XFL unveils rules and innovations when it kicks off next month

By Barry Wilner

NEW YORK (AP) >> When the XFL debuts in February, it will take a “Star Trek” approach of going where no football league has gone before.

The eight-team league will have options for extra points worth one, two or three points. It will allow double forward passes behind the line of scrimmage.

Kickoffs will look way different, in the name of both safety and excitement. Overtime will look like the NHL’s version of settling matters with a “shootout.’’ No coin tosses here, with each team getting up to five shots to score from the 5-yard line — similar to World Cup soccer shootouts.

Is it a catch at the sideline? Well, the officiating calls might be easier because the XFL will use the college rule of receivers needing only one foot in bounds rather than the NFL’s two-feet rule.

Speaking of officiating, there will be a dedicated ball spotter to ensure a faster tempo that comes with a 25-second play clock. A running clock, too, except in the final two minutes of each half. All replay reviews will be initiated by an officiating booth, with no coaches challenges.

To XFL Commissioner Oliver Luck, a former NFL quarterback and longtime football executive, a speedier game means a more entertaining one.

“From research we had done, fans think there’s too much downtime and dead time. I suppose games have gotten longer,” Luck says. “We wanted to take a step forward by going back to games under three hours based on all our fan research. More action and more plays speed it up.

“Our data analysts looked at hundreds of games. This makes sense from a flow perspective, TV perspective and fan perspective. And I am looking forward to as we launch, will our players be required to be in better shape? They’ll be moving fast and playing with tempo. That is going to be neat; conditioning may play more of a role in our game.”

The XFL kicks off on Feb. 8, the weekend after the Super Bowl, seeking more success than its predecessor in 2001 (one season) and last year’s Alliance of American Football (less than a season). Its innovations could be a turn-on for fans who never tire of football. Or they could come off as gimmicks, though the XFL mantra is “no gimmicks — ever.”

Luck and Fox analyst Dean Blandino, the former head of NFL officiating now overseeing XFL officiating, believe these and other changes are worth a try.

Such as the double forward pass.

“My thought as I watch the game develop, there are more quarterbacks out of the shotgun and already 6 yards back from the line,” Luck explains. “You aren’t wanting to throw a lateral to a receiver who would have to be 7 yards or more behind the line of scrimmage. I thought to myself that the traditional trick plays would be enhanced . ... We are excited to have that in the repertoire.”

The one-foot-in-bounds completions should ease the strain on pass catchers — and officials.