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Kansas City Chiefs special teams coordinator Dave Taub disagrees with President Donald Trump’s opinions on recent NFL rule changes.
On Thursday, Nov. 20, Taub, 63, was asked about the president’s criticism of the NFL’s dynamic kickoff rule, which went into effect for the 2024-2025 season to limit the number of full-speed collisions and increase return opportunities on kicks.
Taub told reporters that the president “doesn’t even know what he’s looking at.”
“He has no idea what’s going on with the kickoff rule,” Taub said. “Take it for what it’s worth. And I hope he hears it.”
Taub is an assistant head coach to Chiefs coach Andy Reid. Taub, who is also the special teams coordinator, has worked with the Chiefs for 13 seasons.
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The dynamic kickoff rule has all kicking team players, except the kicker, line up on the receiving team’s 40-yard line. According to the NFL site, “The 10 players on the kicking team cannot move until the ball hits the ground or hits a player in the landing zone or end zone.” “The kicker also may not move beyond the vicinity of the 50-yard line until the ball touches the ground or touches a player in the landing zone or end zone.”
The league claims the new rules are safer, increasing the kickoff return rate to 81.3% for the 2025 season.
President Trump, 79, appeared on The Pat McAfee Show on November 11 and said he hated the new rules, calling them “terrible” and “disgraceful.”
“I think that would have a negative impact on the game, and it would have a negative impact on the extravaganza,” Trump said. “I conveyed that to (NFL Commissioner) Roger Goodell, and I don’t think it’s any safer. I mean, we’re still having players colliding with each other.”
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“The ball is in the air, but no one is moving. When the ball is in the air, when the ball is played, it should be moving,” Trump said.
“The NFL is doing what they want to do. I don’t think they’re going to change,” he said, before adding that he hopes the rule stays only within the NFL. “I hope college football doesn’t change because the force of the kickoff was so beautiful. I don’t want to say what it reminds me of because it would get me into big trouble. But that’s not football.”
