(Photo: Daniel Mears, Detroit News)
Allen Park — Many NFL teams are content to consistently boot their kickoffs into or out the back of the end zone, conceding a touchback and allowing the opposition to start at the 25-yard line.
Not the Lions.
Lions coach Matt Patricia places a premium on certain things. He wants his teams to be able to run the ball and stop the run, which allows them to control the tempo of each contest. He also wants his squads to be exceptional at covering kicks.
So instead of booming it deep each time, the Lions focus on ball placement and forcing a return, which is the primary reason opponents have brought back 15 of punter Sam Martin's 23 kickoffs this season.