Nobody does it worse

Heatherthepackgirl

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Based on the Dallas Morning News' annual statistical analysis, the Packers finished 32nd in overall special-teams performance in 2006, just as they did in '05.

"A thirty-second rank in special teams is not OK," coach Mike McCarthy said. "We definitely need to improve. There's no question about it."

The analysis ranked teams in 22 areas of special teams, with one point assigned to the best team in each category and 32 points for the worst. After finishing last with 442½ points in 2005, the Packers were even worse in '06 with 493½ points.

Chicago was first with 237½ points, followed by Tennessee (240), Buffalo (252½), the New York Jets (295), Cleveland (296½) and Detroit (296½).

Four of the eight teams at the bottom of the rankings were coached by first-year head coaches with offensive backgrounds. The list included Green Bay under McCarthy, Houston under Gary Kubiak, Minnesota under Brad Childress and St. Louis under Scott Linehan.

From 1990-2004, the Packers never ranked worse than 25th. They were eighth in 2003, ninth in '04 and then 32nd in '05 under John Bonamego, who coached New Orleans to a tie for 10th in '06.

Bonamego's replacement, Mike Stock, was out of football in 2005 after coaching St. Louis to a 32nd-place finish in '04.

Although displeased with the results, McCarthy pointed out that there were almost no catastrophic mistakes made by the special teams.

"I don't think you can sit there and talk about scheme or displacement," he said. "Everybody talked about our youth but the guy who had the most youth was the special teams coach. That was never talked about.

"You can't get too far away from the film. We didn't finish last in any of the categories. But things like no points, no blocks, no turnovers, that's the stuff that's more about attitude and approach than anything. I'm actually excited about the body types and the ability. We've got a lot to work with."

Stock and his assistant, Shawn Slocum, will return. McCarthy said he didn't attempt to lure Steve Hoffman, the exceptional kicking coach who wasn't retained by Atlanta but then was hired by Miami this week as assistant special teams coach.

As a Packers consultant in the '05 off-season, Hoffman made improvements in punter B.J. Sander. If kicker Dave Rayner and punter Jon Ryan fail to improve in their second seasons, the Packers might seek replacements.

"I'm very comfortable with the technique work and the fundamentals that they do with both our kickers," McCarthy said. "You didn't even know both of our kickers when the season started. I think you'll see some improvement just from some of the things we're going to do with Jon in the off-season."

The Packers ranked 24th in punt-return average and 31st in kickoff-return average. However, McCarthy saluted 30-year-old punt returner Charles Woodson for catching everything and preventing most roll yardage.

"You look at what Devin Hester did in Chicago, that obviously makes a difference," he said. "I feel very good about (Woodson) but also you've got to be conscious of his age and (position). I'm going to look at (Shaun) Bodiford and some other young guys."

The Moss matter: Some fans are clamoring for the Packers to trade for Oakland wide receiver Randy Moss, who turned 30 this week and is presumed to be available. But there has been almost no internal discussion of Moss by the Packers.

The trading period opens March 2 but, at this point, the Raiders appear almost directionless.

Mike Lombardi, owner Al Davis' top personnel man, reportedly has been under fire for months. Sean Jones, the former Packers defensive end who held a prominent position as a Raiders pro scout and contract negotiator, was recently fired, according to an official with an AFC West team.

The Raiders probably will hold out for at least a second-round draft choice and, under general manager Ted Thompson, the Packers have based their rebuilding on acquiring more picks.

"We're about 95, 98% complete with our scheme evaluation," McCarthy said. "We've really pushed the envelope the last three, four weeks. The best way to improve is with the people you have."

No match: McCarthy had experience practicing against other teams as an assistant in Kansas City and Jacksonville. Last year, he discussed the possibility of working against the Chiefs, who train in River Falls, but nothing came of it.

"I've been a part of it and I like the work, but I'm not really leaning toward another team this year," McCarthy said. "There's pros and cons of that, with injuries and getting exactly what you want. You can get into some bad situations."

In August 2005, the Packers conducted practices and an intra-squad scrimmage against the Buffalo Bills in Green Bay.
 

Greg C.

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I knew the special teams were bad, but I'm surprised that they were 32nd. As McCarthy said, there were no catastrophic mistakes, so I guess that made them seem not as bad as they were. I would be interested to see where the special teams ranked at mid-season. I bet they were a lot higher. They got worse toward the end. The blocking on punt returns and kick returns was horrible all year, though.
 

millertime

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I'm not surprised. We played bend but don't break special teams. That's not how they should be played.
 

cheesey

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Thye NEED a big time kick returner.
AND they need to teach the blockers how NOT to BLOCK IN THE BACK!
It's the NFL, and i can't believe how many times i see the block in the back penalty. Not just on the Packers, but around the league.
 

umair

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Thye NEED a big time kick returner.
AND they need to teach the blockers how NOT to BLOCK IN THE BACK!
It's the NFL, and i can't believe how many times i see the block in the back penalty. Not just on the Packers, but around the league.


i think our big time kick returner was k rob.
 

