The Bengals Aren’t Afraid Of NFL’s New Kickoff Rules
Credit: Katie Stratman-USA TODAY Sports
When the special teams aces of the Cincinnati Bengals talked to Bengals.com about the league’s new rules, it sounded a bit like hearing your grandparents talk about “back in the day.”
“I’m used to kicking it as high as I can, as hard as I can,” kicker Evan McPherson told them.
“It really is like a line-of-scrimmage play now,” said returner Trayveon Williams.
is talking about how the past used to be different. “I’m used to running back 20 yards as soon as the ball is kicked,” recalled second-year lineman Miles Murphy. “Now… you have to stand still, then run back maybe five yards to find your block.”
Of course, there’s a reason for the Bengals’ special teamers to talk about how the past was different, and it’s not about telling you how they had to scramble for onside kicks uphill, both ways. The NFL has completely rewritten the rules for kickoffs in order to ensure more frequent (and safer) returns.
Assistant head coach and special teams coordinator Darrin Simmons has 22 years of experience coaching kickoffs in Cincinnati. The Bengals are hoping his experience helps their team adjust to this new world, which they started practicing for this week.
But while he is starting from square one with these rules along with everyone else, Simmons isn’t deterred by the challenge. “It’s invigorating to me because it’s something completely different,” he told the Bengals.
You could forgive Simmons if he was bored by the kickoff game before. The Bengals had a total of 17 kick returns last season. McPherson was extremely good at forcing touchbacks, putting opponents on their 20-yard line on 63 of his 82 kickoffs (76.8%). Cincinnati only defended 13 kick returns all year, finishing second in the NFL in averaging 17 yards against per return.
By punishing teams that kick through the end zone by starting the return team at the 30-yard line and mandating returns for balls inside the 20-yard line, Simmons’ units (and the NFL at large) will see a lot more action next year.
What will it look like, though? “Who knows?” replied punt returner Charlie Jones. “I could see you arguing it’s kind of like a punt return: Catch the ball, find a little seam, and hit it,” he explained. “I think you’ll see people figuring out their own new little ways of doing it.”
Jones sees things from his perspective, as a punt returner and wide receiver. Williams, who applies a running back’s skill set to his returns on past kickoffs, sees how the mentality of his position can benefit from the rules changes. “It’s really fit for a one-cut-and-go type of guy, and once you get that first crease, you’ve got to hit it and go.”
Sam Scwartzstein, the Amazon Prime Video analyst who created many of these rules for the XFL, thinks both styles will be viable in the NFL. Speaking to The Athletic in May, he said:
Since players in coverage start within five to 10 yards of blockers, having a [running back] who can set up a block, press it and then cut back is invaluable.
The second type of player who could thrive are the speedsters. The 4.2-speed gunners. With that acceleration, coverage teams might not have time to set up their levels of defense. If [they get] a 15-yard cushion to get to full speed… it could come down to making one defender miss before it’s just him and the kicker.
With five yards separating the kickoff teams’ gunners and the returning team’s blockers, it also creates a new dynamic for defending kick returns. Simmons is confident that his collection of athletic edge rushers will be able to adapt to this new style.
“The Joseph Ossais, the Myles Murphys, the Cedric Johnsons, the Jeff Gunters — Bigger guys that can move, those guys have added value,” Simmons says. Special teams will be an unknown until we see these new rules in practice, but Simmons and the Bengals are as prepared and confident as any team can be heading into this unfamiliar territory.
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