Tag: special teams

Chiefs extend contract of special teams coordinator Dave Toub

Special teams coordinator Dave Toub was the latest assistant coach to earn a contract extension after the #Chiefs’ Super Bowl LVIII victory.

After extending defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo’s contract earlier this week, the Kansas City Chiefs locked in yet another assistant coach to a long-term deal on Friday.

Longtime special teams coordinator Dave Toub was the latest coach to earn a new contract, according to NFL insider Adam Schefter.

Toub’s new contract will keep him in Kansas City for the next three years and will ensure that the Chiefs maintain continuity on their coaching staff as they endeavor to win their third consecutive Super Bowl next season.

The veteran coordinator has been a fixture on Kansas City’s sideline since Andy Reid’s tenure with the Chiefs started in 2013. Before his time in the NFL, Toub coached the Missouri Tigers for more than a decade between 1989 and 2000.

His continued presence will be a valuable asset for Kansas City in the coming years as the Chiefs look to build their budding dynasty for the long term.

Bucs interview two more candidates for special teams opening

One of the new interviews includes an in-house hire that played safety for the Bucs for six years.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are continuing their coaching search, as they have conducted two more interviews for their special teams coordinator opening.

The team announced Monday that it has interviewed both Bucs special teams assistant Keith Tandy and Seattle Seahawks special teams coordinator Larry Izzo for their special teams coordinator opening. With the two interviewed, there have been four total interviews for the spot after previous special teams coordinator Keith Armstrong retired.

Tandy has history with the Bucs, and it isn’t just as a coach. He spent six years with the team as a safety from 2012-17, and he came on to the team as a special teams assistant in 2020 and has a Super Bowl ring with the Tampa Bay from their 2020 season. Tandy is the in-house candidate for the Bucs, having been involved in the organization for a total of 10 years.

Izzo is the Seahawks’ special teams coordinator and has been since 2021. A former player himself in the league from 1996-2009, Izzo was not explicitly fired in Seattle but he was not retained after new head coach Mike Macdonald brought on Jay Harbaugh to serve as special teams coordinator. Izzo has been a coach in the NFL for quite some time, beginning his coaching career in 2011 with the New York Giants.

[lawrence-auto-related count=5 category=1364]

Losing Phil Galiano could be a big hit to the Saints special teams units

Losing Phil Galiano would be a big hit to the Saints special teams units. Only one team has allowed fewer return yards since he was hired:

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are interviewing Phil Galiano for their open special teams coordinator job on Tuesday — and losing him could be a big hit to the New Orleans Saints kicking units.

Galiano isn’t a big name in New Orleans. He’s worked as the assistant to Saints special teams coordinator Darren Rizzi since they were both hired in 2019, rarely speaking to the media or taking the spotlight. But they have both played a key role in maintaining the Saints’ excellence in the game’s third phase.

We tend to think of special teams as being all about kicking field goals and punting the ball away. But it’s a real team effort. Finding the right players who can get downfield in a hurry and limit returns is critical. And Galiano deserves some credit for helping the Saints outperform the rest of the league in that phase.

Since Rizzi and Galiano arrived in 2019, the Saints are the only team in the NFL to allow fewer than 1,000 punt return yards (998) and 2,500 kick return yards (2,350). Only one team, the Washington Commanders, has given up fewer total return yards with 3,103 to the Saints’ 3,348. The other 30 teams in the NFL have all allowed 3,500 or more.

Here’s how they all stack up:

It’s possible the Buccaneers end up hiring a different candidate for their special teams coordinator opening. At the same time, there’s a chance Galiano could leave for the promotion. If he does exit this isn’t a loss that Saints fans should overlook. Hopefully Rizzi already has an idea of possible replacements should he need to hire a new assistant.

[lawrence-auto-related count=4]

Oklahoma special teams analyst Jay Nunez off to Alabama per report

Oklahoma Sooners special teams analyst Jay Nunez is taking a position with the Alabama Crimson Tide per report.

