As was the case last season, the NFL changed and adjusted its kickoff formats. This season the modified "Dynamic Kickoff" rules will mark the ball at the 35-yard line for touchbacks instead of the 30-yard line, a move meant to increase kick returns.
For special teams coordinator Jay Harbaugh and his crew this means spending another couple of games getting used to the new format. With one preseason game already played, Harbaugh said it's, "the timing, the angles and the spacing. In football, over time you get used to, 'Ok, if I throw a slant, this is exactly what it's going to look like' at virtually every level of football, the timing, where the ball goes, where the ball is caught, etc. You just get used to it. I think when you introduce a play that has a different structure, different starting mechanism, it's new. It takes a while to realize what that norm is of, 'Ok, the ball is caught here, this is where it's going to end up, this is where it's going to affect the decisions I am making as a blocker or a cover guy.' It's a little abstract, but you weren't used to it. I think everyone—players and coaches—getting a feel for the timing, the angles and the spacing."