Priefer sees benefits, challenges in kickoff rules changes

We had a chance to talk to Vikings special teams coordinator Mike Priefer for the first time this week about the new rules changes on kickoffs.

NFL owners recently voted to move kickoffs from the 30 to the 35-yard line. Players on the kickoff cover team also can now only line up five yards from the ball, thus limiting their ability to get a running start downfield.

"I'm all for player safety and understand that," said Priefer, who joined coach Leslie Frazier's staff this offseason after coaching Denver's special teams. "I just think anytime you mess with a good thing and that's kickoff, kickoff return – I think it's a wonderful part of our game. Obviously I'm the special teams coach, I'm supposed to say that. But I truly believe that's one of the most exciting plays in our game and I think the changes they made weren't as drastic as I thought they could have been and I'm pretty pleased about that.

"Kicking off from the 35 will help some of the older kickers obviously. It will help the cover teams but you don't get the running start. If you have any familiarity with what I did in Denver, I've got guys looping and crossing and moving. That kind of takes that part of it away. So it will be interesting to see what happens. There will be more touchbacks obviously. But for player safety I think it was the best thing they could do."

Moving kickoffs up five yards will lead to more touchbacks, which could help extend Ryan Longwell's career. The veteran kicker is a free agent, but Priefer certainly sounded like the team wants Longwell back.

"The great thing about Ryan is he's a wily veteran," Priefer said. "He has a lot of tricks in his bag. He's going to have opportunities to place kickoffs where he wants them – higher, shorter, deeper. We'll be able to be creative and do some different things on kickoff and hopefully every now and then he'll get us a few touchbacks. I think it will be good for Ryan."

Priefer said he sees advantages and potential disadvantages in the new rules, but he's happy the owners decided not to eliminate the two-man wedge, which was part of the initial proposal.

Priefer said eliminating the two-man wedge likely would have caused teams to alter how they set their rosters, especially on game day.

"I think you would have to change your roster a little bit in terms of who you put back there because you would have to put linebackers and maybe tight ends more than offensive linemen and defensive linemen," he said. "You couldn't use those guys because it would be very difficult to ask a 300-pounder to block a 190-pounder one-on-one in open field. That doesn't work very well."

Priefer said he's curious to see how the 5-yard rule affects the kickoff team too. It could take the cover guys longer to get downfield without the running start.

"It's going to be very interesting," he said. "You're not going to be able to get to full speed as early as you used to. My guys in Denver, we had them full speed by the 30. By the time the ball was kicked, the looping and the crossing and the running start, their rule was to be full speed by the time they hit the restraining line."