"The Rams have kicked off 23 times this season. Their opponents' average ensuing field position is the 23-yard line. That's 12 yards better than the NFL's new touchback mark. It's eons better than any other team in the NFL, save for the Carolina Panthers, who have adopted the knucklekick as well. The 49ers have 10 fewer yards, on average, behind them on defense at the start of post-score possessions than the Rams this season."
"To avoid this, you can kick the ball into the landing era (the opponent's 20-yard line to the goal line) on kickoffs. And inside that zone, the ball is live meaning the returning team must actually return it. So Karty, Rams special teams coordinator Chase Blackburn, and assistant special teams coordinator Ben Kotwica came up with a plan to make that last part as difficult as possible."
Rams kicker Joshua Karty and the special teams staff introduced a knucklekick that produces spinless, erratic flights forcing difficult returns. The kick routinely lands inside the opponent's 20-yard line, creating live, returnable kicks that produce bobbles, miscommunication and disrupted returns. Through 23 kickoffs this season, opponents have averaged starting at the 23-yard line, a full 12 yards better than the league's new touchback benchmark and far superior to nearly every other team. The technique exploits upcoming touchback rules and converts kickoff possessions into a strategic field-position advantage for Los Angeles.
Read at www.mercurynews.com
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