‘I think it’s a terrible rule’: Special teams coordinator Cam Achord latest member of Patriots to criticize NFL’s new kickoff rule
"I think it’s not in favor of the game of football, personally. It’s taken out situational football."
The NFL’s new touchback rule has left a few key figures of the Patriots’ special teams unhappy, including specials teams coordinator Cam Achord.
Speaking to reporters Friday in a video call, Achord became the latest member of the organization to voice his displeasure over the new rule, which allows kick returners to call for a fair catch on kicks inside the 25-yard line and move the ball out to the 25-yard line.
“Since you asked the question, I think it’s a terrible rule. Let’s just start with that,” Achord said when asked if the team’s made any adjustments to its kickoff approach. “I think it’s not in favor of the game of football, personally. It’s taken out situational football.
“Now, we’re going to play to the rules and we’re going to do what’s best for the team. I want to say that. We’re not just going to go out there and say, ‘Put the team in a bad situation.’ That would just be bad coaching. So, we’re going to play to the rules.”
Achord acknowledged that the rule change was made due to player safety, but he pointed out that players will still be blocking and hitting each other on kickoffs as a fair catch call won’t happen until a few seconds after the kick. Even though players will still be hitting each other on kickoffs, Achord is expecting different results on kickoffs this year than in years prior, citing an example from a past Patriots game.
“This rule is going to have a bigger outcome on games than they think,” Achord said. “You go back to us against Atlanta in the Super Bowl. We tackled them twice inside the 15 [-yard line]. You know, [now] they’re able to fair catch those balls, potentially, with their hands team. And now, maybe we don’t get the ball back with such good field position to go down and score, make the game go to overtime.”
A few other special teams coordinators around the league have spoken against the rule since it was implemented. Prior to the rule change being voted for, the 32 special teams coordinators around the league reportedly met in a conference call to discuss the impending rule change.
Patriots captain and special teamer Matthew Slater had a similar stance as Achord when speaking about the new rule in May, though he was also harsher when criticizing the league.
“I just don’t believe this is truly in the name of player health and safety. What I do believe is, ‘We [the NFL] want to portray ourselves a certain way to the public that says we care about the players,'” Slater said then. “But I can give you a long list of examples where the league and powers that be do not act in the best interest of the players.”
Slater proceeded to mention “Thursday Night Football” and the use of turf fields over grass, among other things, to call out the NFL’s safety stance.
Bill Belichick wasn’t as outspoken about the matter, but also co-signed similar sentiments that other head coaches gave against it in May.
“We’ll see about all that,” Belichick said when asked about his thoughts on the rule change. “I know Coach [John] Harbaugh is pretty involved in that, [and] Coach [Andy] Reid. I think they’ve voiced some comments on that. I probably agree with things they said.”
The Patriots were one of the five teams to vote against the rule change in May, according to Monday Morning Quarterback’s Albert Breer.
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