The New England Patriots have returned two kickoffs back for touchdowns between the preseason and regular season. It’s safe to say that they might not be able to return one this week against the Carolina Panthers.
Ahead of their Week 4 matchup, head coach Mike Vrabel and special teams coordinator Jeremy Springer spoke to reporters about “dirty kicks,” and how the Patriots are trying to work on preparing for it.
But what’s a dirty kick?
“One that’s on the ground in between the 20 and the goal line,” Vrabel said. “Sometimes it one hops and they can return it, sometimes it kicks and goes sideways and we’ll have to be prepared for that wherever they kick it.”
The Panthers kicker, undrafted rookie Ryan Fitzgerald, has put together a really strong start to his NFL career. He hasn’t missed a field goal, but his calling card has become these dirty kicks. Fitzgerald boots the team’s kickoffs, which just flutter in the air and cause trouble for those trying to return them.
“It’s impressive,” Vrabel said. “I mean, I sat there and looked at it for two hours last night. I mean, impressive. They’ve got good players, they’ve got great speed. They change the scheme up on you. And so, that’ll be critical that we’re able to protect the guy with the ball. They’re flying. And it starts with the kicker, kicks a good kick, dirty kick.
“He’s had the returners sometimes confused. He’s kicking them when he kicks them deep. They’re right at the goal line, forcing you to return them, or last week a couple times they touched it, took a step back and then had it on the 20 yard line. So, they’ve done a fantastic job. Credit to their staff and to the players.”
The Patriots return duo of Antonio Gibson and TreVeyon Henderson will have their hands full — literally — with the kickoffs. Springer told reporters that a dirty kick is the football equivalent to a knuckleball, where one wrong bounce can set the returning team inside their 10-yard line.
“It’s not easy to track. It’s definitely a new age thing,” Springer said. “They’re dangerous. … It’s made teams have all sorts of issues.”
There’s risk that comes with the kick. It can typically land outside the landing zone and result in either a touchback or a penalty. When rookie kicker Andy Borregales was called for a penalty in the team’s Week 2 loss in Miami, it was on a dirty kick. It was his second one of that game, part of an ever-growing trend across the league.
The running back pair of Gibson and Henderson will have their hands full against the Panthers, who are pushing teams back to their own 21-yard line to start drives. That statistic is the best in the league, and no matter how explosive the Patriots have been this year with returning kicks, they know they’ll need to be ready for any type of bad bounce.
