The Rams Are Continuing to Adjust to New Rule

Los Angeles Rams' kicker Joshua Karty was a special teams weapon for the team last season. The talented kicker connected on his field goals and extra points at a high rate. However, there are other ways he can be helpful.

Rams Special Teams Coordinator Chase Blackburn explained how the new kickoff rules give him and Karty room to try different things.

“Honestly, I don't think there's a limit. I think you can kind of move and maneuver different ways so you can go man blocking, double team schemes, you can overload a front as long as you have three on the backside, and then it just depends on how you react to where they place the kick," Blackburn said.

Blackburn noted that coaches and kickers consider many things when gameplanning for opponents. Kickoffs are much more detailed than they once were.

"If they're getting the ball on the ground, you got to have returners that can get to a play like a short stop, scoop it up and keep it on the move, prevent the touchback minus to the 20-Yard line, that's a key and critical element.

"Then being able to...If you overload a side and try to run a double-double scheme to the sideline and think you're getting a boundary kick, and you get it, or do you want to run it to the field? There was some success where they ran it all the way back across the field and got it started and that created big plays, but a lot of times, they end up going to what you call straight call or whatever and you basically take it up the near boundary and just kind of convert over with your blocks."

Kickoffs are much more detailed than they once were. With the new kickoff rules in place, the kickoff can be an added tool for both the kicking and receiving teams.

'There's a lot of ways you can go with it, and so it's pretty cool to see and talk to the offensive coaches about different things and (Head Coach) Sean (McVay) and what possibilities we have. Obviously, we didn't even see the throwbacks and the reverses and all that. I mean, we saw a reverse, a fake reverse, but some of the stuff that was in the XFL with the end around and the throwbacks and the hideout guy, we didn't see that stuff really come to fruition this year. Not that people didn't have it in, maybe they just didn't feel in that situation to call it, but I think there'll continue to be an evolution of that as well," Blackburn said.

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