Oklahoma’s special teams units were a major talking point during the 2023 season. From the kicking and return games to the coverage units, special teams were often a letdown for the Sooners.

The man charged with coordinating the special teams in an off-field role was Jay Nunez. According to a report from Parker Thune of OUInsider and Rivals, Nunez is leaving Oklahoma to join the Alabama Crimson Tide as special teams coordinator.

His short stint in Norman was marked with inconsistency and, at times, underwhelming performances from the special teams units.

Though we saw the emergence of punter Luke Elzinga, there was often curiosity as to why it took so long for him to take over punting duties. The kicking game struggled in a five-game stretch during the middle of the season, where Zach Schmit was just 5 of 11. That included the three-point loss to Oklahoma State, where he was 1 of 2.

The punt return game also became a bit of an adventure as Gavin Freeman struggled with his decision-making.

 

It’ll be interesting to see who takes over these duties moving forward. New defensive coordinator Zac Alley has experience coordinating special teams, but his focus will be on the defense and may not have a plate big enough to fit both units.

The Sooners will have to reorganize how they manage special teams on gameday as it’s been a position held by an off-field assistant in recent years.

Contact/Follow us @SoonersWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oklahoma news, notes, and opinions. You can also follow John on Twitter @john9williams.

Bucs to interview Saints assistant Phil Galiano for special teams coordinator job

The Buccaneers will interview Saints assistant Phil Galiano for their special teams coordinator job. He’s been a big part of their success in the game’s third phase:

Another key New Orleans Saints assistant coach could be going to a division rival. NewOrleans.Football’s Nick Underhill reports that the Tampa Bay Buccaneers will interview Phil Galiano for their special teams coordinator opening on Tuesday.

This would be a promotion for Galiano, who has worked as the assistant special teams coach to Darren Rizzi the last few years, so the Saints cannot block it. That was the case last year when the Atlanta Falcons hired New Orleans’ defensive line coach and co-coordinator Ryan Nielsen for their defensive coordinator gig (though he’s since joined the Jacksonville Jaguars in the same role).

Galiano, 46, has worked for the Buccaneers before; he was an assistant special teams coach on Greg Schiano in the 2012 and 2013 seasons. He’s also held the title of special teams coordinator at the college level with Penn State. The Saints’ kicking units have ranked among the best in the league since he and Rizzi joined the squad in 2019 and his departure would be missed.

[lawrence-auto-related count=4]

George Paton details Broncos’ improvement in 2023

Broncos GM George Paton said the club made huge improvements on special teams in 2023. The offense and defense took steps forward, too.

The Denver Broncos did not qualify for the playoffs in 2023, but the team did take a step forward from previous seasons.

During his end-of-season press conference last week, Broncos general manager George Paton was asked what areas he believed the team progressed the most during the 2023 campaign.

“Special teams. We were in the bottom of the league in special teams my first two years here. [It] depends on what rankings you look at. If you look at [Mike] Westhoff’s, we’re first,” Paton said jokingly. “But we’re probably in the top five. That was a big emphasis.

“We’ve been trying to get there, and I give credit to Mike Westhoff, Ben Kotwica and Chris Banjo for what they did. We [also brought] in some players. You have [Marvin] Mims, you have Riley Moss, and you have Tremon Smith. Special Teams was a big jump.”

Rick Gosselin, who ranks all 32 special teams units after each season, ranked the Broncos seventh in 2023 (a big improvement from 25th in 2022).

Paton also noted improvements on defense and offense under new coach Sean Payton.

“On defense, like Sean [has] talked about, the defense formed an identity after about six or seven games with physicality and creating turnovers,” Paton said. “That was huge for our team.

“The offense — we were running the ball pretty good. Obviously late in the year, we didn’t, but on offense, the identity was physicality and ball control. We didn’t turn it over much. We need to get better in both of those phases, but that’s where the jump was from prior years.”

