The ball also has to go where the coverage players are expecting it to go. “There’s a balance of taking on a block and trying to get past them without getting too far out of your lane because they are trying to block you in a certain direction to open up the hole.” “We use this term ‘lane integrity,’ that everybody on kickoff has a lane that you have to run down and you can’t get too far off it,” Husby said. They’re almost using punt coverage strategy on kickoff now.” That’s why punters punt directionally, they don’t just punt to the middle of the field. “They have that fishing net of guys converge down and slowly close and pin them in like a funnel system. “It’s like you’re throwing a fishing net, you’re trying to throw it as wide as you can,” said Husby, who also punted for St. Owner of Special Teams Football Academy Chris Husby, who also coaches special teams at Maple Grove High School and consults with college teams, explained how the design of the corner kickoff works. Lots of effort goes into training the players on angles, lanes, kick hangtimes, defeating blocks and tackling. The next step is designing and teaching the play. “His ability to punch guys and separate is everything, especially when you look at kickoffs…I’m sure opponents see him as a matchup problem.” “You look at a guy who has a combo of speed and power at the size that he has, his arms are so long he can scratch his knees standing up,” Daniels said of Asamoah. 2022 third-round pick Brian Asamoah, who has turned into a legitimate weapon for Daniels.

The Vikings have a combination of players who are either experienced on ‘Teams like fullback CJ Ham, cornerback Kris Boyd and safety Josh Metellus or young players that have impressive physical tools i.e. On the eight kickoffs this year, seven different players have been credited with a tackle. “I’m looking for competition addicts and those guys want to compete.”

“We have elite, flying, penetrating guys that it feels like they are unblockable and they feel that way,” Daniels said. One of the reasons the numbers show that it works is because the only teams doing it are the ones capable of executing the schematics. So if the Vikings’ strategy on kickoffs is simply brilliant, why isn’t every team pinning opponents deep and outside the numbers rather than kicking touchbacks? Well, it takes more than just the idea and data to bring it together. That havoc and confusion has caused four of the eight returns to go for 15 yards or less, including a 4-yarder by Quez Watkins of the Eagles. “Greg’s ability to put those balls outside the numbers creates even more havoc and confusion and makes it harder for the return team to return the football,” Daniels said.

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