Vikings HC Kevin O'Connell offers thoughtful insight on new kickoff rule, preference on touchbacks
The 2024 National Football League season has seen a lot of major changes. We have some emerging new powerhouses in the Minnesota Vikings and Detroit Lions while others like the Green Bay Packers and Philadelphia Eagles are coming back down to Earth. One of the biggest changes has been the kickoff rule. The major shift […]
The 2024 National Football League season has seen a lot of major changes. We have some emerging new powerhouses in the Minnesota Vikings and Detroit Lions while others like the Green Bay Packers and Philadelphia Eagles are coming back down to Earth.
One of the biggest changes has been the kickoff rule. The major shift in the usage of the kickoff has played a major factor in games this year. The return rate has increased this year nearly 10 percent through the first two weeks.
Kevin O'Connell offers insight on kickoff strategy
The VIkings have leaned toward touchdacks this season. They have kicked a touchback 86.9% of the time with just three of 23 kickoffs being returned. Head coach Kevin O'Connell offered some insight on why they have leaned into touchbacks this season.
"I don't know if it's a credit to– we have not trailed very often this year. A lot of times you're thinking, hey, the defense, they've played really well. Last thing you want to do is give up some yardage without those guys on the field. We happen to have a guy that can put it in the end zone when we want to. Will's [Reichard] doing a great job with that. I don't know if it's a product of that necessarily, or just kind of our approach to this new play early on in the season. I'm sure there's going to be some times either by design, or I can think back to us covering– I think we miss hit one against the Niners and [Kayvon] Thibodeaux brought it out and we had great coverage. Whatever the intent is, great, but there's some unknowns that can take place on that play from the type of kick you hit to a team's willingness to bring it out maybe from five, six, seven yards deep. The coverage has to be airtight every time and we've seen some good execution out of our guys there when we have had returns against us. It'll be a kind of a moving target changing thing throughout the year, I think."
The idea of not having the defense on the field as a reason to kick the ball deep is an interesting one. Don't put your other units in charge of trying to make plays and keep it to your offense and defense. A muffed punt almost cost the Vikings against the Green Bay Packers.
Is it hte best strategy? We will find out in time, as four games isn't a very large sample size.
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