How the new kickoff rule will affect returners is something Ameer Abdullah has been challenged with. The 10-year NFL veteran has made a career out of being an exceptional gunner and kickoff returner, averaging nearly 25 yards per kick return in his career plus 20 tackles in his two seasons with the Raiders.
At this point in his career, Abdullah believes he’s seen it all, even comparing himself to “a dinosaur” with all the rule changes he’s witnessed. But with all those years has come confidence.
“It’s really different. It’s a lot more based on timing,” he said. “Timing is always the name of the game of football, but even more so with the new rules. I think Tom McMahon is doing a good job with coaching it so I would say our guys are picking it up pretty well. … It’s a good opportunity for returners to kind of step back up and have a pivotal influence in the game again.”
The Raiders are not in an unique situation as the rest of the NFL is also figuring out how to best adapt. As more football is played, it will give the Silver and Black more ability to be creative within the confines of the rules.
“I’m excited to be honest with you to get through the first two preseason games and try and get to 32 games where we can watch almost hopefully 320 reps of this play,” McMahon said. “Hopefully, everybody’s kicking off and covering, everybody’s returning, so on and so forth, just so that we can get a good look at this play and we all can learn from it.”
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