Kickoff returns are “more similar to the offensive run game than people think.”
Michael Ghobrial and the NFL's 31 other special teams coordinators have had two months to fine-tune the new kickoff rules on the field. So how will the game change?
“It's going to be a more aggressive run game than people realize,” said Ghobrial, who was hired in January after three seasons on the Jets' staff. “The NFL has taken so much speed and space out of the run game that you don't have as much room to be creative with your blocking strategies as you might think.”
“As it stands, especially with a team that's off to good starts on both ends, I think the biggest thing is, certainly there's an element of maybe looking like a more aggressive run game, but what I've always coached my guys to is this is the first offensive play of the series and it's our job as a kickoff return unit to put ourselves in the best position to be successful on offense.”
Ghobrial added: “You can't necessarily leave until the ball hits the landing zone or the returner catches it, so what's not really important right now is the air time. We're seeing a lot of lower kickoffs, so the returner has to cover more ground. You need to have two guys in the back to be able to cover more ground, but there's still going to be an element of having one returner. In that case, you've got to really challenge the returner and see how much ground he can cover and if it works.”
Ghobrial was asked about two rookie running backs, Tyrone Tracy Jr. and Dante Miller, who have the skill set as returners.
“Those two young guys, I'm excited to see what they do in the preseason,” Ghobrial said. “They're both great guys, first of all, very excited and wanting to do their best. They both have the skill set to be good returners in this league.”
“So that's what makes it interesting. Anytime you interact with a new player or a player who may be coming from college, you want to see how quickly their skill set can be applied. The truth is, the rule changes are different and there aren't a lot of similarities, so it's going to be unique to see what they can potentially do, whether they're a rookie or a veteran.”
