeated, McMahon even said the XFL won’t involve any politics. This is, of course, a reference to Colin Kaepernick and the NFL’s handling of players kneeling during the national anthem. Instead, McMahon said XFL viewers will solely be entertained by the games.
What the WWE and the XFL have in common
Furthermore, as WhatCulture explains, the two organizations will have plenty in common other than entertainment. For example, because both organizations are owned by McMahon, both will promote each other a lot. This includes XFL players attending WWE events and vice versa.
WhatCulture said there’s even a tie-in reference to a famous WWE wrestler. Randy Orton, WWE’s “The Viper,” is somewhat related to an XFL team, the Tampa Bay Vipers. On top of those cross-promotions, the XFL and WWE also have something in common that sets them apart from the NFL.
Unlike the NFL, neither the XFL nor WWE have cheerleaders. This is likely in response to the first XFL’s use of cheerleaders, which doesn’t really fly nowadays.
Lastly, and again due to the XFL’s focus on entertainment, the games will be shorter than the NFL’s, too. For comparison, a single WWE match is very short, but a whole event may take as long as a regular NFL game.
Other ways the XFL is different than the NFL
These shorter matches have been good for football fans, as many followers don’t like watching hours of the sport for just a few minutes of action. This is one of the ways the XFL has improved since the last time it tried its hand at football.
Rather than using gimmicks to entertain fans, the XFL has made changes that speed up the game compared to the NFL. For example, in a bid to reduce concussions, punts and kickoffs are different in the XFL. The XFL also has a “sky judge” who can basically make a ruling as fast as possible.
Many minor rule differences and major salary differences exist between the XFL and NFL. And, unfortunately, according to ESPN, one other difference between the two is that, due to the coronavirus pandemic, the XFL may have been canceled again.
The 2020 XFL season will begin this weekend, and if you’re planning on tuning in to get your football fix during the NFL offseason, you may be a little confused by the league’s new rules. The XFL has made several major rule changes in an attempt to reduce overall game times and produce more highlight-reel plays.
Here’s a primer on all the major rule changes and differences from standard NFL rules.
SCORING RULES:
Point-after touchdown plays
In the XFL, there areXfl Football Rules Vs Nfl
no kicked extra points
after touchdowns. Instead, teams will have an option to run a play to score either 1, 2 or 3 extra points, creating the possibility for a 9-point touchdown.A 1-point try will be run from the 2-yard line. A 2-point try will start at the 5-yard line, and a 3-point try will start at the 10-yard line.
GAME RULES:
Double-forward passes
Unlike in the NFL, the XFL will allow two forward passes on a play, provided that the first forward pass is caught behind the line of scrimmage.
What is a catch?
In the XFL, receivers only need to have one foot – or any other part of their body – contact the ground in bounds, instead of two feet in the NFL. Here is how the league defines what a catch is:
Secures control of a live ball in flight before the ball touches the ground.Touches the ground in bounds with any part of his body, and thenMaintains control of the ball long enough to enable him to perform an act common to the game, i.e., long enough to pitch or hand the ball, advance it, avoid or ward off an opponent, etc.Kickoffs
The XFL designed its kicking rules in a way to increase the amount of returns we see compared to the NFL, and to make returns safer. Kickoffs are going to look very different.
On a kickoff, the kicker will kick the ball from their own 30-yard line, but every blocker will be lined up on the opposing team’s 35-yard line. The return team blockers will be lined up at their own 30, just five yards away.
Only the kicker and receiver can move before the ball is caught. All other blockers are permitted to move when the ball is caught, or three seconds after it hits the ground, if the ball isn’t caught.
Kicks that fly out of bounds, or kicks that fall short of the opposing 20-yard line, will result in the receiving team taking the ball at the kicking team’s 45-yard line.
Touchbacks will result in the receiving team starting at their own 35-yard line.
Teams will be required to inform an official if they plan to use an onside kick, meaning they cannot surprise the opposing team with an onside kick.
Punts
Punting rules have also been changed to entice coaches to go for it on fourth down.
All punts that result in touchbacks will be placed on the receiving team’s 35-yard line. Punts that go out of bounds will also be placed on the receiving team’s 35-yard line, or wherever the ball went out if that occurred before reaching the 35.
The punting team may not cross the line of scrimmage before the ball is punted, which should reduce the amount of fair catches significantly.
Challenges
There are no coaches challenges in the XFL. All reviews will be initiated by a replay official. Via the XFL, here is a list of reviewable plays:
(a) Plays involving possession. (b) Plays involving touching of either the ball or the ground. (c) Plays governed by the goal line. (d) Plays governed by the boundary lines. (e) Plays governed by the line of scrimmage. (f) Plays governed by the line to gain. (g) Number of players on the field at the snap. (h) Game administration. (1) Penalty enforcement. (2) Proper down. (3) Spot of a foul. (4) Status of the game clock. (i) Disqualification of a player. This list of reviewable plays is identical to those in the NFL prior to 2019.
OVERTIME FORMAT:
The XFL has devised a completely new format for overtime, which is comparable to a shootout in soccer.
In overtime, each team’s offense will have five attempts to complete a two-point conversion from the five-yard line, with each successful conversion being worth two points. The team with the most points at the end of the shootout is the winner. If one team clinches a win early, the unnecessary remaining rounds of the shootout will not be played.
There will be no coin toss to determine the order of overtime. The visiting team will always make the first two-point attempt.
Defenses cannot score in overtime possessions in the event of a turnover.
Penalties in overtime:
Penalties will be crucial in overtime plays. If the offensive team commits a pre-snap penalty, the ball will moved back and the play will be re-attempted. If the offense commits a post-snap penalty, the play is considered dead, and any score will not count.
If the defense commits a penalty pre-snap, the ball will be moved to the one-yard line. For a post-snap penalty, the offensive team will have the option to re-try the play from the one-yard line if they do not score. Any future penalties committed by the defense in any future round will result in an automatic score for the offense.
Xfl Rules Vs Nfl Rules
TIMING RULES:
Game clock:
The XFL will use a running clock outside of the final two minutes of the second quarter, and the final two minutes of the fourth quarter.
The final two minutes of the second and fourth quarters is what the XFL refers to as the “comeback period.” During these periods, plays that end out of bounds or with an incompletion will stop the clock until the next snap. The clock will be stopped after all other plays that end in bounds until the ball is spotted and five seconds have run off the play clock. In theory, this should give an offensive team leeway to run plays in the center of the field, as they will be able to rush back to the line of scrimmage without time coming off the clock.
The play clock is 25 seconds, and will begin when the ball is spotted following the previous play.
There will be one official on the field dedicated to spotting the ball, in an effort to speed up the process compared to the NFL.
Timeouts:
Each XFL team will receive two timeouts per half, compared to three per half for NFL teams.
The halftime break will be 10 minutes.
Penalties:
The XFL’s “illegal man downfield” rule has been rewritten to make it easier for officials to enforce.
2019 Xfl Rules Vs Nfl Rules
No ineligible player shall be or have been more than three yards beyond the line of scrimmage until a passer throws a legal forward pass that crosses the line of scrimmage. A player is in violation of this rule if any part of his body is beyond the three-yard limit.