Nick Suss, Nashville Tennessean
·4 min read
Before Tennessee Titans running back Tony Pollard was one of the NFL's most effective dual-threat running backs, he was college football's most dangerous return man.
Thanks to the NFL's rule changes regarding kickoff returns for 2024, Pollard should get a chance to return to his roots.
"I’m loving the new rule," Pollard told The Tennessean on Wednesday. "You may see me back there. I love it."
NFL kickoff rule changes explained
The NFL is debuting a drastically altered set of rules for kickoff returns in 2024 designed to decrease injuries and touchbacks simultaneously. In short, the new rules incentivize the kicking team to keep the ball in play and incentivize return teams to advance with the ball. Kickers will line up on their own 35-yard line. The 10 other players from the kickoff team will line up on the opponents' 40-yard line. At least nine players from the return team will set up between their 30- and 35-yard lines with the remaining players in the "landing zone" between the 20-yard line and the end zone.
Players on the coverage team can't advance past the 40-yard line until the ball is caught or bounces. There are no more fair catches, so balls in the landing zone must be returned. Kicks that skip through the landing zone into the end zone are touchbacks brought out to the 20-yard line. Kicks caught in the end zone that never touch the landing zone can be downed for touchbacks brought out to the 30-yard line. Kicks that fail to reach the landing zone or are booted out of bounds are touchbacks brought to the 40-yard line.
All this adds up to uncharted terrain for coverage teams, return men and special teams coaches. A similar rule was tested in the XFL in 2023, the main difference being kickers lined up 5 yards closer than NFL kickers will. But with just one spring season of proof of concept available for teams to study, the battle to find an edge to exploit is on.
"We’re looking at that play and a lot of teams are to create some ideas of the timing," first-year special teams coordinator Colt Anderson said. "There’s going to be more space. We’re trying to figure out the timing and all that right now."
How Tennessee Titans will approach kickoff returns
For the Titans, exploiting that space and timing Wednesday meant testing eight players in return roles during a kickoff drill: running backs Pollard, Tyjae Spears and Jabari Small, receivers Treylon Burks, Kyle Philips, Mason Kinsey and Jha'Quan Jackson and cornerback Eric Garror.
There are some intriguing options in that bunch. Pollard finished his Memphis career with seven kickoff return touchdowns, tied for the most in NCAA history, and returned kickoffs his first three years in Dallas. Spears returned kickoffs to middling results for the Titans last year. Jackson was an ace returner at Tulane, Philips and Kinsey have gotten looks as punt returners in the pros and Burks is renowned for his physical run-after-catch ability, making him an intriguing candidate for a play that should essentially amount to a long open-field carry.
"It almost feels like a run play the way that it’s set up," Pollard explains. "It’s so much more space. You don’t have guys running full speed. Some guys might (used to) beat their man and be right in your face at the catch. Everybody’s pretty much on the same line (under the new rule). You just set it up, pick your hole and hit it."
Kickoff return rates were at an all-time low in 2023. The Titans only returned 18 kickoffs in 17 games, and that registered among the top-half of the league in total returns. Touchbacks were more than three-times more common than returns. One of the most exciting plays football has to offer essentially ceased to exist for a season.
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The new rules aim to bring the kickoff return back into the game, and the Titans have the talent to exploit these rules to their benefit.
"It’s not a full speed, 50-yard sprint collision," Pollard explains. "They have to sit still until we catch the ball and then they go. That’s a big difference. That makes a world of a difference."
Nick Suss is the Titans beat writer for The Tennessean. Contact Nick at nsuss@gannett.com. Follow Nick on X, the platform formerly called Twitter, @nicksuss.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Why Titans running back Tony Pollard wants chance to return kickoffs
