Super Bowl Domination

Chapter 211 Kickoff Return

Boos, explosions.

Without warning, Gillette Stadium erupted in a barrage of boos that swept through like a hurricane, causing my knees to tremble slightly.

Not to mention the Kansas City Chiefs, even Brady, who was warming up, was shocked.

what happened?

It's just a kick-off, why make such a fuss?
Listening carefully, Brady caught a few words in the boos.

Rookie. Rookie…

It was not cheering and support, but ridicule and contempt, a kind of mocking attack.

Brady laughed in silence, having no interest in continuing to explore. He withdrew his gaze, continued to warm up, and chatted and laughed with his teammates next to him.

Clearly, not worthy of attention.

After all, it’s just a special forces team.

In football games, the focus may be on the offense or the defense, but the special teams are always underestimated and ignored.

Generally speaking, the special team is responsible for kickoffs, punts, extra points and free kicks. It seems to be an unimportant and dirty job, but the real top coaches know that the details often determine the outcome of a strong clash. The role played by the special team is beyond imagination.

Belichick and Reid are the best among them. Both coaches are very good at playing tricks on the special teams to gain the upper hand in the game.

It's hard to believe, but there are only three regular players on special teams:

Punter. Long kicker. Kicker.

Punters and kickers, literally, the punter is responsible for punting, and the kicker is responsible for kickoffs, free kicks, and extra points.

The long kicker, like the offensive center, is responsible for kicking off the ball and throwing the football a long distance to the punter, who then completes the punt.

These three positions have different technical requirements and require professionals to play them, and they also need to practice together on a regular basis. In addition, the other eight players on the special team are all substitutes.

There are only fifty-three spots on the NFL's final roster, which requires not only consideration of rotations, substitutes, injuries, but also tactical configurations. Forming a special teams composed of substitutes becomes the only way to build a team.

For example, the ball player.

The extra point requires a player to receive the ball from the center and then stand the football upright for kicking, often the backup quarterback.

For example, the returner.

Whether it is a kickoff or a punt, a player is needed to catch the ball and then return it, which is often the backup running back or backup wide receiver.

Of course, there are occasional exceptions -

Coaches like Belichick and Reid, who are proficient in special teams tactics, occasionally use the main players as returners to try to play tactics when kicking off or punting to gain better position for the offensive team.

So, what's ahead?

New season, new game, and...Levi?
Is Levi a backup running back or a starter? What is Reid planning?
In Brady's opinion, he doesn't care.

He didn't want to pay any attention to the rookie running back at all. Anyway, Donald Yu never asked for his help from beginning to end, and he handled everything in a completely impartial manner. This is one of the important reasons why he likes Donald and has never changed his agent. Donald never confuses public and private matters.

So, what does it look like to New England Patriots fans?

"Oh, no..."

"Did Levi lose the battle for the starting running back position? Reed finally chose Hunter as the No. 1 running back, and Levi still needs to hone himself through the special teams?"

"This is not good news."

Michaels couldn't help but shake his head slightly.

Collinsworth did not take advantage of the situation, but he also expressed it objectively.

"Perhaps, this is the best way. Give him some space to develop his potential. Wait for the right time for us to see his talent and ability." The pity and sympathy that were inadvertently revealed showed that he did not trust Levi from the bottom of his heart. Instead, he thought that this position was the most suitable one.

Maybe the third pick was indeed a waste.

Porphyrin.

Above Gillette Stadium, the boos of taking advantage of the situation, gloating, and attacking came down like a summer rainstorm.

However, Levi remained completely unmoved.

He walked into the stadium slowly, gently turned his head left and right, his joints made a crackling sound, and then he had already stood firm in the end zone on the Kansas City Chiefs' side. Like a lion patrolling his territory, he took in every inch of the land, then looked up and looked forward.

The green grass spreads out spaciously and vastly.

The home team players in dark blue jerseys and the visiting team players in white jerseys were scattered around, surrounded by the roaring crowd, leisurely and comfortable, looking up at the golden sunlight falling from the sky——

It was a good day for battle.

Beep!
The whistle pierced the sky.

New England Patriots kicker Stephen Gostkowski is one of the league's top stars.

He has maintained a top level since joining the New England Patriots in 2006, reaching the Super Bowl three times with the team, four Pro Bowls, two All-American first teams, and being the league's top scorer for five seasons - which means that free kicks and extra points have maintained a very high success rate.

Later in 2020, in the best team of the 2010s selected by professional media, the kicker position belonged to this Gustkowski.

At the moment, he is responsible for kicking off.

A good kicker, like a punter, needs to be in control.

You can't just kick the ball randomly, and the farther the better is not the case. It needs to be coordinated with tactics.

First of all, the landing point needs to be controlled, preferably within the five-yard line in front of the end zone, because once entering the end zone, the opponent's kick-off position will automatically come to the twenty-five-yard line.

Secondly, the parabola needs to be controlled to ensure that the special team teammates in their own half have enough time to cross the court and complete the encirclement or even directly capture the returner before the returner catches the football and starts the return attack.

A perfect kickoff and punt can, in theory, control the opponent's offensive starting position above the one-yard line in front of the end zone, creating an inherent advantage for the defense in the next wave of confrontation.

So how is Gerstkowski going to tee it up?

As the whistle sounded, Gustkowski rushed forward, kicked the ball, and kicked hard.

Whoosh, the blue air wave in front of me rolled towards me.

Levi's first reaction was to look up at the rising curve of the parabola and make a quick judgment based on the parabola -

If the kickoff lands in the end zone, Levi will need to judge based on the current offensive and defensive confrontation whether it is necessary to return the attack, or directly accept the kickoff position at the 25-yard line?
Young.

Raise high.

The football was shrouded in the golden sunlight and almost disappeared.

--start up.

Levi immediately judged that the parabola of Gustkowski's kick was higher than usual, which meant that the falling arc of the football would be shorter, and it also meant that he was buying time for the huge blue wave in front of him.

This is a tactical kickoff.

Obviously, the two coaches, Belichick and Reid, started the game from the beginning. Both of them were calculating their opponents and trying to seize the high ground from the first wave of offense and defense.

Without hesitation, Levi started.

He lowered his jaw slightly and scanned the entire scene with his peripheral vision. He didn't have time to distinguish the figures and faces carefully at this moment. He saw the blue waves and the white wind colliding with each other.

boom!
The entire Gillette Stadium exploded with a roar.

(End of this chapter)