Rams ST Coordinator names key players to solving befuddling KO challenge

The LA Rams know that their kickoff and kickoff return units are in a bit of flux right now. That's thanks to the new wild and whacky NFL kickoff rules changes, changes that have befuddled ST Coordinators to the point where there is no consensus formed as to the best approach to take to leverage the new rules to give the team an advantage.

As such, with 32 NFL teams and 32 different Special Team Coordinators in the league, you can expect as many as 32 different interpretations as to which methods, strategies, and tactics prove to be the best approach for the 2024 NFL season. While many Rams fans may be intrigued by the tactics used by other teams, the person you are likely most interested in hearing from is LA Rams ST Coordinator Chase Blackburn. And you will have that opportunity in the Rams YouTube video embedded below, as of the 10:40 mark.

The entire press conference that covers Chase Blackburn and the new kickoff rules lasts approximately 10 minutes. I encourage you to view the video in its entirety, because the first half allows HC Sean McVay to share his insight and overview of the team's third week of OTAs.

But we will cover that part of the video in a separate article. For this one, we simply want to summarize the Rams plans to address the new kickoff rules. You can view the entire press conference (For Chase Blackburn's segment, start at 10:40 mark), but in the interest of saving time, here are some highlights of the Rams approach to the new kickoff rules:

(10:55) - "It's like freeze tag almost. You're frozen until the ball is touched or hits the ground."

That's a pretty solid description, highlighting the fact that the both the kickoff coverage and return teams must learn to discipline themselves to start their play after the proper timing, and then pivot from a standing to coverage/tackling and blocking/returning roles.