Playbooks

Safety Kick Return

Offense
1 Set10 Plays1 Personnel Group

Example Plays from Safety Kick Return

Overview

The Safety Kick Return formation is the receiving unit you get after your defense records a safety and your opponent has to free kick from its own 20. With 10 plays built from the Landingzone set, it follows the dynamic kickoff structure: a front line of blockers sits in the setup zone, a second level of blockers and wedge players is spread across the field, and one or two returners wait deep in the Landingzone to field the kick. Because the kicking team starts from its own 20 instead of the usual spot, balls usually land shallower and hang longer. That gives your returner more time to read the coverage lanes before he catches it.

Pre-snap, the blockers are already stacked in assigned lanes, so each return call is really a blocking scheme: a middle wedge, a wall set to the left or right sideline, or a misdirection look that pulls pursuit one way before the ball goes the other. Under the dynamic alignment the coverage team cannot build a running start. Your front blockers engage almost at the moment of the catch, and cutback lanes open quickly for a returner who reads them well.

The philosophy is simple: win the hidden yardage battle right after you have already taken two points and the momentum. A good return off a safety kick routinely sets the offense up near midfield or better. That turns a defensive stop into a short-field scoring drive, and it isolates the kicker and the slowest coverage players on your returner once the first wave of blocks lands.

At a Glance

Compatible Schemes

Every scheme benefits from this formation, but it fits best with aggressive spread, air raid, and RPO heavy offenses that want to turn a short field into quick points while the momentum from the safety is still fresh. Power run and West Coast play callers should use it more conservatively, favoring ball security and middle returns so the offense starts ahead of the chains without risking a turnover. Rosters with an elite speed returner and strong run blocking depth on special teams get the most out of it.

Strengths

  • The free kick comes from the kicking team's own 20, so kicks typically land shallower, giving your returner extra read time and better starting field position than a standard kickoff
  • The Landingzone alignment puts blockers in the setup zone before the kick, which removes the coverage team's running start and creates instant engagement along the return lanes
  • Directional return calls let you build a wall on the sideline the kicker favors or attack the middle wedge against a balanced coverage spread
  • Misdirection and reverse looks punish coverage units that overpursue or players who user a gunner and crash the first read lane
  • A fast returner with high Kick Return and Carrying ratings can turn one missed block into a house call, creating a 2-point plus 7-point swing in a single sequence

Weaknesses

  • Squib and low line-drive kicks skip past the front blockers and force awkward fielding, which neutralizes your pre-set wall and invites fumbles
  • Kickers who aim at the sideline pin your returner and collapse the spacing that directional returns depend on, especially if you called a return to the opposite side
  • A savvy opponent will user the coverage player closest to your wedge, shoot the gap, and blow up middle returns before the blocks set
  • The 10 play package is narrow, so repeating the same return lets opponents predict the blocking direction and adjust kick placement
  • Holding and block in the back penalties are common when returners cut back against the grain of the wall, wiping out big gains and backing up your offense

Usage Tips

Before the kick, sub your best returner into the KR slot using Speed, Acceleration, Kick Return, and Carrying, and never leave a low-rated backup deep after a safety

Watch the kicker's aim arrow and alignment before choosing a return: call the wall toward the side he is not favoring, or go middle wedge when he centers the ball

When protecting a late lead, pick a safe middle return and take what the first wave of blocks gives you rather than forcing a cutback that invites a strip or penalty

When trailing or needing a spark, mix in a reverse or misdirection return after you have shown the same directional look earlier, since most opponents will user the same lane they attacked before

Follow your lead blocker until the first engagement, then make one decisive cut. Dancing in the Landingzone lets the second coverage wave close and wastes the extra space the safety kick created

Sets (1)

Sets in Safety Kick Return
SetPlaysOpen
LandingzoneUnknown10