The NFL has taken strides to remove the kickoff return from its game, and it may eventually try to do more to remove it, but New England Patriots special teams captain Matthew Slater is making it loud and clear he wants to see the kickoff return remain a part of the game.
“I’m very disappointed, obviously, in the way we’re discussing the future of the kickoff,” Slater said at Gillette Stadium after the team’s organized team activity on Thursday. “The kickoff is a big part of the history of the NFL and the history of football. For us to be sitting here talking about maybe doing away with the kickoff, it’s very disappointing.”
Starting this season, touchbacks on a kickoff will have the offense begin their possession at the 25-yard line. This pushes the offense up five more yards on the field compared to the traditional 20-yard line. Given the length of an average kick return from the end zone, the free opportunity to start at the 25-yard line should lead to more players accepting a touchback to help out the team’s field position as best possible.
This does not mean we will not see any kick returns. Sometimes a team will need to try for a long return to generate some momentum, but a chance to start at the 25-yard line being wasted by a player trying to do too much and having his team start at the 17 or 18-yard line instead is not going to make some coaches happy. In a game of inches, every free one you get counts. In this case, the NFL is giving you an extra 180 inches.
The kickoff return will still hold a place in football unless the NFL opts to remove it entirely, in which case the value of a kick returner will be greatly diminished.
“The kicking game has meant a lot to the game of football and a lot of players individually and has enabled guys to have careers. You think about [longtime Miami Dolphin and New England Patriot] Larry Izzo, you think about myself. Without the kicking game, we don’t have a career. I’m very disappointed with some of the things I hear in regards to getting rid of the kickoff. I surely hope that’s not the case. I hope that’s not the direction we’re moving in, but we’ll see.”
The NFL’s growing approach to special teams has its pros and cons depending on the player. For kickers, the changes adds great value to having an accurate kicker with a strong leg, which may be why the Tampa Bay Buccaneers drafted Roberto Aguayo out of Florida State in the second round of the NFL Draft this spring. That pick in particular was ripped to shreds by many, but putting it all in perspective shows why it was a great pick.
The value of a good kicker has never been higher with the new rules being implemented and those potentially to come. The value on a good return man, however, is dropping.
[ESPN]
