The NFL’s new kickoff rule may be the single biggest change to how the game is played in a generation. Coach’s minds across the league started whirring with the possibilities. Head coach Sean McVay and Chase Blackburn, special teams coach for the Los Angeles Rams, is no different. He’s called upon his colleagues on the coaching staff for help from both the offensive and defensive staff to develop their strategy.
Blackburn said this spring that teams that have the best strategy for handling the kickoff rule will have a distinct advantage
Los Angeles Rams Look To Gain Advantage With New Kickoff Rule
“Whoever can get in front of this the fastest,” Blackburn said, “is probably going to have an advantage to win one or two games early in the season. [This will make] a big difference of maybe the outcome of what your season looks like in the long term.”
Blackburn has been in a full-on spaghetti-flinging mode during training camp;
“I continue to watch the XFL stuff, over and over again. Continue to watch offensive plays. Things that might take place in certain situations and continue to evaluate all that. We were able to do a lot in Phase 3, where we threw a lot of kickoff versus kickoff return. A lot of of variations of kickoffs, a lot of variations of coverages, a lot of variations of kickoff return schemes, a lot of body types. Really studying that what worked, what didn’t. Really fine-tuning some of our our verbiage on on both phases; kickoff, kickoff return. How we want to attack it and what our philosophy is.”
Sean McVay To Keep Kickoff Strategy Under Wraps for the Preseason
But don’t expect to learn anything about how the Rams will roll all this out before September 8th when they take the field against the Detroit Lions.
“We’re all figuring it out. I think a lot of it is kind of by imagination,” Sean McVay said figuring what it really looks like and I still don’t think the preseason is going to give you a great indicator because the teams that feel good about what they’re doing. I can’t imagine that they’re going to show a lot of their hand if you will. But it’ll be crazy promise you that much.”
The Rams are notoriously tight-lipped about all things schematic and strategic. They even set the special teams up on a separate field, a converted baseball diamond on the Loyola Marymount campus, away from fans and journalists. So this shouldn’t come as any surprise, especially since they internally think that it could give them a chance to hang a few games in the win column.
High Stakes of Nailing New Rules
When thinking about it from that perspective, mastering the art of new kickoff returns could be the difference between the Rams making the playoffs or not.
Last season the Rams made the playoffs with a one game advantage over the Seattle Seahawks and Green Bay Packers. The margins are narrow in the NFL and the Rams are expected to be in the fight for one for the three NFC wild card spots. If the Los Angeles Rams are correct about the implications of masting this rule, it could mean the Rams making the playoffs or missing them for just the third time since 2017.
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