Kickoffs in the NFL will look entirely different next season. The NFL implemented a new rule to have the ball put on the 25-yard line after fair catches on any kickoff inside the 25-yard line. Many special teams coaches and players are uneasy about the change, and you can add Las Vegas Raiders kicker Daniel Carlson to that list.
Carlson was one of the most effective kickoff specialists in the league last season. On 90 total kickoffs, the Raiders limited opponents to 20.1 yards per return, the third-fewest in the NFL.
20.1 yards per return compared to 25 when a fair catch is called can end up being a huge difference, and Carlson isn’t exactly pleased about what it could mean for his team.
“You want to be able to perform at the highest level and not be limited by rules,” Carlson told Vincent Bonsignore of the Las Vegas Review-Journal on Sunday. “And so, we’re trying to figure out how to do that now and roll with the punches.
“Not only for field position but also for kind of the momentum after a score to go pin someone down inside the 20,” Carlson added. “I think that’s a huge play for a team to set their defense up and to get guys fired up.”
The move was made to improve player safety on kickoffs, which are typically the most dangerous plays to happen in any game. While Carlson doesn’t love the change from his perspective, he did add that player safety is “huge.”
It will be interesting to see how teams adjust to this new rule. We could see kickers like Carlson get more familiar with squib kicks, which primarily travel much less in the air, to try and be innovative in pinning other teams deep on their side of the field.
