Among NFL owners, John Mara clearly isn't afraid of bucking a trend.

As members of the competition committee voted Sunday at the Owners Meetings in Arizona on a motion that would replace onside kick attempts with a 4th-and-15 down by the offense, the Giants' owner was the lone dissenter in adopting the new rule.

And he was quite emphatic in his stance.

"What are we, the Arena Football League?" he said, according to NFL.com's Judy Battista.

"What are we, the Arena Football League?" - John Mara on the 4th and 15 proposal as option to onside kick. He said he was only no vote on the Competition Committee.
- Judy Battista (@judybattista) March 24, 2019

The idea of such a rule change has picked up steam over the last few years, thus resulting in a vote by the committee. It's still not guaranteed we will see the rule implemented by next season, but the overwhelming majority of yes votes lends credence to the idea that it is certainly feasible.

Onside kick success rates have steadily declined over time. Teams have recovered attempts by an average of roughly 15 percent in the last decade, according to the Associated Press. A contributing factor to the decline in recent years is a rule change that inhibited players from the kicking team to have a running start.

The 4th-and-15 idea, despite its unorthodoxy, would at least create excitement around retaining possession.

Although, John Mara apparently doesn't think so.

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