Rams special teams coordinator Chase Blackburn on the dynamic kickoff and what they’ve learned about the risks and rewards of it

WOODLAND HILLS, CA. As teams in the NFL enter the midway point of the 2024 season, they have a large list of risks and rewards associated with the league’s hybrid kickoff format.

One game that provided examples of both was Thursday Night Football in Week 7 between the Seahawks and 49ers. It worked in Seattle’s favor when it led to a touchdown on a punt return, but the same scheme in San Francisco injured two kickers on punts in five days.

“If you just look at the pure numbers, you think, ‘Oh, well, it’s easier to hang the ball, you’ll gain a yard or two, you know, actually gain about half a yard, maybe on average. But then you put yourself at risk,” Rams special teams coordinator Chase Blackburn explained Thursday as the team prepared for Sunday’s Week 9 road game against the Seahawks. “There have been a couple of impact injuries this year. Look at San Fran, two of them already, and you think, OK, what’s the risk reward? What are the fines? Do you know they are called? Illegal doubles, blocks in the back, everything, they weren’t as common as I think with that spacing so when it doesn’t count and you don’t get penalty yards, backups, and turnovers against big returns, explosive, game-changing , three touchdowns…

“Even Seattle vs. San Fran, San Fran controls the game pretty well and Seattle scores one for a touchdown and really has a chance to get back into the game and give them some life. And this situation Is the risk worth the reward? You go out there on the 24th, 26th point like… did it even out? Or it was, you know, so I just think it depends on the philosophy of the head coach, the special teams coordinator, the situation of the players in the game, a little bit of everything.”

NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said last week that more than 30 percent of kickoffs have been returned this year, compared to 22 percent last season. The league average for a kickoff of 26.5 yards is also nearly three yards above the league best marks of 23.8 in 2011 and 2014. This hybrid format also affected the average starting position at the 29-yard line versus the 24-yard line. line in 2023.

Given these benefits, not to mention the momentum swings and potential downsides, why not just adopt the philosophy of kicking the ball out of the end zone every time?

Kicker Ethan Evans completed 33 of 34 kicks (97%) with effective touchbacks. Blackburn acknowledged that there are a few teams that have taken that approach — he estimates five to seven — and that the Rams “mostly fall into that category.” However, not everything is so simple.

“Some teams get it back out of the end zone and then you say, ‘Okay, okay, they’re down seven,’ and you’ve got seven yards of field position by the time they catch it, because it’s not hang time anymore.” when everyone takes the field, it’s where the ball is caught that matters,” Blackburn said. “So if they’re seven or six yards in the end zone, everybody comes out when the ball is caught, the kickoff team and the kickoff return. So all time and distance are now out of play for the returning block. So if they If you want to bring him out five, six or seven (yards), you have an opportunity to avoid and create those tackles inside the 25-yard line if they want to take a chance on him.”

Also, there are a few teams like the Saints and Browns that put everything on the ground and force teams to punt every punt in order to punt better than teams that don’t punt often. Blackburn said he sees merit in both philosophies, citing each special teams coordinator’s philosophy, what each has in terms of personnel and the opponent they face this week as influencing factors.

“If you’re just looking at it from a detached standpoint of just special teams, you’re not doing your team a service,” Blackburn said. “I think the most important job for a coordinator is to say, ‘Hey, what’s our team, who are we, do we need two yards, do we need to get two yards and put them on the 28 or 27.’ vs. 30 and is the risk worth the reward of being who we are?” Some teams might be, and some teams might be like, ‘Whoa, our offense isn’t going, I want to get it three or four deep.’ I agree if the drive starts at the 23 or 24 (yard line), on the free kick, but we have a chance to get explosive, we have really explosive X, Y and Z returns. That’s up for debate for everybody.”

Blackburn notices that the league seems to be getting what it wants with a higher kick-off return and a better starting position in every attacking race.

“Part of that is because the touchback has obviously gone up to 30 and you get a little more explosiveness behind the 40-yard line and more touchdowns,” Blackburn said. “So, I think a lot of those boxes are checked for what the league was looking for. Maybe not quite what they expected, but certainly the trend is right.”