While progress concerning the off-the-field chaos and controversies loomed with the NFL lockout, league owners tinkered with the rules.
The owners voted last week to move the kickoff spot from the 30-yard line to the 35-yard line in an effort to improve the safety of the game and cut down on injuries, leaving Pro Bowl kick returners like Devin Hester and Josh Cribbs with possibly redefined roles.
On the other end of the field, weaker-legged kickers looking to make a name for themselves in the pros now have a 5-yard gift every kickoff.
“I wasn’t a big touchback guy in college, and that was one of the main things NFL scouts wanted me to work on, was get more touchbacks,” said former LSU kicker Josh Jasper. “I think that helps me out personally on kickoffs, so I definitely don’t have any problem with it at all.”
Jasper, who local draft analyst Mike Detillier lists as a late-round draft pick, left LSU as the most accurate kicker in school history and is the only consensus All-America placekicker in school history but struggled at times getting kickoffs to the end zone.
Detillier said the rule change could benefit Jasper because of new kickoff strategies special teams coaches may adopt.
“They’re going to do a lot of this sky kick stuff,” Detillier said. “The one big thing [Jasper] can do is put a lot of air under the ball. He’s one of those guys that you might want to work with on that sky kick.”
Rene Nadeau, college football analyst for ESPN and TigerVision, agreed and said special teams coaches will most likely keep the ball in play, forcing teams to make a return instead of taking a touchback.
“Special teams wise, coaches will probably instruct their kickers to kick the ball to around the 2-yard line,” Nadeau said. “When you run back a kickoff, there’s always a chance the other team could fumble the ball. You have to think that’s one of the things that’s going to happen.”
 
 
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Contact Mark Clements at [email protected]