Broncos Special Teams: 3rd Worst in Entire NFL

[telluride]

Yes, I knew they sucked -- and have long sucked, in fact. But I didn't realize we were this horrifically bad (http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/spt/football/nfl/stories/021008dnsponflspecial.34df4b9.html). Among other joyful bits of info contained in the linked breakdown is the fact that Denver had the worst starting field position in the entire league.

Now, personally I'd attribute much of this to the fact that Shanny can't draft worth a damn and he makes impetuous, reactionary, and idiotic personnel decisions. But that would be pessimistic, and since I'm in my optimistic off-season mode I'll simply ask, Can anything be done to fix our special teams?

[TheReverend]

You grate on every single last nerve of my existence. I hope all the bad things in life happen to you and only you.

[Rulon Velvet Jones]

Don't kick to Hester. Try not to cut your punter 2-3 times during the season. Make a concerted effort to put some talent back there to return kicks/punts instead of the "scrub of the week".

[ZachKC]

You grate on every single last nerve of my existence. I hope all the bad things in life happen to you and only you.

Whoa

[OABB]

Yes, I knew they sucked -- and have long sucked, in fact. But I didn't realize we were this horrifically bad (http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/spt/football/nfl/stories/021008dnsponflspecial.34df4b9.html). Among other joyful bits of info contained in the linked breakdown is the fact that Denver had the worst starting field position in the entire league.

Now, personally I'd attribute much of this to the fact that Shanny can't draft worth a damn and he makes impetuous, reactionary, and idiotic personnel decisions. But that would be pessimistic, and since I'm in my optimistic off-season mode I'll simply ask, Can anything be done to fix our special teams?

wa-waungh(debbie downer horns)

[Man-Goblin]

Only 3rd worst?

[cutthemdown]

You grate on every single last nerve of my existence. I hope all the bad things in life happen to you and only you.

If that's true then why do you click on his threads. Are you some sort of sadist?

[telluride]

You grate on every single last nerve of my existence. I hope all the bad things in life happen to you and only you.

Charming.

[bronco militia]

injuries expose your special teams and the quality of your depth.

[cutthemdown]

I still think reason we stink on special teams is that we don't have enough good bkup linebackers and dbacks to throw on ST. That and we use scrubs as return men. To have good depth for ST to be good you have to draft well. Broncos miss on so many picks by they time we go through FA we are lucky to plug starting positions with decent players let alone have bkups worth a crap.

[vancejohnson82]

isn't that an improvement

[telluride]

Insults aside, no one has yet spoken to the problem raised by the following statistics:

TEAM RANKINGS
SportsDay's Rick Gosselin ranked the NFL's 32 teams in 22 kicking-game categories and assigned points according to their standing in each category (one for the best through 32 for the worst). The composite score for those categories:
Rk. Team Points
1. Chicago Bears 236.5
2. San Diego Chargers 242
3. San Francisco 49ers 268.5
4t. Buffalo Bills 277.5
4t. Houston Texans 277.5
6. Cleveland Browns 310.5
7t. Green Bay Packers 318
7t. Tampa Bay Buccaneers 318
9. New England Patriots 326.5
10. Washington Redskins 328
11. Atlanta Falcons 335
12. Tennessee Titans 341
13. New York Jets 359.5
14. Seattle Seahawks 367
15. Pittsburgh Steelers 372.5
16. Baltimore Ravens 375
17. New York Giants 376.5
18. Dallas Cowboys 382.5
19. Carolina Panthers 386.5
20. Jacksonville Jaguars 387.5
21. Miami Dolphins 390
22. Cincinnati Bengals 395
23. St. Louis Rams 396
24. Minnesota Vikings 400
25. Detroit Lions 406
26. Oakland Raiders 414.5
27. Kansas City Chiefs 420
28. Philadelphia Eagles 423.5
29. New Orleans Saints 427
30. Denver Broncos 428.5
31. Indianapolis Colts 447
32. Arizona Cardinals 482.5

KICKOFF RETURNS
Best Cleveland Browns 27.0 yards
Worst Chicago Bears 18.4 yards
Cowboys 19th 22.2 yards

