Falcons coach Dan Quinn has been monitoring with great interest the recovery of return specialist Devin Hester after foot surgery.
If Hester, one of the game’s great return men, can recover, Quinn knows he’ll have a special weapon to help the Falcons combat a new touchback rule, that dictates the ball be spotted the 25-yard line whenever a kickoff is downed in the end zone.
“He had the surgery,” Quinn said recently. “He’s rehabbing down in Orlando. … We check in just to make sure that the rehab is going good, but we don’t have anything past that.”
Citing injury concerns, the NFL competition committee moved up the touchback spot five yards from the 20-yard line as a one-year experiment for next season. Falcons president Rich McKay, the committee’s co-chairman, noted that several NFL coaches lobbied against the change.
“We passed that for one year because we do want to see if it changes the numbers and how it impacts the games because there is that thought that there will be more short kicks,” McKay said. “We’ll see.”
If Hester, 33, recovers, the Falcons’ strategy to combat the new rule will be heavily impacted. Hester, who spent part of last season on the team’s short-term injured reserve, played in only five games and averaged 26.1 yards on nine kickoff returns.
The former Chicago Bear signed with the Falcons in 2014 and went to his fourth Pro Bowl. In 16 games (one start), he had 38 catches for 504 yards and two touchdowns. Hester also led the NFL in average yards per punt return (13.3), number of kickoff/punt returns (63), and combined kick/punt yards (1,368 yards).
His 62-yard punt return against Tampa Bay that year marked his 20th career return touchdown, which broke the NFL record set by former Falcons returner Deion Sanders.
“The average return is about at the 23 yards,” Quinn said. “You do it or do you take the touchback? It also depends on your returner, too. We have a guy that is pretty dynamic and we feel good about how our scheme is matched up. Do we still want to take the ball out? What if he’s five yards deep? Six yards deep? Those are some of things (to consider). I think you’ll have to come up with some rules as you go along the way.”
Kickoff coverage will also be impacted. Some teams may elect to direct the kickoff to one side. A high kick — or mortar kick — would allow the coverage team to converge on the returner and gang-tackle him, which could lead to more injuries.
“I don’t know if I’m necessarily there yet to say if we’ll pop it (up in the air),” Quinn said. “Touchbacks have been seen as an advantage for a long time.”
Matt Bosher, who handles the Falcons’ kickoffs, had 52 touchbacks last season, which was eighth-highest in the league. Carolina and New England led the league with 69 touchbacks.
Quinn and special teams coordinator Keith Armstrong will have to work through the strategy.
“How does your team match up in this week’s game against them, blocking for your returner?” Quinn said. “I honestly think it will be something that may come up each week as you’re looking into your evaluation into the game.
“’Hey, Coach, where do you guys stand with kickoffs this week?’ Knowing they have a really good returner, you might say, ‘OK, I’m cool with the 25.’ There are other times that you might say, ‘I love our kickoff team. I love what we stand for and I think we can pin them.’”
Quinn believes that coverage units can provide momentum for the defense if they can stop returners before they reach the 25.
“The tackles that happen inside the 20 (provide) juice,” Quinn said. “It’s energy that kickoff teams bring. When guys do bring it out, which they are going to do anyway, those times that we tackle a guy inside the 20, knowing they’ve got a long way to go to get some points, it does provide some energy and juice for the team.”
If Hester can make it back, Quinn may be inclined to allow him to return kickoffs, no matter how deep the kick may be.
“There are special players like Dev and other returners around the league. They’ll still get green-lighted,” Quinn said. “Here’s a guy who is on the club for this unique reason.”