Denver’s offense improved from averaging 16.9 points per game in 2022 to 21.0 PPG in 2023. Still not the kind of number Payton is aiming for, but a notable improvement. The club’s biggest area of improvement was undoubtedly on special teams.

So while the 2023 campaign did not end the way the Broncos hoped it would, Payton’s first season in charge did represent a step in the right direction for Denver.

Follow the Broncos Wire Podcast:
Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google Podcasts

[lawrence-auto-related count=5 category=482983128]

Broncos’ special teams ranked 7th by Rick Gosselin in 2023

After being ranked 25th by Rick Gosselin last year, the Broncos’ special teams units jumped up to 7th in 2023.

When he took over as the Denver Broncos’ new head coach last year, Sean Payton immediately made improving special teams one of his top priorities.

Payton brought in a new special teams coordinator (Ben Kotwica), a new assistant head coach with an extensive special teams background (Mike Westhoff) and a just-retired safety as a special teams assistant (Chris Banjo).

After completely reshaping the staff, Payton brought in a new kicker, a new punter and new returners. He even made a change at long snapper.

The result of those changes? Denver’s special teams units improved from being ranked 25th by Rick Gosselin in 2022 to 7th in 2023.

Gosselin sorts 22 kicking-game categories and assigns points to each team according to its standing (one for best, 32 for worst). The Broncos totaled 302 points this season, a notable improvement from 433.5 last year (fewer points equates to a better score).

The Broncos had the fifth-best special teams score in the AFC and the seventh-best in the NFL overall. There’s still room for improvement, but special teams took a huge step forward in Payton’s first season.

Follow the Broncos Wire Podcast:
Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google Podcasts

[lawrence-auto-related count=5 category=482983128]

Packers must overcome special teams gap to beat Cowboys in playoffs

The Cowboys special teams present a tremendous challenge for Rich Bisaccia and the Packers in Sunday’s NFC Wild Card Round.

The Green Bay Packers defense will face the tall task of trying to slow down the Dallas Cowboys’ high-scoring offense during Sunday’s NFC Wild Card Round showdown. But another area where the Cowboys have the advantage, at least on paper, is special teams.

In Rick Gosselin’s annual special teams rankings for 2023, the Packers dropped seven spots to 29th place, while the Cowboys were ranked as the 12th best.

Cowboys return man KaVontae Turpin has speed, and he has been dynamic with the ball in his hands, specifically on kickoffs, where he’s averaged 29.2 yards per return during the regular season–the second-best rate in football. Turpin also handles punt returns as well.

“He’s a tremendous challenge,” said Rich Bisaccia of Turpin. “He’s got great speed. He’s got great vision, can make you miss, and he can score. He can go the distance. He’s really fast anyway, but he’s extremely fast in that particular stadium. How we deal with him in the punt game and how we deal with him in the kickoff game remains to be seen, but he’s a problem.”

The Packers’ coverage units have probably been the most consistent aspects of the special teams unit this season, with Bisaccia calling their performances in those phases “solid,” but Turpin will present them with a challenge.

Brandon Aubrey was one of the most reliable kickers this season, making 94.7 percent of his field goal attempts. This includes going 10-for-10 from 50-plus yards. He’s basically been automatic at home.

And if you’re hoping that now two-time All-Pro Keisean Nixon will have the opportunity to provide the Packers with a spark, odds are he won’t have the opportunity to do so with Aubrey booting the ball through the end zone. Only 7.3 percent of Aubrey’s kickoffs were returned in 2023–a league low.

“Well, he hasn’t in that stadium,” said Bisaccia about Aubrey giving up kick return attempts in Dallas. “Unless you’re determined to return it. He’s had a couple miss hits. I think Washington had three returns against him last week, although it was outdoors. But he’s having a tremendous year. Not only on kickoffs but what he’s doing on field goals as well. He might have missed a couple PATs in there somewhere, but he’s had a tremendous year.”

