Not So Special Teams

[YesAppCan]

I have to admit that at FanFest when the kid ran back the kick off for a TD, my first thought was about the special teams allowing it.

[WataugaMan]

APParently you were the only one that had that first thought.

[gaapp78]

Special teams is about dedication and also following a plan and being disciplined and being in position to make plays. While it isnt about having athletes, I do have to quesiton some of the personnel that we use on our coverage units. I know the preferred formation is to have the 3 big personal protectors for the punter. I think that is part of the problem with the punt coverage. you have 3 personal protectors 10 yds behind the line and look like offensive lineman, though I know one of them is Blair, our DL. taking out the punter, realistically that leaves only 7 players going down to cover. the lineman are a bit slower and lets face it arent natural pursuers of the ball like a lb or db might be. There are times when you break that first wave that the 2nd wave of the coverage unit should be there, but Apps upbacks are probably 25 yds from the ball by the time the returner gets the ball.

[PBR1893-BEER-HAT-GUY]

in defense, the cover man for app was being held and then pushed in back while trying to tackle return man toward end of play and i was screaming at the ref and the tv...for some reason, they couldn't hear me. also, that pass interference on our dback toward end of game should have been a no-call for an uncatchable ball. so there are 2 scores...we lost but out gained in total yds and t.o.p was about even as were plays...the heat really got to them it seemed.

[WVAPPeer]

WV...I see what you are saying, but we have a blatant history of suspect special teams, and here's to them getting addressed like the committee did. It's hard put lipstick on a pig.

Leave my championship pig out of this

[Cincy App]

I agree with GAAPP78 that our ST personnel seems wrong. I've seen enough through FanFest and the ECU game to see that we still have major problems on special teams. We traditionally cannot cover kicks. Please get this fixed!

[GreatAppSt]

we still have major problems on special teams. We traditionally cannot cover kicks. Please get this fixed!

DING DING DING DING DING! Give that man a Prize!

[mountaineerman]

Sorry fellas but this is lack of coaching in my opinion year after year aftyer year after year, its losing ball games for us now.

[97grad]

Agree something with either the scheme or the people chosen to execute it are wrong. This has been a problem for years, so you can't put it on the players. We have either the wrong guys on the field or the wrong strategy for coverage.

[WVAPPeer]

Agree something with either the scheme or the people chosen to execute it are wrong. This has been a problem for years, so you can't put it on the players. We have either the wrong guys on the field or the wrong strategy for coverage.

I agree it has to be strategy - we have had very good players on special teams - including some of our guys in the NFL - and I agree it is not working ---

[PBR1893-BEER-HAT-GUY]

im gonna say that itll be better than some of you suspect....mostly because of new rule of kicking it thru or downing in the endzone goes out to 25...most kickers can kick through endzone and opposing team returner will have to think good and hard about returning a ball more than the alloted 25 yrds if he takes the chance. that being said, it was a short kick desined play??? from what soem have said and i dont like that...but also, as i stated, there was a block in the back not called and the guy would have stopped the runner imop. except for a bad punt coverage and of course the run back, either all punts and kick offs resulted in a touch back or fair caught...so it wasn't the best but it wasn't the worst. just an observation.

[boonedocks]

I don't believe the short kick was designed. It just so happened that the wind was gusting directly in our face on that kickoff. The flags beside the scoreboard were fully flying in the kickers face.

I actually told my buddy right before kick off, "great, directly into the wind... this will probably be returnable."

Unfortunately, I was right.

I have been following ASU for 10 years, and our kick coverage has always been atrocious. I really don't understand how that is possible.

[ViewCrew87]

Wasn't Ivey brought in to help coach special teams???

I agree with Black Saturday....kick it away if we can't cover. They were momentum killers for this young team.

[WVAPPeer]

Wasn't Ivey brought in to help coach special teams???

I agree with Black Saturday....kick it away if we can't cover. They were momentum killers for this young team.

Good to hear from you - thought you might have been put in witness protection

[ViewCrew87]

"thought you might have been put in witness protection"
Was on work release to go to the game but felt like I spent the night in the box!

[t4pizza]

im gonna say that itll be better than some of you suspect....mostly because of new rule of kicking it thru or downing in the endzone goes out to 25...most kickers can kick through endzone and opposing team returner will have to think good and hard about returning a ball more than the alloted 25 yrds if he takes the chance. that being said, it was a short kick desined play??? from what soem have said and i dont like that...but also, as i stated, there was a block in the back not called and the guy would have stopped the runner imop. except for a bad punt coverage and of course the run back, either all punts and kick offs resulted in a touch back or fair caught...so it wasn't the best but it wasn't the worst. just an observation.

The issue is that most coaches of the kicking team dont want to give up 25 yards so they are opting for high short kicks hoping that the coverage can get to the ball prior to a return being set up. This seems to be what we did and it obviously did not work. I just hope JM is content with touchbacks for the rest of the season and just kicks it to the endzone. Something tells me, probably a history of watching App football, that this will not be the last special teams touchdown that we allow this year. I hope I am wrong but I got a sneaking feeling that I'm not.