I don't know all of our special teams stats and as we all know we struggled kicking and punting but I also know we had very good punt and kick-off return teams and I don't recall giving up too many big returns.
Alabama special teams coordinator wins award
- Thread starter JustNeedMe81
- Start date
Evidently kicking and punting are not big components of the criteria for this award—which is somewhat surprising.
The way I look at it is the coach can not control how accurate the kicker is or how good the punter makes contact with the ball but they can control who guys block and where the returner runs back the kick and the cover guys stay in their lanes and how fast they get down field and make tackles so in that respect we have been excellent.
Sorry, but that dog doesn't hunt. Alabama has been very good at everything that they are good at this year since Saban arrived. Banks had nothing to do with that. Saban's philosophy of putting great players on special teams, plus having guys like Jacobs and Waddle returning did that this year. It was other guys in previous years with similar results - often even better.
Banks was brought to Alabama to improve the performance of the one area that had been lacking - the kickers. The kickers at Alabama are worse than I ever remember.
I've been defensive of the coaches on this issue, specifically because none of them were qualified to coach kickers. In this case, he's a special teams coach, and a former punter. That's his job now, so I would agree that getting performance out of those positions is certainly part of his responsibility.
Hahahaha hahahaha hahahaha.... This might be my favorite post of the day....Well.... I have to say we were really good at stopping fake punts with 11 yards to go.
Fortunately, voters for this well-deserved award were never told that Regression is in the eye of the holder.
I will say this.
The guy they have coming in is both a place kicker and a punter in high school. Now, I expect him to be used as a place kicker, but if that guy can average 35 yards punting in high school one can hope he'd do at least that in college (Bernier averaged 37.9 and DeLong averaged 34.4). So I can't think of a good reason there wouldn't be spirited competition at the position and see someone emerge.
Likewise, Alabama has Bulovas and the incoming #1 rated place kicker. I really hope the coach goes out there and "earns" his award so to speak.
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I question overlooking our Extra points/Field Goal Kicking, and our Punting game.
I haven't done the math, but we left a heck of a lot of points on the field this year...
I would have him on the hot seat, because in my book...
It left a lot to be desired.
That's putting it mildly.
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I think I can add somewhat of a unique perspective to this discussion. I used to coach at a high school here in alabama (not a good one, lol) and was tasked one year with coaching the punt return unit. Well, I met a guy and long story short had a chance to go meet with a GA at Auburn in their meeting rooms, watch film, got a dvd of drills and cut ups etc. Now I'm dyed in the wool Bama by Birth, but you don't pass up that opportunity to talk high level football, and AU always seems to have good special teams.
Watching our punt return unit this year I noticed something. We have Waddle (a touchdown waiting to happen) returning punts, but apparently do not have the ability to set up a true punt return. Any yards Waddle got this year he did on his own. And one more thing, it's not our personnel, but the technique that they are using that is the problem.
AU taught what they called a "crunch" technique at the line when setting up a return. The player in shaded slightly inside their man and at the snap, attacks the chest plate of their opponent, drives for a count, then allows the player an outside release while attempting to run stride for stride. In other words, its not unlike playing press man corner in a way. No one on the punt coverage unit gets a free release (except the long snapper who is dealt with by other means. This simple action allows for a possibility of a return.
For what ever reason, watch the punt coverage unit, I couldn't tell what we were trying to do post snap. Guys would run through the line. Touch no one. Stop for a count. Then turn an slowly chase. I mean it was like there was no scheme at all. Waddle constantly had to receive with a wall of defenders in his face.
Not ST coach of the year in my opinion, but a disappointment. An inability to adjust in order to make his unit a weapon. Its just my opinion for what its worth.
Merry Christmas guys!
Watching our punt return unit this year I noticed something. We have Waddle (a touchdown waiting to happen) returning punts, but apparently do not have the ability to set up a true punt return. Any yards Waddle got this year he did on his own. And one more thing, it's not our personnel, but the technique that they are using that is the problem.
AU taught what they called a "crunch" technique at the line when setting up a return. The player in shaded slightly inside their man and at the snap, attacks the chest plate of their opponent, drives for a count, then allows the player an outside release while attempting to run stride for stride. In other words, its not unlike playing press man corner in a way. No one on the punt coverage unit gets a free release (except the long snapper who is dealt with by other means. This simple action allows for a possibility of a return.
For what ever reason, watch the punt coverage unit, I couldn't tell what we were trying to do post snap. Guys would run through the line. Touch no one. Stop for a count. Then turn an slowly chase. I mean it was like there was no scheme at all. Waddle constantly had to receive with a wall of defenders in his face.
Not ST coach of the year in my opinion, but a disappointment. An inability to adjust in order to make his unit a weapon. Its just my opinion for what its worth.
Merry Christmas guys!
The good if not glorious news, and I'm going retro here, is another to-be-rehabbed-by-Saban ex-SEC head coach could be on the way as 'Bama special teams analyst - though only if Saban's act of charity exceeds anything Mother Teresa ever did for humankind. Find the prospective analyst and his paramount ST guidance on the muffing of one opportunity after another here.
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