On top of all of that, the Cowboys have four blocked kicks this season. If the Packers are going to have the opportunity to make a splash on special teams, it may have to come on punt returns, where nearly 55 percent of Bryan Anger’s punt attempts are returned with that coverage unit allowing 10.4 yards per return, which is slightly below league average.

“They got a good punt rush team and playing with big people inside,” added Bisaccia. “They were a challenge last year playing against them up here. We expect the same challenge going into their place.”

The Packers special teams unit has been plagued by penalties this season, with Green Bay leading the NFL in most penalties accepted in that phase of the game. With a Cowboys offense averaging almost 30 points per game, they don’t need any extra help from self-inflicted penalties by the Packers special teams unit.

Anders Carlson has also gone through the rookie roller coaster, missing either an extra point or a field goal in eight of his last 10 games–a far cry from the steady presence that the Cowboys have in Aubrey.

Everything is magnified once you get to the NFL playoffs. And as Packers fans have learned over the years, that includes special teams miscues. If the Packers are going to pull off the upset, they’ll have to be buttoned up on special teams.

Missed field goals, penalties, losing the field position battle, or whatever other issue could present itself may prove to be too much to overcome when coupled with the challenge that the Cowboys’ offensive and defensive units bring to the table as well.

Packers vs. Cowboys playoff preview: Who has the edge on special teams?

Special teams can make or break a playoff game, as the Packers know all too well. Who has the advantage on special teams in Packers vs. Cowboys?

The Green Bay Packers (9-8) are going on the road to play the Dallas Cowboys (12-5) in the NFC Wild Card Round on Sunday at AT&T Stadium. At most sportsbooks, the seventh-seeded Packers are touchdown underdogs.

Football is a complicated game, but finding the reasons for winning individual matchups between teams each week is often a straightforward exercise. What wins games? Excellent quarterback play, winning the line of scrimmage, taking care of the football and taking it away, controlling the important situations and overcoming or taking advantage of the injury situation.

We’ve already looked at the quarterback battle, the line of scrimmage and turnovers/situational matchups. And the Cowboys are the healthier team, a fact that will become obvious when Friday’s final injury report arrives. So, let’s look at one final area of importance: special teams.

Here are some relevant numbers:

Packers Cowboys
FG% 81.8 (24th) 94.7 (2nd)
PAT% 87.2 (30th) 94.2 (21st)
ST penalties 19 (32nd) 17 (29th)
Kick return average 25.3 (5th) 21.8 (21st)
Punt return average 7.3 (29th) 5.4 (32nd)
Kickoff coverage 23.8 (20th) 24.8 (24th)
Punt coverage 11.7 (26th) 10.3 (21st)
Punting average 46.2 (24th) 51.4 (1st)
Net punting average 39.4 (28th) 45.3 (1st)
Punts inside 20% 31.6 (25th) 38.6 (13th)
Kickoff touchback% 43.0 (32nd) 90.8 (1st)
Blocked kicks 1 (12th) 3 (1st)
Giveaways 2 (20th) 0 (1st)
Starting field position 29.8 (8th) 28.9 (14th)
Opp. starting field position 27.7 (9th) 27.3 (7th)
Special teams TDs allowed 1 (23rd) 0 (1st)
PFF ST grade 67.9 (26th) 83.1 (13th)
ST DVOA -3.2 (31st) 1.6 (10th)
Gosselin rank 29th 12th

The Packers know all too well how important special teams can be to the final outcome of a postseason game. In games with razor thin margins, one mistake on special teams can swing a game.

On Sunday, the Packers will have to overcome another poor season overall on special teams and avoid making a game-changing mistake in the third phase to win a game as the road underdog in Dallas.

The Cowboys will go into the showdown Sunday enjoying massive advantages in terms of kicking and punting. Both teams were heavily penalized on special teams and neither was particularly dominant in the return game during the 2023 season, although both teams have an explosive returner.

