The special teams units of every NFL team are set to come in to the upcoming season with a possibly different strategy as there are new rules to kickoffs to start the game and after every touchdown or field goal. One player that will get to experience the brunt of these new rules is New England Patriots kick returner Marcus Jones, who is also listed as a cornerback for the team, as he spoke to Mike Reiss of ESPN about the changes.
Per ESPN, “the kicker will continue to kick off from the 35-yard line, with the remaining 10 members of the kicking team lining up at the receiving team's 40-yard line. As for the return team, at least nine members will be between their 35- and 30-yard lines in a ‘setup zone.' No one but the kicker and returner(s) can move until the ball is caught or hits the ground.” Still, Jones says that the new rules are “not too crazy for me” as he compares it to being “another punt” since he returns those as well.
“Honestly, it's not too crazy for me because I'm a punt returner, too,” Jones said. “It's basically like another punt return for me,” he said in an interview with ESPN. “It's just people on the same level, all at the same yard line, so that's a little different. But other than that, I can see how it would be a little different for people who don't do punt returns.”
Jones runs through how the new kickoff rules will look like for Patriots
The changes were made in an order to incentivize returning kicks as the other changes also include that touchbacks will put the ball at the 30-yard line instead of the 25 like usual. Plus, if the ball is kicked inside the 20 and rolls to the end zone, it will be spotted at the 20, so it could be more beneficial to return the kick. Jones would mention how “the holes are going to close faster” with the new rules.
“It's going to be quick, the holes are going to close faster, I feel like it's going to be ‘bam bam!'” Jones said.
New England's swiss army knife Jones is considered to be one of the league's top returners coming off of an impeccable season in 2022 where he was awarded The Associated Press' first-team All-Pro punt returner. To get the honors, he returned 29 punts for 362 yards, included with an impressive 84-yard touchdown, which averaged 12.5 yards per attempt. He would also return kickoffs as he recorded 645 yards on 27 chances.
Patriots head coach Jerod Mayo talks about new kickoff rules
Looking at this past season and how many kickoffs were returned, ESPN says that 21 percent were attempted and that “NFL competition committee chairman Rich McKay estimates that between 50% to 60% of kickoffs will be returned this season, adding about 1,000 plays across the league.” There is no doubt that if there was a player that can adapt to the rules and bring some explosiveness, it would be the Patriots star in Jones.
One person who was asked about the new rules to the kickoff is New England head coach Jerod Mayo who is entering in his first season with the franchise under the helm after two decades of Bill Belichick. He would call the rules “fluid” and that “I don’t think anyone actually knows how this thing is going to play out” according to a transcript from PatsFans.com.
“Yeah, I don’t think anyone actually knows how this thing is going to play out,” Mayo said ahead of a Patriots practice on June 10. “Look, the rules are still kind of fluid even as of today. So we watch it as a full staff just because it’s one of those players where you’re trying to get, we talk about collaboration all the time, but you’re trying to get opinions of the offensive coaches, the defensive coaches, and the special teams coaches, and also just calling around the league to see how they think about it. But once again, I don’t think anyone really knows how it’s going to play out. It might just be beneficial just to take the ball at the 30. I don’t know.”
Jones on recovery and who has helped him along the way
As for Jones, before he can return kickoffs and punts in the way he did in 2022, he still has to get 100 percent healthy and have the motivation to get back on the field. Fortunately, he had an immense support system whether it be his family, friends, teammates, and one especially that he mentioned was the Patriots athletic staff and trainers, specifically Brian Dolan.
“He's a big part of my support team and it's more than just the physical ability. We have to be right mentally in order to perform physically, and he was always checking in,” Jones said.
Jones is “locked in” to this upcoming season for the Patriots
Jones was drafted with the 85th overall pick in the third round of the 2022 NFL Draft by the Patriots where he was originally a cornerback coming out of the University of Houston. He has done double duty along with returning kicks and punts since his rookie season. However, the mindset now for the third-year player is that he does not want people to forget how exceptional of a player he can be and how dangerous it can be for any kicker that gives him the chance to have the ball in his hands.
“I'm locked in,” Jones said via ESPN. “I love the fans here and the pressure as well. It's Titletown up here. Whenever you're not doing the right thing, they keep you accountable and I love to hear that.”
At any rate, Jones will try to help the Patriots as they are trying to improve after a massively disappointing season where they had a 4-13 record which put them dead last in the AFC East which is a rare sight to see with how much success they have had in the past. They enter in a new era led by Mayo and company as they open up their first season on the road against the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday, September 8.
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