PUNT RETURNS
Best Buffalo Bills 15.4 yards
Worst Cincinnati Bengals 4.9 yards
Cowboys 17th 8.7 yards

KICKOFF COVERAGE
Best Chicago Bears 19.3 yards
Worst St. Louis Rams 27.2 yards
Cowboys 20th 23.0 yards

PUNT COVERAGE
Best Buffalo Bills 5.3 yards
Worst Indianapolis Colts 13.9 yards
Cowboys 29th 11.6 yards

STARTING POINT
Best Chicago Bears 33.7
Worst Denver Broncos 24
Cowboys T-14 28

OPPONENTS STARTING POINT
Best San Francisco 49ers 24.9
Worst Miami Dolphins 32.9
Cowboys 25th 29.3

PUNTING
Best Oakland Raiders 49.1 yards
Worst New York Giants 39.8 yards
Cowboys 4th 47.1 yards

NET PUNTING
Best Oakland Raiders 41.1 yards
Worst Arizona Cardinals 32.0 yards
Cowboys 7th 38.4 yards

INSIDE-20 PUNTS
Best San Francisco 49ers 42
Worst Miami Dolphins 10
Cowboys T-28 17

OPPONENTS PUNTING
Best Cincinnati Bengals 39.7 yards
Worst St. Louis Rams 47.7 yards
Cowboys 29th 45.0 yards

OPPONENTS NET PUNTING
Best Buffalo Bills 31.8 yards
Worst Minnesota Vikings 40.5 yards
Cowboys 26th 39.1 yards

FIELD GOALS
Best Tennessee Titans 35
Worst New Orleans Saints 15
Cowboys T-12 26

FIELD GOAL PERCENTAGE
Best Pittsburgh Steelers 92
Worst New Orleans Saints 68.1
Cowboys 18th 83.8

OPPONENTS FIELD GOAL PERCENTAGE
Best Detroit Lions 62.9
Worst Atlanta Falcons 93.3
Cowboys 10th 80.6

EXTRA POINT PERCENTAGE
Best 22 teams tied 100
Worst New York Giants 95.2
Cowboys T-1 100

POINTS SCORED
Best Chicago Bears 42
Worst 6 teams tied 0
Cowboys T-14 6

POINTS ALLOWED
Best Atlanta, San Diego 0
Worst Denver Broncos 26
Cowboys T-17 12

BLOCKED KICKS FOR
Best Chicago Bears 8
Worst 11 teams tied 0
Cowboys T-11 1

BLOCKED KICKS AGAINST
Best 9 teams tied 0
Worst Indianapolis Colts 4
Cowboys T-10 1

TAKEAWAYS
Best San Diego Chargers 6
Worst 6 teams tied 0
Cowboys T-14 1

GIVEAWAYS
Best 8 teams tied 0
Worst Baltimore Ravens 5
Cowboys T-9 1

PENALTIES (YARDS)
Best New Orleans Saints 4 (49)
Worst Arizona Cardinals 25 (236)
Cowboys 6th 9 (99)

[telluride]

injuries expose your special teams and the quality of your depth.

Agreed, but then why have we been so bad for soooo long?

[cutthemdown]

Charming.

If you grate on every single last nerve wouldn't that imply he has more then one last nerve? Good thing wishes aren't fishes or you would have the worst possible thing imaginable happen to you.

POOOOOF you are a raider fan!!!!

[cutthemdown]

Agreed, but then why have we been so bad for soooo long?

I think it's because when you miss on draft picks you are forced to look for starters in FA. The effect is that your drafts not only don't find starters, but they also don't find quality bkups. So instead of looking in FA for some role players etc etc, we end up looking for starters. In the end we stink for depth which is where good special teams are built.

[telluride]

I think it's because when you miss on draft picks you are forced to look for starters in FA. The effect is that your drafts not only don't find starters, but they also don't find quality bkups. So instead of looking in FA for some role players etc etc, we end up looking for starters. In the end we stink for depth which is where good special teams are built.

