Playing starters on Special Teams a Mistake?

[Dogsince65]

for what its worth I read an article that says most teams assign special teams to : 22% defensive back coach 17% rb coach 15% Line backer 12% wide receivers . Sportsdawg know a lot more about what NCAA is considering -- I think this post will explain why Coach Holtz really has no option but work with what he has ... understand I am NOT being smart-ass here. Can not tell you how many times I have fussed about hiring special teams coach .. just did research and now I understand

[Dogsince65]

Maybe it's changed in the last hundred years, but kick team and punt team players MUST stay in their lanes and force a slow down. Leaving your lane and going for the tackle is a no-no. I've seen our players playing this way since HCSH began coaching. Special teams greatness is not about athletism (starters), it's about discipline (being coached).

The common denominator is HCSH who has ALWAYS claimed to be the special teams coach.

tore my knee up on special teams during practice in high school -- dumbass on team clipped me. Always wished it had happened in game so I could have got sympathy from girls. No difference that discipline containing from defensive end ( we that burned into our brain) .
Maybe it has changed over last 20-30 years . This spread offense has created teams having so much speed ... old days you just sent down guys who like to hit people, discipline to stay in their zone and bingo- nowadays people like Henderson- just too quick and shifty. Kind of like basketball where the big man is becoming obsolete or Fullbacks seldom play.
I got know idea how to fix it. just understand that we had a special teams guy ( Larry Anderson) with 2 super bowl rings and a bunch of Kickers that stayed forever in NFL

[PawDawg]

... old days you just sent down guys who like to hit people, discipline to stay in their zone and bingo- nowadays people like Henderson- just too quick and shifty.

No, in the old days and today, you send guys down the field to stay in lanes and contain. Not too quick and shifty if you do what you are coached to do and STAY IN POSITION. It's about slowing them down, not making the tackle.

[DogsWin]

Anyone know what the issue is with Barnes on kickoffs? Earlier in the year he was kicking the ball out of the back of the endzone and now the ball is barely getting to the endzone. It's not "the wind" because it happens on both ends of the field regularly. Is he dealing with an injury?

[PawDawg]

Anyone know what the issue is with Barnes on kickoffs? Earlier in the year he was kicking the ball out of the back of the endzone and now the ball is barely getting to the endzone. It's not "the wind" because it happens on both ends of the field regularly. Is he dealing with an injury?

Instructions from the special teams coach...HCSH telling him to "kick it to the corners".

[Tech52]

Yeah, I dont think its Barnes.

[Dwayne From Minden]

Not an NCAA issue. We get X number of coaches to do what we want with. He just chooses to do it by committee. It doesn't seem to be working on coverage (and maybe punting).

Correct, not a money issue and even if it was, you can't convince me there is not a young GA ready to earn his chaps coaching special teams

Skip usually has a good eye for coaching talent, this is what puzzles me most

[boxerdog]

Correct, not a money issue and even if it was, you can't convince me there is not a young GA ready to earn his chaps coaching special teams

Skip usually has a good eye for coaching talent, this is what puzzles me most

I agree. Identify a GA who could do it or assign Ed Jackson to the task. Somebody needs to make it their "baby"--the spread around technique doesn't seem to work.

[Gooddawg]

Yes -

Needs a full time special teams coach...

Yes we have always had a special teams coordinator. Ronny Bradford who went to USC was it in title alone after a miserable couple of years. Holtz split it up giving one or two to position coaches.

Special Temas coaches have always coached another position. Eric Russell coached teams under Dooley and Dykes for one year. Tony Levine, former Houston HC, was the teams coordinator for wku and they kicked our butt a couple of weeks ago in special teams. He coached special teams for Tech under JB3. I doubt wku is paying assistants more than we are.

This should be a top priority in the offseason. They do work with punters and kickers on technique but maybe not to level of offseason coaching.

[SicemDawgz]

Anyone know what the issue is with Barnes on kickoffs? Earlier in the year he was kicking the ball out of the back of the endzone and now the ball is barely getting to the endzone. It's not "the wind" because it happens on both ends of the field regularly. Is he dealing with an injury?

I doubt it. He kicked a 54 yard FG a couple of weeks ago.

[JAMROB]

I just went to see who we have on the kickoff team. It doesn't look like a bad group...

Sneed
Holly
Woods
Cooper
D. King
Dunn
Blankenship
D. Lewis
Farris
Whoever 36 is

Safeties, Corners, and LBs, 1 FB, some starters, some backups. These guys should be able to tackle, imo. It's got to be a coaching issue (stay in your lanes, break down to make the tackle, ??).

Blank, Farris and Woods definitely. I have watched the others. I think Darryl Lewis has made a play. Blankenship is the best out there I think. Daevon, CNL, Grogan, Mims, King, probably should be on coverage. Might keep Cooper. Need one more.

The trouble is we are not forming the net quick enough or good enough and we're not getting off blocks or tackiling. Pretty much everything. No offense guys should be on coverage, IMO.

[Bearpaw]

tore my knee up on special teams during practice in high school -- dumbass on team clipped me. Always wished it had happened in game so I could have got sympathy from girls. No difference that discipline containing from defensive end ( we that burned into our brain) .
Maybe it has changed over last 20-30 years . This spread offense has created teams having so much speed ... old days you just sent down guys who like to hit people, discipline to stay in their zone and bingo- nowadays people like Henderson- just too quick and shifty. Kind of like basketball where the big man is becoming obsolete or Fullbacks seldom play.
I got know idea how to fix it. just understand that we had a special teams guy ( Larry Anderson) with 2 super bowl rings and a bunch of Kickers that stayed forever in NFL

Special teams was the hardest part of the job for me as a player, and for our team as a whole. I remember my worst "wipeout" was when I was trying to defend a punt and I tried to watch the ball instead of the returner, and one of the blockers hit me and I did a flip then flopped to the ground. Pretty embarrassing, but a great learning experience which my coach made me pay for

[Tech77]

I have been wondering about Barnes, too. He kicked them out of the endzone, mostly, in the Arkansas game. If he can do that, it would solve the issues. If he tried and didn't get a touchback, would we likely give up a longer return than we are the way we are doing it now?

[T1]

He still kicks it in the end zone most of the time. The WKU guy started bringing them out of the end zone for big gains and probably showed everyone that's a good choice.

[Houston Techsan]

I have been wondering about Barnes, too. He kicked them out of the endzone, mostly, in the Arkansas game. If he can do that, it would solve the issues. If he tried and didn't get a touchback, would we likely give up a longer return than we are the way we are doing it now?

You can't get a touch back if the other side doesn't take a knee. Everyone now knows we can't cover their return so they run it back no matter how deep Barnes kicks it. As T1 says it really started with the WKU returner. I remember one that was halfway through the end zone and he still ran it back to about mid field.