Why's Steelers Legend Bill Cowher 'Sad' About New NFL Kickoff Rule?

The NFL has restructured its kickoff rules for a couple of very good reasons.

One, under the old format, it was often a kickoff through the end zone, resulting in ... nothing.

And two, when teams did return kicks, the plays were too often marred by injuries and by penalties.

So comes the big change, with an alteration in where and how players line up, all meant to encourage returns without such violent collisions.

Tucked into the new rules, though, is one other wrinkle gone unnoticed by many ... but not by Bill Cowher.

The legendary Cowher is criticizing one facet of the new guidelines, and it's this: Teams cannot attempt an onside kick until the fourth quarter. ... and even then, only the trailing team can attempt one ... and they can only do so after telling the officials beforehand.

So ... no surprises. And that makes Cowher "sad.''

In 1996, famously, Cowher's Pittsburgh Steelers recovered a surprise onside kick in what would be a Super Bowl XXX loss to the Dallas Cowboys. It was gutsy and thrilling and surprising ... elements that are now largely going to disappear.

"One thing I don't like about it is that we're trying to take away the onside kick," Cowher told CBS Sports . "As a guy who used an onside kick in the Super Bowl, it made me very sad when I saw that happen. I still think that's an exciting play."

Because the kicking team no longer gets a "running start'' to the ball, the degree of success on such a kick is also greatly lowered - but that doesn't bother Cowher.

"I understand the numbers are low. But on an onside kick the numbers should be low," Cowher said. "It's a unique play. It's a hard play. It's a strategical part of the game. ...''

But no more. Not really.