Special teams coordinator Brant Boyer and the Jets, like all NFL teams, are still adjusting to the new “dynamic kickoff” rules in the preseason.
Aimed to increase the frequency of returns, kickoffs now feature a drastically altered formation, with the kicking team — except for the kicker — lining up at the receiving team’s 40-yard line.
The receiving team lines up in two zones, with nine players between the 35 and the 30, plus two returners positioned in the “landing zone” between the 20-yard line and the goal line.
Any kick that lands in the landing zone must be returned, but touchbacks directly into the end zone now will be brought out to the 30-yard line.
Teams have been experimenting with the different possibilities during the preseason slate.
“Not very surprising, to be honest with you,” Boyer said. “I think you saw a combination of high kicks, you saw some low kicks, and you saw some that bounced before the 20, and we were fully expecting that, because those were hard kicks to execute.
“I think that once we progress into the season, I think you’re going to see a lot more balls on the ground than what you’re seeing right now. But I think everybody’s trying to see what their returns look like and their coverages and being very vanilla, so you’re going to see a change during the regular season, for sure.”
Offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett noted the importance of rookie left tackle Olu Fashanu — the 11th-overall pick out of Penn State — being familiar with the specifics on both sides of the offensive line in case he is pressed into service in place of veteran starters Tyron Smith (left) and Morgan Moses (right) at some point this season.
“I think it’s something we want to experiment with, because we always want to try to get whoever is the best five out there, and we want to give him that opportunity,” Hackett said. “I think it’s something that he’s been really excited about.”
Smith missed four games with the Cowboys, and Moses missed three with the Ravens last year due to injuries.