Sean McVays crazy two-kicker gamble might actually be genius

Sean McVay has tried just about everything to fix the Los Angeles Rams’ disastrous special teams unit this season.He’s changed kickers, shuffled personnel, experimented with different kickoff strategies and watched opposing returners tear through his coverage team like it was TSA Precheck. Now, he’s considering something that sounds downright ridiculous: dressing two kickers for Sunday’s Battle for Los Angeles against the Chargers.And here’s the crazy part.

It might be genius. The Rams are considering activating Josh Karty exclusively for kickoffs while veteran Brandon McManus handles field goals and extra points.It’s an unconventional approach that would sacrifice a valuable game-day roster spot, but desperate times demand creative solutions.And the Rams are certainly desperate.Their kickoff coverage has been a catastrophe, with Ethan Evans, Harrison Mevis, Blake Grupe and McManus all taking turns trying to solve a problem that isn’t necessarily their fault.Grupe’s story is particularly brutal.

In his Rams debut against Arizona, he made a 44-yard field goal before his first kickoff ended with him attempting to tackle Devin Duvernay after a 40-yard return.Grupe tore his ACL on the play, ending his season almost as quickly as it began.The kicker shouldn’t be the last line of defense because everyone else failed to do their job.

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By clicking above you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.Never miss a story Even last Sunday against Las Vegas, McManus watched Raiders returners rip off gains of 42 and 39 yards.

McVay eventually resorted to asking him to kick the ball through the end zone.That’s not fixing the problem.That’s surrendering to it.Enter Karty back through the door he first entered when he was drafted by the Rams in the sixth round of the 2024 NFL Draft. The former Rams ki...