Wondering what role, if any, a good ST coach could have in correcting the problem given the talent dearth. Do more with less, as it were.

[Beantown Bronco]

I blame Hixon.

[bronco militia]

I think it's because when you miss on draft picks you are forced to look for starters in FA. The effect is that your drafts not only don't find starters, but they also don't find quality bkups. So instead of looking in FA for some role players etc etc, we end up looking for starters. In the end we stink for depth which is where good special teams are built.

I agree

to add, I don't think Shanny has ignored their special teams issues like so many around here like to claim. He's hired new coaches, tried new kickers, and put starters in on some of the units.

IMO, this teams coverage units (and defense) would improve tremendously with some qualtiy depth at LB.

[montrose]

Good points here. If the Broncos were able to land more quality starters in the draft, FA could be used to bring in more guys like Winborn, Beck and Smith that fortify the special teams. Just because a guy is a good backup doesn't mean he is a good special teamer. Likewise, just because one is a good special teamer doesn't mean he'll be a good position player (I'm looking at you Ian Gold).

[ro_50]

We can fake punt on every 4th down, perhaps try onside kicks on kickoffs.

[ohiobronco2]

I blame Hixon.

Hilarious!

[bowtown]

Wondering what role, if any, a good ST coach could have in correcting the problem given the talent dearth. Do more with less, as it were.

We already have a good special teams coach.

Widely regarded as one of the league’s top special teams coaches, O’Brien coached special teams in the NFL for 14 consecutive seasons with the Cleveland Browns (1991-95), Baltimore Ravens (1996-98) and Carolina Panthers (1999-2004). His six-year stint instructing the Panthers’ special teams also included additional responsibilities as the club’s assistant head coach.

O’Brien’s special teams units have accounted for a total of 31 scores other than field goals and extra points in his 14 seasons in the NFL. This figure includes 16 punt returns for touchdowns, nine kickoff returns for touchdowns, three fake two-point conversions, one fake field goal for a touchdown, one blocked punt for a touchdown and one blocked field goal for a touchdown.

O’Brien, who was named NFL Special Teams Coach of the Year by his peers in 1994, also has helped six different players earn a total of 10 trips to the Pro Bowl as an NFL special teams coach. He has coached at least one player to Pro Bowl honors on special teams in eight different seasons, including a span of six consecutive years from 1998-2003.

O’Brien also has coached three of the 11 players in NFL history who have scored two punt return touchdowns in the same game in Eric Metcalf (1993), Jermaine Lewis (2000) and Steve Smith (2002). His special teams also were the most recent unit in the NFL to have two different players score touchdowns on back-to-back kickoff returns when Baltimore’s Corey Harris and Patrick Johnson did so vs. Minnesota on Dec. 13, 1998.

As the Panthers’ assistant head coach/special teams from 1999-2004, O’Brien’s group tied for the NFL lead with 11 returns for touchdowns on special teams and posted a league-high six kickoffs returned for touchdowns. Carolina also allowed the lowest opponent kickoff return average (19.8 yds.) in the NFL over those six seasons and was one of only two clubs in the league not to allow a kickoff return for a touchdown.

[Smiling Assassin27]

anything worth doing is worth doing badly...

go ST's! friggin' Gale Sayers couldn't run behind the slop heap we have blocking and tackling....and holding, and clipping, and....

[CBF1]

POINTS ALLOWED
Best Atlanta, San Diego 0
Worst Denver Broncos 26
Cowboys T-17 12

Were number 1, Were number 1

Oh no we suck again...........

[theAPAOps5]

Can a mod please change the title of this thread. It needs to read, "I hate Shanny, he is to blame for everything. Including Global Warming, and me getting picked on in school."

[That One Guy]

Nice... so the reason the Broncos went 7-9 is because they had to travel an extra 9 yds on the field? And that's 9 yds from 1st to 32nd... somehow, I think there were more important factors.

And TheReverend is my hero, post #2 there perfectly worded my opinion on telluride as well.

[Spider]

it is amazing someone needed a press release to know this ..... I figured bottom 5 ......