Bill Polian, chairman of USA Football’s Football Advisory Committee, recently joined ESPN’s Mike and Mike to discuss the benefits of the Rookie Tackle pilot program, which USA Football announced on Wednesday.

Polian, a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame and current ESPN NFL analyst, believes Rookie Tackle offers a number of benefits to young players, starting with the ability to learn all the different positions on the field.

“The most important part of that, that I like, is that there are no specializations. Everybody experiments with every position,” Polian said. “Everybody gets to carry the ball. Everybody gets to throw the ball. Everybody gets to catch the ball.”

Rookie Tackles features teams of six, seven or eight players, with constant rotation. Additionally, Rookie Tackle does not have special teams, which means there are more offensive and defensive snaps for all players. This lets players focus on mastering basic football skills and saves the more technical aspects of the game, like long-snapping and place kicking, for a later age.

Polian, a Bronx, N.Y. native, also recognizes some of the logistical benefits of Rookie Tackle.

Since Rookie Tackle utilizes 40-yard fields, two games can occur on the same traditional-sized football field simultaneously—an element of Rookie Tackle that perhaps appeals most directly to the millions of Americans living in big cities.

“In inner cities…where there’s a dearth of fields, you can have two games going on at one time, on one regulation football field,” he said. “It just gives you more opportunities to play.”

While Polian is energized by the opportunity that Rookie Tackle has to create a bridge between flag football and 11-player tackle football, he recognizes that the pilot program this fall is just a beginning.

There’s still a long way to go—and much data to gather—in order to analyze, refine and improve Rookie Tackle. In addition to utilizing GPS tracking on athletes, USA Football will be taking surveys of players, parents and coaches, as well as being on the ground to observe Rookie Tackle in action.

“I’m really excited about this,” he said. “I think we’re going to learn a lot.”

Video: Bill Polian discusses Rookie Tackle on ESPN's Mike and Mike