The Vikings are a cold-weather team this season at TCF Bank Stadium, playing their home games outside before moving back into a dome next year. And Vikings special teams coach Mike Priefer likes it that way.
Priefer says the new extra point rule will make kicks tougher on cold days, and he thinks the Vikings will be better suited to those cold days than their opponents.
“I’m excited about it. I think it will be a home-field advantage for us because it’s nasty,” Priefer told the Pioneer Press. “TCF is a nasty place to kick in November and December, and our guys will be ready for it. We’ll be used to it, absolutely.”
Priefer did say, however, that he has his work cut out for him with the new rule that allows defenses to return blocked extra points for two points.
“Last year we gave up two blocks, and we can’t do that this year,” said Priefer. “That’s going to be our emphasis all spring and all summer long.”
The difference between a 20-yard kick for an extra point and a 33-yard kick for an extra point isn’t big to an NFL kicker. But in a one-point game, this rule change could be very big. It’s certainly big enough that it has every NFL special teams coach thinking.