Special Teams

[varjao]

Ok so many to talk and blame on defense, but one play I didn't see being mentioned, was a weak ass kickoff that Seattle returned to the 40 yard line.

This season, between Ghost mistakes and Cyrus Jones fumbling, I am under the impression the ST's are not performing like they used to. Is there anyone seeing this too?
I'm seeing teams returning to good positions and our gunners missing tackles. Week 3 against Houston was a special night, kudos to them, but overall out ST's are good I'd say, but more close to average than top of the league.

The emphasis on kickoffs clearly affected Ghost mechanics, apparently he is doing better, but every FG I feel like my heart rate gets elevated. With this crappy defense, BB needs to decide if he is going to give the other teams a start at 25 yard line or gamble to get them under 10 or past 30.

Edit-> Oh yes I forgot there was a kickoff Ghost kicked out of the sidelines and Seattle started at 40. Those 2 are basically mini turnovers and against a team like Seattle is fatal. BB is stubborn and will insist on the kickoff emphasis but I'd say at this point I would be OK with kicking touch backs every time and giving Ghost the green light to focus only in FG's and Extra points.

 

[IndianPat]

I think Cyrus Jones could become a very exciting returner. Takes time to evolve.
BB should assess risk/reward returns on his strategy for short kickoffs. It is great if you can pin them consistently inside the 20. Conversely, he also faces the risk of it being returned big. We don't want that big return to come in the playoffs. Reports indicate that he is screwing up Ghost's mechanics. Why take the risk. Kick deep. Just give them the ball on the 25 and eliminate potential injuries.

 

[luuked]

Ok so many to talk and blame on defense, but one play I didn't see being mentioned, was a weak ass kickoff that Seattle returned to the 40 yard line.

This season, between Ghost mistakes and Cyrus Jones fumbling, I am under the impression the ST's are not performing like they used to. Is there anyone seeing this too?
I'm seeing teams returning to good positions and our gunners missing tackles. Week 3 against Houston was a special night, kudos to them, but overall out ST's are good I'd say, but more close to average than top of the league.

The emphasis on kickoffs clearly affected Ghost mechanics, apparently he is doing better, but every FG I feel like my heart rate gets elevated. With this crappy defense, BB needs to decide if he is going to give the other teams a start at 25 yard line or gamble to get them under 10 or past 30.

Edit-> Oh yes I forgot there was a kickoff Ghost kicked out of the sidelines and Seattle started at 40. Those 2 are basically mini turnovers and against a team like Seattle is fatal. BB is stubborn and will insist on the kickoff emphasis but I'd say at this point I would be OK with kicking touch backs every time and giving Ghost the green light to focus only in FG's and Extra points.

I disagree. ST have been overall more consistent and better than last year. That's when they were poor and also affected the AFC seeding (Harper fumble in Denver, the meltdown that was the Eagles game).

I feel like the coverage in general has been pretty good this year with some exceptions like against Seattle. Similarly the kickoffs and punting has been more often pretty good than not. Ghost is still working through the FG kicking issues which definitely knocks down the overall mark.

All in all, it's not a coincidence that Ghost and Allen were both ST players of the week in the first few weeks. They are not the league's best but definitely improved over last year.

 

[aluminum seats]

Why take the risk. Kick deep. Just give them the ball on the 25 and eliminate potential injuries.

Ghost has to figure it out and it looks like he has. I don't like the idea of restricting game strategy because a player can't handle it.

And saying "just give them the ball on the 25" is nuts...if the Pats can make a team start from their 10 or 15, you can't just say make it the 25 like it's insignificant.

 

[IndianPat]

Ghost has to figure it out and it looks like he has. I don't like the idea of restricting game strategy because a player can't handle it.

Ghost has it figured out? Last week one of his kickoffs went out of bounds. There goes an extra 15 yards. Another kick was returned to the 40. That's another 15 yards. There have not been opposing team starting from 10 or 15 in a long time.
BB's idea (and yours) is fine in theory. Game strategy has to be restricted if Ghost cannot handle it. The team has no choice.

 

[TheFlyingWedge]

I think Cyrus Jones could become a very exciting returner. Takes time to evolve.
BB should assess risk/reward returns on his strategy for short kickoffs. It is great if you can pin them consistently inside the 20. Conversely, he also faces the risk of it being returned big. We don't want that big return to come in the playoffs. Reports indicate that he is screwing up Ghost's mechanics. Why take the risk. Kick deep. Just give them the ball on the 25 and eliminate potential injuries.

Why the optimism with Jones as a return specialist? Bethel Johnson was an exciting and effective kick returner his rookie year and made an immediate impact without needing time to evolve.

 

[luuked]

Ghost has it figured out? Last week one of his kickoffs went out of bounds. There goes an extra 15 yards. Another kick was returned to the 40. That's another 15 yards. There have not been opposing team starting from 10 or 15 in a long time.
BB's idea (and yours) is fine in theory. Game strategy has to be restricted if Ghost cannot handle it. The team has no choice.

How the **** is the return to the 40 Ghosts fault ? The kickoff that led to that was not bad at all, but the coverage just sucked on that return or if you wanna actually praise Seattle you can say that their blocking was pretty good. Because you know.. they also have paid coaches and players who practice those things..

 

[aluminum seats]

Ghost has it figured out? Last week one of his kickoffs went out of bounds. There goes an extra 15 yards. Another kick was returned to the 40. That's another 15 yards. There have not been opposing team starting from 10 or 15 in a long time.
BB's idea (and yours) is fine in theory. Game strategy has to be restricted if Ghost cannot handle it. The team has no choice.

Of course they do, and as @luuked says, the return to the 40 was not a reflection on the kick.

 

[Galeb]

I came into the thread thinking it was going to be about "special" teams like Cleveland and Jacksonville.

 

[IndianPat]

Of course they do, and as @luuked says, the return to the 40 was not a reflection on the kick.

Obviously it is not a reflection of the kick. But it is a reflection of the strategy regarding kickoffs. . In your earlier post, you mentioned that "giving them the ball on the 25 is nuts when you can pin them down on the 10 or 15". I am point out to you that some times the end result could also be the 40. It happened twice in the Seattle game that we lost.

 

[aluminum seats]

Obviously it is not a reflection of the kick. But it is a reflection of the strategy regarding kickoffs. . In your earlier post, you mentioned that "giving them the ball on the 25 is nuts when you can pin them down on the 10 or 15". I am point out to you that some times the end result could also be the 40. It happened twice in the Seattle game that we lost.

Well, that's why they play. A team that aspires to win the Super Bowl can't be afraid to play the game. Returns to the 40 should be, and typically are with this team, pretty rare.