The Kansas City Chiefs are considering a new role for kicker Harrison Butker in the upcoming 2024 NFL season, amid a swirl of controversy.
Butker recently sparked outrage with comments made during a graduation speech at Benedictine College, where he stated that a woman's primary role should be as a homemaker and also voiced criticisms against the LGBT+ community and President Joe Biden. Despite calls from some fans for his dismissal, the Chiefs have decided to stand by their player.
With the NFL introducing new kickoff rules in 2024, the Chiefs are brainstorming innovative ways to utilise Butker on the field. Dave Toub, the team's special teams coordinator, is leading the charge in finding creative solutions to adapt to these changes.
READ MORE: Travis Kelce reacts to Harrison Butker controversy while on Taylor Swift's tour
READ MORE: Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker breaks silence to reiterate stance on Catholic values amid backlash
Toub shared insights with reporters on Thursday about the strategic thinking behind potentially using Butker in different scenarios and even mentioned considering safety Justin Reid for specific roles. "I like to have somebody that can go back and can make a tackle," Toub remarked.
New England Patriots warned Mac Jones is "limited" as quarterback fined again
He added, "I mean, Butker is able to make a tackle but I really don't want him making tackles all year long. If you watch the XFL, we watched every play, I bet kickers were involved in probably at least 25 to 40 percent of the tackles, either trying to make a guy bounce back or making the tackle itself or just missing the tackle."
"So we don't want Butker in that situation but he will be a kicker; he'll be a guy that we will use in certain situations. He's got a lot of ability to move the ball, whereas there's other guys who may not be as apt to doing that."
Harrison Butker could be seen in a new role once the 2024 season rolls around (Photo by Perry Knotts/Getty Images)"He can still kick a touchback if we need it, just giving up the ball if we do kick a touchback on the back to the end zone, now they're getting out the 30 instead of 25. So that five yards make a big difference. I meant that's another three percent chance that you're giving the offense it gets you to score."
During the offseason, the owners green-lit new rules for kickoffs for the 2024 season, among a plethora of other rule changes. These new guidelines draw parallels with the XFL and were put into action to make the game more entertaining while augmenting player safety.
The objective of these new rules is to spike the number of kick returns, as the NFL recorded the 2024 season as having the lowest kickoff return rate in the history of the league. In light of this game-changing season, Toub and the Chiefs are ensuring they've got all bases covered using Reid.
"Well, Justin can cover, he could kick, but he can do and then he can go down there and make tackles," Toub added. "He's an extra guy that they're probably not accounting for."
"I mean they know that that guy can go down to tackle but a guy like Justin's a guy that they have to worry about. You have to get them blocked and you have to give up blocking somebody else so you know that's the whole thought of it."
Ultimately, the Chiefs will be looking at how best to use Butker once the new rules are fully implemented. "If you're trying to get out of a game you're up, you don't want to give up a possibility of a turnover or big return," said the 61-year-old.
"Here, you're just banging but you just say, 'Hey, we're going to give up the five yards, give them all the 30' - which Butker can do. Obviously, you know he can do."
Read more similar news:
Comments:
comments powered by Disqus
