Proposed NFL kickoff rule would make Seahawks special teams even more dangerous

The Seahawks can turn one weakness into a strength, and make a strength even greater

So how does the new rule benefit Myers and the Seahawks? Simple, isn't it? Blasting the ball out of the end zone would now put the ball at the 35-yard line, not the 25. One thing Myers was good at was forcing fair catches. He tied for third in the league, with seven last season. And fair catches will be the name of the game under the proposed rule. It isn't so much that Myers will be better at this than any other kicker, but the one thing that's been a liability in his game - the lack of touchbacks - will now be a strength.

And then there's that guy Dickson. While at first glance, you might say, a punter can't consistently make kicks of that range - um, three of PFF's top graded kickoff specialists last season were punters. The Rams Ethan Evans, the Falcons Bradley Pinion, and the Lions Jack Fox all handled their team's kickoffs. Between them, they had 268 kicks, and all were graded ahead of Myers.

So imagine Michael Dickson lines up for the kick and booms the ball from his own 35. It hangs, and hangs, and hangs; his average hangtime, 4.42 seconds, was 10th in the league last season. Better still, his net punting yardage, 44.1 yards, was fourth in the NFL. He was also tied for fourth in the league for return average at 6.8 yards.

So Dickson drops the ball over the 20, and as we've seen so often, his punts aren't the easiest to handle. Whether new special teams coach Jay Harbaugh elects to try Dickson out or take advantage of Myers' skillset under the new rules, the Seahawks will be prepared to make the most of the changes.

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