The NFL has again changed its kick -off rules during the offseason, and Detroit lions The special team coordinator, Dave FIPP, said that he expects the little change in the touchbacks to be placed to lead to “more” more “kicks this fall.
“I am fired,” said FIPP. “It’s going to be great. We’re going to have a ton of games. I think it’s going to change a little.”
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Last year, the NFL revised the kicks to make the game safer and encourage more returns, moving the touchbacks of the line of 25 to 30 yards and repositioning the kick -off team to the return of the field.
Detroit Lions Cotor Jake Bates begins the Pittsburgh Steelers in the first half of a pre-season match at Ford Field in Detroit on Saturday August 24, 2024.
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The yields checked, but only at a rate of 32.8%. And with the average start by car on a return being the line of 28.8 yards, many teams – including Lions – preferred to be satisfied with touchbacks (and give an additional 1.2, on average) rather than giving the teams the possibility of making a big game.
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By moving the touchback to the 35 yards line, the Denver Broncos special team coordinator, Darren Rizzi – one of the architects of the new rule – estimated at the annual NFL spring meeting that returns will be “in the 70-75%range this fall.
“I think that as you saw at the end of the year, the average journey starts 29.5 or something like that, so it’s really, there was … really no advantage to obviously avoid the ball or turn it over,” said FIPP. “But this year, if you have said that the average is a 29.5 and that the touch is (35), then obviously, statistically, that said:” OK, we have to return the ball. “Or if you are kicking off, they really dictate the game.
The Lions returned only 15 kicks in 17 games last season and granted 24. The recruit recruit Jake Bates succeeded 85 touchbacks on 110 kicks – a rate of 77.3% which was the higher seventh among the boots with at least 50 kicks last season.
FIPP said Lions “will certainly play the very different game” this fall, both because of the new rules and their evolving staff.
The broad receiver of the Lions of Detroit, Kalif Raymond (11), takes place for a hit against the Titans of Tennessee during the second half at Ford Field in Detroit on Sunday October 27, 2024.
The Lions signed the pillar of the Grant Stuard special teams in free agency, have passed two draft choices at two days on players who are potential to be basic players in special teams this fall (Dan Jackson security and the recipient Dominic Lovett), and Bates enters its second season of the NFL after a recruited year.
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Bates made 26 of the 29 goals on the field last season, including six of the eight kicks of at least 50 yards. The Lions were content to launch a large part of last season partly because they wanted to focus on goals on the field during his first year.
“We will play much more on the attack, much more aggressive, much more by trying to create a negative position on the ground for these guys,” said FIPP. “The kind of” conservative play and not to abandon the big game “was a little more of our mentality a year ago while we learn more about the room.
“And then a large part of this, too, is with Jake Bates who launches, it was not necessarily a force before the season. We did not want to add much to his plate … So we stayed away from some of all to help him a little, to be honest with you.
FIPP said that it was excited by the new additions of the Lions on special teams, saying that Jackson and Lovett will have the chance to develop while contributing to the kick game and that Stuard “will demand a lot of resources from” opponents.
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“We are excited about Grant,” said FIPP. “Obviously, we played against him a year ago and when we played against him, all the guys in the play knew like:” Dude, this guy plays with his hair on fire. “He has a lot of energy.
Dave Birkett is the author of the book, “Detroit lions: An illustrated chronology. “”
Order your copy here.
Contact him to [email protected]. Follow him Bluesky,, X And Instagram at @davebirkett.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit Lions expects to “many” more KB yields in new rules
