There are significant issues on special teams. UF's punter ran untouched for about 7-8 yards (if not more) before anyone even touched him. Granted it was extremely unlikely that they would run a fake deep in their own territory but there should always be players tasked with stopping a fake punt (and positioned appropriately to do so). You simply can't let a punter run free for almost ten yards untouched. That is brutal from an X's and O's standpoint.
Our special teams aren't even close to what they need to be. TNM very much needs to get back to being the old, elite Miami where we don't accept mediocrity. In the past, our special teams were low key ELITE in every phase:
1) We always had 1-2 guys who were great at blocking punts. Remember guys like Bubba McDowell, Ed Reed, Tre Mack & many others? When was the last time we had a blocked punt against a quality opponent? Was it a decade ago? Could Rousseau be our man (with his height)?
2) Our KR & PR were devastatingly good & could turn the tide of the game on one play. Hester, Buchanan, Kevin Williams & many others. JT has potential (he's definitely shown flashes) but we want opponents to hold their breath every time our returners receive the ball.
3) Our kick coverage teams were suffocating. Guys like Jesse Armstead & the late great Sean Taylor took heads off in coverage.
4) Our PK were incredibly reliable (Huerta, Sievers & many others) and were typically clutch in the biggest moments. Miami Hurricanes refused to lose. It was a mindset that led to incredible comebacks (like down 14 against a great Michigan team in Ann Arbor). You could feel the surge in the 4th quarter and the unrelenting determination to win. That's how we won 58 straight games at home (including over many top-ranked teams). Refusing to lose. I remember when some students would cry over a loss -- that's how rare they were. Manny is trying to bring that mindset back. Our PK were a part of that. They were clutch in the biggest moments.
5) Our punters were among the best in the nation (Kalal, Feagles Sr) and had tremendous hang time on their punts which allowed our coverage units to swarm the return man. They were incredibly consistent as well.
We suffocated opponents in every phase of the game and in every aspect of special teams play. There was no let up in any aspect. We poured it on. We need to get back to that. What we saw at UF in the special teams area wasn't even close:
- JT4 shouldn't have even fielded the muffed punt inside the 10. Unless that was a mental blunder by Jeff, that is coaching.
- The UF punter shouldn't have run untouched for almost ten yards. There should have been players positioned properly to prevent that. That is coaching.
- Baxa needs to figure out solutions on chip shots. He should be authorized to take a delay of game penalty if that will help him get a better angle. I root for all Canes to succeed but if he can't make clutch kicks, he will have to be replaced. We simply can't lose missing chip shots. At this level, kicks under 30 yards should be virtually automatic.
- Fact: special teams all-around (except punting & coverage) was a huge reason we lost the UF game. It now needs to be a major point of emphasis.
Legendary coaches (even if we can't stand them or their teams) have made Special Teams a major priority. Frank Beamer (who was a great coach at Va Tech) preached the importance of special teams constantly. He understood just what a big swing factor Special Teams could be. Meyer took personal responsibility for them. After all, football is in large part a battle for field position. The odds of success (scoring & defending) go way, way up if the field position game is tilted in your favor. We need to take significant pride in our special teams & get back to being suffocating in every phase of the game. Patke should spend time with NFL special teams coordinators (if he can get invites) & others. With Baker seemingly doing a good job managing the Defense, Manny has time to give significant input too. There is much work to be done.
