Kickoffs

[mgteich]

We seem to kicking short a lot. I would prefer that the kicks all go out of the end zone. The kickoffs have given up lots of yards and almost lost the game.

 

[Kdo5]

It doesn't seem like the kick short strategy has been paying dividends this season. Teams are generally returning it out to where they would start anyhow. That 97 yard return was an ass kicker.

 

[TB_Helmet]

Can someone explain the reasoning behind the short kick? If it only gets to the 30 it seems like an automatic failure.

 

[Observer]

Can someone explain the reasoning behind the short kick? If it only gets to the 30 it seems like an automatic failure.

Maybe the hope is that it will bounce in weird ways and you might be able to grab it like an onside kick.

 

[DaBronxPats14]

In this game vs KC, Gost needed to boot it out of bounds every time. Why take a chance of exactly what happened. Let them start from 25. Its no lock that Pats would have stopped them but might have eaten more clock and a penalty a stop changes MO.

 

[ctpatsfan77]

In this game vs KC, Gost needed to boot it out of bounds every time. Why take a chance of exactly what happened. Let them start from 25. Its no lock that Pats would have stopped them but might have eaten more clock and a penalty a stop changes MO.

On the flip side, who knows, maybe the Pats lose if he kicks a touchback every time.

 

[edkk323]

I am just not sure why the special team kept trying to be cute. So far this season we had two sudden short kicks and did not work in our favor. We kicked on the one yard line twice and one was a 97 yard return.

Maybe Joe Judge is trying to go somewhere else and just showcasing his "skill".

 

[supafly]

I would have liked to hear Belichick address this issue after the game, had any reporter actually brought it up.

 

[signbabybrady]

I can ignore the weird onside kick attempt. The new rules offer more space trying something different to try to exploit is ok things will fail sometimes.

But giving that kick returner another attempt instead of kicking a touchback was dumb. The coverage unit looked bad on at least 2 returns prior to the big one.

I'm not sure if it's the new rules or what but our coverage units have not been up to BBs normal standards this season. Might need to make a trade for another STs ace.

 

[Wordsmyth]

Maybe the hope is that it will bounce in weird ways and you might be able to grab it like an onside kick.

Or force a penalty or turnover.

 

[Betterthanmost]

The rule change about running start has impacted our ability to make this kicking short strategy work. BB will see that it needs to change. This is not a Ghost issue, it is the team’s philosophy.

 

[Tony2046]

Maybe the hope is that it will bounce in weird ways and you might be able to grab it like an onside kick.

Or force the ball into an otherwise blocker's hands hoping for a turnover. I'm not sure. I didn't mind trying to keep the ball out of Hill's hands and sacrificing a few yards but they needed to do that all game.

 

[Angelpats]

We could have lost giving them these shorter fields to work with. BB should know the rules allow less chance of success with these short kicks so it’s a surprise he keeps trying it. For it to work the ball really needs a lot of hang time.

 

[luuked]

Or force the ball into an otherwise blocker's hands hoping for a turnover. I'm not sure. I didn't mind trying to keep the ball out of Hill's hands and sacrificing a few yards but they needed to do that all game.

I have less of an issue with those trick plays that they try now and then because it usually means that the coaching staff saw something on tape that they wanted to exploit. And people please don't give me any of the momentum crap because in the first half it just made the inevitable FG happen sooner.

Also I am not a fan of "just always kicking it to the endzone" because the coverage unit produced a lot of those hidden yards over the last few years with exactly those kind of kickoffs.

That being said.. this year the kick return unit has been hot garbage. I don't know if that has to do with the rule changes or something else but it certainly needs to be addressed.

 

[maineman209]

I have less of an issue with those trick plays that they try now and then because it usually means that the coaching staff saw something on tape that they wanted to exploit. And people please don't give me any of the momentum crap because in the first half it just made the inevitable FG happen sooner.

Also I am not a fan of "just always kicking it to the endzone" because the coverage unit produced a lot of those hidden yards over the last few years with exactly those kind of kickoffs.

That being said.. this year the kick return unit has been hot garbage. I don't know if that has to do with the rule changes or something else but it certainly needs to be addressed.

I think they miss Bolden a bit.

 

[Observer]

[QUOTE="luuked, post: 5407037, member: 33747"

That being said.. this year the kick return unit has been hot garbage. I don't know if that has to do with the rule changes or something else but it certainly needs to be addressed.[/QUOTE]
Mathew Slater doesn’t seem as visible as he usually is.

 

[maineman209]

[QUOTE="luuked, post: 5407037, member: 33747"

That being said.. this year the kick return unit has been hot garbage. I don't know if that has to do with the rule changes or something else but it certainly needs to be addressed.

Mathew Slater doesn’t seem as visible as he usually is.

On the 97-yard KR, Slater was in a good position to shorten the return, but the KC player who was on him grabbed Slater's jersey/shoulder pads for a second and then pushed him down from behind. Might have been a ticky-tack flag, but we've seen those thrown for that type of contact.

 

[PatsWSB47]

The rule change about running start has impacted our ability to make this kicking short strategy work. BB will see that it needs to change. This is not a Ghost issue, it is the team’s philosophy.

This exactly. We got our azz kicked almost every time with that philosophy last night.

 

[VegasGuy]

This exactly. We got our azz kicked almost every time with that philosophy last night.

Let's hope the philosophy changes now.

 

[PP2]

On the 97-yard KR, Slater was in a good position to shorten the return, but the KC player who was on him grabbed Slater's jersey/shoulder pads for a second and then pushed him down from behind. Might have been a ticky-tack flag, but we've seen those thrown for that type of contact.

As it clearly took him out of play, it should have been an illegal block in the back.