With the new kickoff rules in place, NFL coaches are turning on their creative engines.
Have quarterback Justin Fields be the returner? Have defensive back Justin Reed be the kickoff taker? Sure, why not? This is a new era, nothing is impossible!
According to Chiefs special teams coordinator Dave Toub, they are seriously considering the latter option. He elaborated on his logic, starting by noting that he doesn't want their regular kicker Harrison Butker to do anything on kickoffs.
"I like to have a guy who can return and make tackles," Toub explained Thursday. "(Harrison) Butker can make tackles, but I really don't want him to do it all year long. If you watch every game in the XFL, I bet the kicker is involved in at least 25 to 40 percent of the tackles. They're either trying to get the ball to bounce back, making the tackle themselves, or missing the tackle. We don't want to put Butker in that situation. But he will still be our kicker.
"He's going to be used in certain situations. He has a great ability to move the ball, which other players may not have. … He can still kick it out of bounds if we need to. You just give it up. If we kick a touchdown from the back of the end zone, now they’re going to get the ball at the 30-yard line instead of the 25-yard line. So that 5-yard line makes a big difference. It gives the offense an extra 3 percent chance to score.”
On the other hand, Reed “can go down and make a tackle,” Toub said.
“He’s the extra guy they may not have accounted for,” Toub said. “They know that guy can go down and make a tackle. But guys like Justin are the ones they have to worry about, and they have to stop him, and they have to give up on stopping other guys.”
On the surface, this seems like sound logic. Reed has proven that he can kick the ball well enough to at least be considered for the role, he is clearly the best tackler on the field, and he could be a key part of defending the kickoff under the new rule. However, Prime Video analyst Sam Schwartzstein — one of the driving forces behind the XFL implementing a similar kickoff rule in 2020 — pointed out that Toub might be wasting time because under the new NFL rule, the kicker can't cross the 50-yard line until the receiving side catches the ball.
"I don't think the snapper will be involved in tackles as often in the NFL because of this rule," Schwartzstein wrote on social media. "Also, the snapper is involved in tackles so often because they have the best angle to chase the ball, are farther away, and are in the middle of the field. There is no pre-set 'level of coverage' so the snapper is always at least at the third level."
If anyone knows how the kickoff in the NFL may evolve, it's Schwartzstein, but that won't stop coaches across the league from turning over every rock to best prepare for the new special teams realm. Toub even admitted that the changes bring about completely different key factors, which requires a delicate balance between being too aggressive and too conservative.
"Now, air time is completely irrelevant," Toub said. "... Right now, it's all about accuracy. See what you're getting, how the returners are lined up, and try to kick them off in the corner. But you can't take too many risks because now if you kick it out of bounds, you give it to the other team at the 40-yard line. If you kick it outside of the target area, you also give it to the other team at the 40-yard line. So, there's a fine line between pushing the limit and going to the edge, or we just choose to defend."
Expect some bold attempts on kickoffs in the preseason. Maybe you'll even see Reid standing on the field ready to kick it hard.
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