Now, this is basically a forgotten issue at this point, and most of us have indeed not thought about it since the early part of the season. But kicking off from the 35-yard line has certainly taken much of the excitement out of football games.
Guys earn their paycheck from making special teams plays. But with so many touchbacks this season (over two thirds of Matt Prater's kicks this year went into the end zone), the special teams players lose value.
That being said, the NFL is still happy about the change, and will not consider changing back anytime soon, as many campaigned for to start the year. Not only does it cut down on injuries, but it also enables a higher frequency of giant offensive plays. Offenses starting from their own 20 instead of at the 30 or 40 have longer to go down the field for a touchdown. Along with the increased penalties against defenders, this has been a contributing factor to passing numbers being up so high, and it may have helped to enable Drew Brees and Tom Brady to both break Dan Marino's yardage mark that had been in tact for over two decades.
The league is well aware fans like to see high-powered offenses.
One thing is for sure: you're never going to see an exciting touchback. But to the NFL, that is just fine.
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