Clay Martin was at Bills camp to answer questions and provide information about how officiating crews will preside over the re-imagined kickoff play
During this past Thursday’s session of training camp practice for the Buffalo Bills at St. John Fisher University in Rochester, NY, NFL referee Clay Martin was present to field questions from the media about what’s been termed the all-new “Dynamic Kickoff Rule.” With myriad scenarios and a few healthy handfuls of moving parts during any given kickoff, there are plenty of people endeavoring to get to the bottom early to find out what’s new before it’s too late.
When’s the last time you recall hearing from an NFL official — perhaps any official from any professional sport? While many see plenty of screen time, their participation is largely anonymous to all but the most dedicated die-hard fans, and their work is often behind the scenes. As such, making officials available this past week was noteworthy regardless of the topic.
Pointing out the understood uniqueness of the new rules for everyone involved, Martin stated that “obviously the competition committee wants to get returns back in the game” — something that should keep more fans glued to their seats, at least in the short term.
Having officials at training camp isn’t new for the Bills nor the 31 other NFL teams. Each officiating crew needs the opportunity to work through their own roster changes and adapt to any new rules implemented during the offseason. The other goal is to make teams aware of those penalties/calls that are likely to be points of emphasis during the season, and allow players the chance to become familiar with when and how officials will call the newly added penalty rules.
Martin acknowledged that once the kicked football is caught, they are “officiating a scrimmage play” that’s likely to feature quicker transitions thanks to the close proximity of opposing players to each other.
The nearly 14-minutes Q&A session offered a unique opportunity to hear an NFL official provide in-depth commentary on what goes into presiding over a football play. As noted, officiating teams will employ the standard of “clear and obvious” when monitoring all facets of the play, only interceding when there’s an egregious error.
If you’ve wanted to hear more about the new kickoff play, how it will be enforced, and learn a bit more about life as an NFL official, Thursday’s interview should help satisfy that quest for knowledge.
Presented here, in full, is Clay Martin’s session with the media for those Rumblers who want to soak in as much information as possible ahead of the regular season:
You can also catch a glimpse below of the new rule as it’s set to play out in Madden 25:
The new Dynamic Kickoff rule is going into action tonight at the @ProFootballHOF Game.
— NFL (@NFL) August 1, 2024
Before you see it, get a full breakdown of the new play, the coaches who helped shape the rules and how it was integrated into #Madden25. @EAMaddenNFL pic.twitter.com/gkRXePPpN4