boxtonenyc
Recruit
- Joined
- Feb 7, 2018
- Messages
- 1,069
Think back on ANY of our great teams and every single one featured incredible special teams. And while Coaches like Sol or Frank Beamer are a part of having great units, I believe the performance of your special teams can be used as a litmus test for how healthy a team is as a whole. Here's why:
1) Teams that have recruited well, AND who have developed their upperclassmen well, have an overflow of talent. The younger kids, despite great talent, are unable to beat out their well-developed upperclass counterparts. This results in the young lions playing on specials. Lots of talent playing everywhere, without having to rely on upperclassmen, means your program is very healthy from a roster standpoint.
2) Outside of K, P, and maybe a returner, NOBODY is recruited for special teams. A poorly run program, that may even have tons of talent on specials, will see half-assed effort in that unit, b/c kids don't want to be playing there. Elite programs feature players who are so disciplined, so eager to participate, so desperate to win in any way that they play their ASSES off on special teams. Blocking punts, FGs, setting up returns, sacrificing for the returned to get his shine, racing down the field to blow up a returner: these are all EFFORT plays, and when every kid on the team is going all out every play, your team is very healthy from a mental and physical strength standpoint.
3) Elite programs have coaching staffs that are often a mix of older guys and younger guys, some with more experience than others. But in today's game, coordinators are so massively valued that they are getting seven figure salaries. While STs coaches are not at this level, the best teams do not consider specials to be the red-headed stepchild. They make sure that unit is run by someone qualified, experienced, AND who has to ability to balance another position coaching job. It's a hugely demanding position. When your program puts a value on who coaches the STs, it means they have invested properly in a coaching staff.
Our program has had not just mediocre special teams for a while, but truly ABYSMAL special teams. And yes, the kicker is terrible. But we never block FGs, or punts. We don't return the ball well EVER. Our kickoff coverage is always terrible. I hated the Hartley hire. Go back to the thread when he was hired, and you will see some really outraged folks. But it ain't just him. It's the entire state of the program.
1) Teams that have recruited well, AND who have developed their upperclassmen well, have an overflow of talent. The younger kids, despite great talent, are unable to beat out their well-developed upperclass counterparts. This results in the young lions playing on specials. Lots of talent playing everywhere, without having to rely on upperclassmen, means your program is very healthy from a roster standpoint.
2) Outside of K, P, and maybe a returner, NOBODY is recruited for special teams. A poorly run program, that may even have tons of talent on specials, will see half-assed effort in that unit, b/c kids don't want to be playing there. Elite programs feature players who are so disciplined, so eager to participate, so desperate to win in any way that they play their ASSES off on special teams. Blocking punts, FGs, setting up returns, sacrificing for the returned to get his shine, racing down the field to blow up a returner: these are all EFFORT plays, and when every kid on the team is going all out every play, your team is very healthy from a mental and physical strength standpoint.
3) Elite programs have coaching staffs that are often a mix of older guys and younger guys, some with more experience than others. But in today's game, coordinators are so massively valued that they are getting seven figure salaries. While STs coaches are not at this level, the best teams do not consider specials to be the red-headed stepchild. They make sure that unit is run by someone qualified, experienced, AND who has to ability to balance another position coaching job. It's a hugely demanding position. When your program puts a value on who coaches the STs, it means they have invested properly in a coaching staff.
Our program has had not just mediocre special teams for a while, but truly ABYSMAL special teams. And yes, the kicker is terrible. But we never block FGs, or punts. We don't return the ball well EVER. Our kickoff coverage is always terrible. I hated the Hartley hire. Go back to the thread when he was hired, and you will see some really outraged folks. But it ain't just him. It's the entire state of the program.