Timmons

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I thought our kickers were ok. Our kick coverage sucked and our kick returners were no better than average.
 

Greg C.

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Thye NEED a big time kick returner.
AND they need to teach the blockers how NOT to BLOCK IN THE BACK!
It's the NFL, and i can't believe how many times i see the block in the back penalty. Not just on the Packers, but around the league.

I often wonder about that. The only thing I can figure is that there must be a lot of guys getting away with it, otherwise it wouldn't be worth the risk of getting caught. I wish the league could somehow define that penalty more clearly. It gets boring seeing all those penalties on kick returns.
 

cheesey

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cheesey said:
Thye NEED a big time kick returner.
AND they need to teach the blockers how NOT to BLOCK IN THE BACK!
It's the NFL, and i can't believe how many times i see the block in the back penalty. Not just on the Packers, but around the league.


i think our big time kick returner was k rob.
I think he would do great.......IF he's reinstated in time to help the team.
If not, it's back to the drawing board.
 

cheesey

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Greg C. said:
Thye NEED a big time kick returner.
AND they need to teach the blockers how NOT to BLOCK IN THE BACK!
It's the NFL, and i can't believe how many times i see the block in the back penalty. Not just on the Packers, but around the league.

I often wonder about that. The only thing I can figure is that there must be a lot of guys getting away with it, otherwise it wouldn't be worth the risk of getting caught. I wish the league could somehow define that penalty more clearly. It gets boring seeing all those penalties on kick returns.
It seems alot of times though, it happens away from the play. Maybe i could understand it if the guy was about to tackle your kick returner, and you try to get away with something. These guys are supposed to be pros! And alot of them only get on the field on special teams. Man.....if you see the guys name on the back of the jersey, DON'T BLOCK HIM!!!LOLOLOL!!! If it drives ME this nuts, imagine what it does to the coach!
Here's a little "memory lane" walk.
Do you all remember the kick off return Desmond Howard scored on in the Super Bowl? How many of you caught the face mask grab that one of the Patriot players put on him? I was SCREAMING for a penalty when i saw it, but here he ran it back all the way anyway. But what if he would have been brought down by it? And the refs never threw a flag!
If you didn't see it, watch a replay of it and you will see what i mean. It happens when he was still on the Packers side of the field.
 

Popcynical

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We didn't have anybody fast returning kicks. Jennings would be good. Or Driver.

I think they're more 'quick' than 'fast'. They both seem to run faster than their 40 times, but I still don't know if they're fast enough to take one to the house.
 

cheesey

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packerfan1245 said:
We didn't have anybody fast returning kicks. Jennings would be good. Or Driver.

I think they're more 'quick' than 'fast'. They both seem to run faster than their 40 times, but I still don't know if they're fast enough to take one to the house.
If those two are your main WR's, the Packers won't want to put them back for kick returns, for fear of injury. You'd hate to lose Driver because he was hurt on a return.
 

chibiabos

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:jumpflame: Good Lord! Let's not use main roster players for kick-off and punt returns. Too large a risk of losing an important offensive player. It really shouldn't be a problem to find some bench rider to fill those bills. Think the Pack has to begin spending more time on teaching open field blocking and finding someone to catch the ball that has quickness and a shifty running style. I don't think that requires a draft choice either.
 

CaliforniaCheez

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Cory Rodgers was drafted to be THE return man but it did not pan out.

In big games I would rather have a sure handed guy like Antonio Chatman than a guy who runs backwards, sideways, spins and may fumble.

A good KR/PR is a need that will likely be addressed.
 

chibiabos

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:twocents: With MM's stressing working with players already on the roster I would think he'll start trying out some of those players already on the roster and maybe this year may just spend more time on the special teams play during the upcoming early camps. MM certainly is aware of the need.
 

packedhouse01

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Special teams, meaning kick offs and kick returns, are made up of second and third string players. This year we had a hard enough time finding eleven quality starters on both offense and defense. Our depth, by and large, was awful. Many of those second and third string players will be replaced as our talent pool grows. So that's the biggest problem, the talent you have isn't where it needs to be to play better.

Coaching however is a key to quality special teams. If special teams are not important to the coaching staff other than as an after thought, your team will play badly on special teams. I'm not saying that is happening in GB, but along with the lack of talent has been the lack of emphasis on shoring this area of the team up. It's just another area, like receiving, tight end, safeties and 3rd corner, that need attention.
 

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