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Lions' Abdullah: NFL shouldn't eliminate kickoffs

Leon Halip / Getty Images Sport / Getty

Detroit Lions running back Ameer Abdullah is doing his part to prevent the kickoff from going extinct.

"The return is probably one of the most important plays in the game of football," Abdullah told Hugh Bernreuter of MLive.com. "You've seen a lot of players make their money - DeAngelo Hall, Devin Hester, a lot of guys - pretty much make their careers on kickoff returns. And it can change the game. If the offense is stalling out, the defenses are back and forth and nothing's really going on, a kickoff can be a play that can change the game."

The NFL appears to be slowly phasing out kickoffs, which the league apparently believes are dangerous plays, by moving the spot of the kick to encourage more touchbacks.

"They can't take the kickoff away ... I have to see the numbers to believe it's too dangerous," Abdullah continued. "I return kicks. I watch the film. What I see is what I see, and I think there are more dangerous plays out there.

"You can only have two-man wedges now too, so it's basically just one-on-one blocks. I just don't think it's dangerous enough to eliminate."

Last season, Abdullah led the NFL in kickoff-return yardage with 1,077 yards on 37 returns. He didn't manage to return a kick for a touchdown, but did take one back all the way to his opponent's 1-yard line.

Abdullah is expected to take on a larger role in the Lions' rushing attack as a sophomore, but could remain the team's primary kick returner given how dynamic he is in that phase of the game.

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