How Rams’ Chase Blackburn Is Tackling the NFL’s New Kickoff Rules

The Los Angeles Rams' Special Teams Coordinator shared his insight on the ever-evolving rules in the NFL

Jun 3, 2025; Woodland Hills, CA, USA; Los Angeles Rams special teams coordinator Chase Blackburn at press conference during organized team activities at Rams Practice Facility. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

WOODLAND HILLS, Ca. The Los Angeles Rams have been working around the clock to prepare for their Thursday Night matchup against their arch-rivals, the San Francisco 49ers. As the Rams lock in, the team held press conferences for Mike LaFleur, Chris Shula, Chase Blackburn, Matthew Stafford, Davante Adams, Puka Nacua, and Jared Verse on Tuesday, where they detailed various aspects of their preparations and shared their perspectives on the anticipated contest.

Watch Chase Blackburn's Press Conference Below

On Monday, Rams head coach Sean McVay shared his opinions on the special teams unit.

Q: How important was it for Joshua Karty to convert two successful field goals yesterday?

“I thought it was huge. Sometimes some challenging moments can bring out the best in you when you have the right kinds of people. I was really proud of that group as a whole. That unit [Colts] was a really good field goal rush operation. They strained, they tried to attack our protections and I thought we did a really good job. I give a ton of credit to [Special Teams Coordinator] Chase [Blackburn], [Assistant Special Teams Coordinator] Ben [Kotwica], and then ultimately our players being able to execute based on the things that we focused on."

Sep 21, 2025; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Los Angeles Rams kicker Joshua Karty (16) kicks a field goal against the Philadelphia Eagles during the first half at Lincoln Financial Field. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images | Bill Streicher-Imagn Images

"We were automatic on the extra points and the field goals. I thought [Kicker] Josh [Karty] was really good. I thought [Long Snapper] Alex [Ward] and [Punter] Ethan [Evans] did a nice job with the snap, hold, the timing of it and the trajectory of the kicks. Josh does a great job in those kickoffs. He saved one on that one return that popped out, looked like a good post player coming out of the middle of the field to be able to knock the returner out of bounds."

Los Angeles Rams place kicker Joshua Karty (16) celebrates his 21 yard field goal during the second quarter against the Tennessee Titans at Nissan Stadium in Nashville, Tenn., Sunday, Sept. 14, 2025. | Andrew Nelles / The Tennessean / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

"Josh had an excellent game. I’m not surprised because he's shown that he is a resilient, mentally tough guy. I think it's a credit to him and really the total group being able to respond after some of the things that forced us to be able to really go back in the lab and lean in and address some of the things that needed to be addressed. That’s going to be a consistent approach for us as we move forward.”

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