Cowboys rookie kicker Brandon Aubrey produced what could be an All-Pro season. Packers rookie kicker Anders Carlson endured ups and downs and missed an NFL-high five extra points. It’s worth noting, however, that Aubrey missed a pair of field goals under 40 yards — his first two misses of the season — in the finale against the Commanders. He also missed three extra points. Carlson missed a 41-yard field goal vs. the Bears, and he had missed extra points indoors against the Vikings and Lions over the final eight games. Kicking could be an adventure for at least one team on Sunday.

Aubrey has a big leg and produces touchbacks at a league-high rate, likely limiting the kickoff return potential of Keisean Nixon, the Packers’ best special teams weapon.

Also, Aubrey was a perfect 10-for-10 on field goals of 50 or more yards, including a 60-yarder. He drastically expands the Cowboys’ realistic scoring area. Carlson was 3-for-5 on kicks over 50 with a long of 53.

Cowboys punter Bryan Anger was a Pro Bowler after leading the NFL in yards per punt and net punting average. He is a premier field-flipping punter. Daniel Whelan finished 20th or lower in punting average, net punting average and percentage of punts inside the 20.

The Packers muffed five punts, and both Nixon and Samori Toure lost fumbles returning punts. The Cowboys had zero muffs and zero turnovers in the return game.

KaVonte Turpin, a Pro Bowl returner for the Cowboys last year, averaged 29.2 yards per kickoff return in 2023. He managed only 79 punt return yards this season, but he was arguably the most dangerous punt return in football last season. Can Carlson consistently provide touchbacks on kicks, and can Daniel Whelan keep his coverage teams out of harm’s way? Turpin, like Nixon, has game-breaking potential.

The Packers must also protect against blocks. The Cowboys special teams blocked two punts (NFL high) and a kick.

Both teams missed 12 tackles on special teams during the regular season.

The Cowboys have Pro Bowlers at punter and kicker, and their top returner was a Pro Bowler last year. Special teams coordinator John Fassel is one of the best in the NFL. The Packers finished 29th in Rick Gosselin’s annual special teams rankings after another disappointing year in the third phase. A big edge on special teams goes to Dallas entering Sunday.

Rams unsurprisingly finish last in 2023 special teams rankings

The Rams had the worst special teams unit in the NFL this season after ranking 29th a year ago

It’s pretty safe to say that the Rams’ offense and defense have both exceeded pre-season expectations this year. The offense scored the eighth-most points in the NFL, and while the defense ranked 19th, that’s actually not terrible considering the lack of proven talent on that side of the ball.

The special teams unit, however, has been atrocious. Based on DVOA, it’s one of the worst in NFL history, missing an NFL-high 11 field goals, as well as five extra-point attempts. Ethan Evans averaged only 38.4 net yards per punt because of the Rams’ awful coverage, and he also had one punt blocked.

No matter which area of special teams you look at, the Rams were one of the worst. That’s what makes it so unsurprising that they finished 32nd in Rick Gosselin’s annual special teams rankings after coming in 29th last year.

The Rams accumulated a league-worst 493 points in Gosselin’s rankings, which is based on where teams rank in 22 different categories, from kickoff returns to penalties. For example, if a team ranks last in a category, it gets 32 points. The fewer points, the better. The next-closest team was the Dolphins with 479 points, while the Texans finished first for the second straight season (236 points).

The Rams finished last in kickoff returns (16.1 yards), punt coverage (15.5 yards), points allowed (14) and opponent blocked kicks (3). In all, it was a complete mess in Chase Blackburn’s first season as the special teams coordinator.

There has been no consistency at kicker between Brett Maher and Lucas Havrisik, the Rams have gotten nothing out of their return specialists and the coverage on both kickoffs and punts has been terrible.

Don’t be surprised if sweeping changes are made to the special teams group in the offseason.