Patriots cooking up new tricks to combat rule change

The NFL’s unpopular rule change regarding kickoffs is forcing a number of special teams coordinators to make some changes and the New England Patriots appear to be hard at work in that department.

Patriots kickers Nick Folk and Chad Ryland have spent time extensively on squib kicks during OTAs, relays Mike Reiss of ESPN. Reiss notes that special teams coach Joe Judge has “emerged as a leading presence” among coaches looking for new ways to handle kickoffs in light of new rules.

The NFL’s rule tweak will allow fair catches to be spotted at the 25-yard line, regardless of where the signal was originally made. The rule, which was proposed in the name of player safety, passed despite widespread opposition from players and coaches. A squib kick would be a sound way of trying to force a return.

There is nothing surprising about the Patriots trying to be on the cutting edge of this sort of thinking. That’s more or less what head coach Bill Belichick does, at least when he’s not trying to sabotage the New York Jets.