Bill Belichick

New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick talks to his players on the bench in the third quarter of an NFL football game against the Cleveland Browns on Sunday, Dec. 8, 2013, in Foxborough, Mass. The Patriots came from behind to win 27-26. (AP Photo/Elise Amendola)

FOXBOROUGH – With the way football has evolved over the last several years, the importance of having a good kicker and special-teams units have waned a bit.

Having a kicker who can still hit a field goal is still very important, but all aspects of kickoffs – both returning and defending – have become secondary concerns since the new rules ensure that most go for touchbacks. Then there's the extra point, which is so automatic that it's almost pointless to make teams go through the motions.

The way the game has evolved in this way is not something that coach Bill Belichick has enjoyed. The New England Patriots coach is something of a special teams aficionado, and believes that the game is better with kick returns and extra-point attempts that require some level of skill.

"I personally would love to see the kicking game remain as a very integral part of the game so that kickoffs are returned and so that extra points are not over 99 percent converted because that's not what extra points were when they were initially put into the game back 80 years ago, whatever it was," Belichick said.

When asked what he would like to see changed about the extra point, Belichick explained that the players who used to execute extra points were not specialists. So, a short field goal was actually difficult because position players were executing those plays.

The way it is now, in his eyes, is somewhat pointless because teams convert at such a high rate.

"I don't think that's a very exciting play because it's so automatic," Belichick said.

He shares the same feelings about the touchback. Before kickoffs were moved up to the 35-yard line from the 30, it took a great kick to put one out of the back of the end zone. And that was the point: to reduce returns, which in turn reduces injuries.

That mission has been accomplished. In 2010, the last year before the change, there were 416 total touchbacks. This year there were 1,309.

Those figures don't sit well with Belichick. He pointed to the Baltimore Ravens' Jacoby Jones' 108-yard return in last year's Super Bowl as evidence for why kickoffs should move back again.

"The play that that added to the game was a spectacular play," he said. "I mean forget about who you're rooting for, but just as a fan of the game, it was a spectacular play in the game that I think all fans – unless you're a 49er fan, but you know – that all fans objectively love to see those plays as part of the game."