Texans special teams coordinator Frank Ross talked this week about adjusting to the new kickoff rules and how his unit has responded to the changes.
The Texans are set to take on the New York Giants at 12 noon CT.
His thoughts on the new kickoff rule
Frank: Challenging, exciting on both ends of the spectrum. Challenging and exciting. Not figured out. I don't have the secret recipe and hopefully whoever thinks they do would be remised and say that. It's going to be hard and it's going to be an evolving process. Week 2, Week 3, Week 4 are going to look different than Week 8, 9 and 10. We're going to continue to evolve and we're going to continue to ask players for the feedback. One thing I do know is that it's going to be a challenge weekly for us to cat and mouse. There is going to be so much more exploratory things from the other return units and us in coverage that we're going to have to adjust mid game every time we step out on the field, so we're going to see how versatile we can be with making adjustments.
On what has surprised him about the kickoffs
Frank: Yeah, there are things that are not figured out from a league perspective. The rules are not 100%, so some of the things that have come up. The officials and how they're officiating it. An example we tried a squib kick - for lack of a better term and it didn't make it to the landing zone, so the rule is that it blows dead immediately for safety of the players and it goes to the 40. In the Giants previous game, same thing happened, it was not blown dead and the play was played out. Because of that as it's a player safety issue - not talking bad about the refs, but we all have to get caught up to speed with how this thing is really going to look. Surprising as far as blocker, runner and tackler. That's an evolving process and definitely some things to learn as I stated earlier but surprising with how this thing is really going to enforced, officiated. What we can and can't get away with. Those are the things we're learning.
On there being nerves about what this will all look come regular season as teams aren't showing much now
Frank: I don't know if they're not showing anything until Week 1. Will Burnham, our other special teams coach, always says 'there is no greater feeling in the old rules than when I would say 'okay, balls in the air. Hey, okay it's coming out and we have to cover or we're going to return the ball.' We don't have that anymore and now our eyes are fixated on half the unit and half the unit on what we're getting, so we can try and teach along the way coming off the field for the next play. The anxiety is that they can try a reverse, a triple reverse, a sideline return, a middle return and we have to diagnose quickly and move on to the next play. I think that's what that anxious feeling might be more than
'hey, are we getting a return or not?' We know we are, so now it's how fast we can adjust and defend it."
On how the special teams unit stepped up against Pittsburgh last week
Frank: Yeah, any time you get a take away like man you can have a really average overall day. Complete wash. You get a return to the 28, they get a return to the 28. You get a take away and the game is completely changed. Conversely you have to make your field goals. Every time you go out there, you expect points and that's a wind out of the sales right there type of moment. There are some great things and when you get a take away you're fired up. If you can lead the league in takeaways then you're going to have a damn good special teams unit, so that's the goal. Was excited to see Brandon [Hill] re-enter on a long punt - Tommy [Townsend] let that thing fly. [He] played with speed and got up through the white. We call it running the white of the sideline and then re-entering with force and then that ball is on the ground, face first always. No tuxedo.
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