Bobby April\'s 5 Must Follow Rules for Coaching Kickoff Returns

by: Michael Parker
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Have you ever dreamt of always starting an offensive drive near midfield? Or is it more of the opposite … you wake up in a cold sweat after another nightmare where your kick returner misjudges the ball and you are stuck near your goal line in the biggest game of the year. Buffalo Bills Special Teams Coach Bobby April has five rules that will all but guarantee that you will be better than ever in your kick return game. And hopefully you will sleep better at night.

RULE# 1
You don’t have to spend much time on kick returns to relay the importance to your players. While most coaches profess the importance of special teams, deep down they must admit the focus really is on offense and defense; you know, ‘both sides of the ball.’ “Special teams needs to be addressed with the same mentality and fervor that offense and defense are emphasized. That doesn’t necessarily mean the same amount of time, but the same emphasis,” says April.

April achieves this with his kick return team in four ways:

1. Players feel as unique and critical to the success of the team as if they were on offense or defense. April has a great respect for the military. He has nicknamed each unit on special teams with a military special forces name. April chose the term ‘Seals’ to represent his kick return squad. “Find the mission. Complete the mission,” says April, “just like completing a successful return.”

2. Players feel accountable and responsible, just as players on offense and defense are accountable. Each player has their own position and responsibility. “You can’t just throw someone out there and say ‘do this,’” April says. “You will be sending a message that they are just filling space. You wouldn’t do that with another position on offense and defense.” Along with that, April and the other Bills coaches evaluate the depth chart to make sure that all players still give them their best effort, and consequently, the team’s best chance for success.

3. Players must be recognized in front of their teammates for good performances. The Bills have a board in their locker room where they put a picture of the special teams player of the past week. And all players’ stats on special teams are listed on that board. The players that did well can be proud of their efforts. The ones that didn’t do as well will be motivated to do better. Keep track of less obvious things, like blocks – and missed blocks – as well as returns and yardage.

4. You must reinforce in words – and actions – how important the special teams are and, specifically, the kickoff return team, to the success of the entire team. Several Bills’ special teams players have commented in interviews that April has a way of making them feel important that is truly unique in today’s NFL. He accomplishes this largely by just pulling players aside and telling them that they are important. This is especially crucial for front line players that don’t see themselves on the game film.

RULE# 2
“Starters don’t always make the best kickoff return players,” says April. Traditional logic dictates that your starters and best athletes are going to be your best special teams players. Not necessarily. April looks for these traits above all others for his kickoff return team:

TOUGHNESS - “They’ve got to be tough. They might not be exceptional athletes, but there is no replacement for toughness,” says April. Look for players who have the same mentality as a good safety would against the run – who will come up and make the play moving upfield, instead of laterally. This will help avoid the dreaded clipping penalties that all too often wipe out great returns.

COURAGE - Players need to block going full speed, and shouldn’t slow down to make contact. After all, the other team’s players aren’t slowing down. These players must not be afraid to face the opponent when making their blocks. They can’t drop their head and stop their feet.

DURABILITY - April looks for players that have a history of staying healthy, and are always in motion and full of energy. Players that pull up short with a limp every time they are out there do as much good as if they were next to you on the sideline.

ATHLETICISM - This isn’t about quickness or size, necessarily. “They must be good enough athletes to run on the edges of their feet, like a good defensive lineman,” says April. Size and quickness doesn’t hurt, though.

AMBITION - Like the great Bills special teamer Steve Tasker, they have an overachiever mentality. Those who work hard whether they play a lot or not will likely work hard on the return team. While it is important to reward players who give their all – but just aren’t good enough to play on offense or defense – don’t compromise a solid return for the sake of allowing a player the chance to earn a letter.

RULE# 3
There is more than meets the eye in choosing your kickoff return specialists. You put your best playmaker back to return kicks. Right? Not exactly.

“Our punt returners should, most of all, have excellent hands, good judgment, and the ability to secure the ball,” says April. “Kick returners are different. They must catch EVERY kick and have the courage to sprint to the designated point of return.” April says that kick returners should have the courage to run north and south, but raw speed is not as crucial. They do need to be quick enough to avoid the folding players coming back to make the tackle. And along with being able to make quick diagonal cuts, “kick returners should have a running back awareness of running behind wedge blockers like an inline scrimmage play.”

RULE# 4
Your coaching staff knows more than they realize about coaching kick returns. While special teams responsibilities may often be assigned to assistant coaches arbitrarily, what most don’t realize is just how similar some aspects of special teams are with fundamental parts of offense or defense. For example, when with St. Louis, April used legendary offensive line coach Jim Hanifan to coach the wedge on kick return, and running backs coach Wilbert Montgomery – the former Eagle running back – to help the kick returners follow the wedge like any regular run play on offense. That is how April tries to split up as many parts of each respective group as he can. Look at each part of the unit instead of viewing the group as a whole.

Though April believes in having a coordinator oversee everything, he feels the best way to prepare your kick return team is to have as many eyes on the players as possible. April breaks up the unit into specific parts, and assigns coaches the responsibility of instructing and monitoring each group. This helps ensure that each player understands his role. Here is the breakdown for April’s ‘Seals’(Kick Return) unit.

Kickoff Return - “Find the mission; complete the mission.” Front Line: They are responsible to run to a landmark then turn and attack. These players should be able to see the ball off the foot of the kicker and athletic enough to get to their spot on the field. Then they need to be tough enough to turn and make the block on players working down the field at full speed.

Wedge: They need to be a little more athletic than front line players because the wedge forms in front of where the return man makes the catch. They must also be patient enough to wait for the returner to catch the ball and reach the spot behind them. They need to be strong and quick enough to block the players who make it past the front line players.

Returners: They must have consistent hands. It is crucial that they field every kick and make it to the spot on the field designated for the return. They must then follow their blockers like any regular running play on offense. They must look to run north and south rather than east and west.

Scout Team Right/Left Side: They need to be fearless and be able to give you a good look.

RULE# 5
The really tough decisions for your kickoff return team must be addressed before the game begins. In high school, there are time constraints unlike other levels of football. “If I had lunch duty or had to teach a class, I wouldn’t be able to do all the things that I do.” Still, it is imperative to have a plan going into a game. The middle of a crucial series isn’t the best time to make solid personnel and strategy decisions in the kicking game. Head coaches must ask themselves the following questions before the game…

A. When fatigue sets in, will a starter be told to give up a shift of special teams or at his regular position? If so, which players and which units?

B. What happens when injuries require regular special teams players to become regular players on offense and/or defense?

C. Who are your backups? Do they know what they are doing?

D. Any specific strategies? Do they squib kick, etc?

E. How strongly do your assistant coaches feel regarding certain personnel and playing time on special teams?

Now, as for strategy, April recommends having one return in high school and sticking with it. Being effective with one return allows the wrinkles that coaches love to add. “I would call your ‘safe return’ every time. You have no idea where that ball is going,” April says. The kicker probably doesn’t know where that ball is going either.

As an NFL coach, Bobby April may not be in Buffalo forever, but you can bet that wherever he is, his team will again top the league in special teams play. And it isn’t because he has access to better players than the rest of the league, or even that he is using different strategy. His success can be attributed to five rules that make his return system work at the highest level, regardless of how good his team is. Or even the unforgiving Buffalo weather.

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