Special Teams - difference-maker

[ivanvamp]

The Patriots' special teams absolutely crushed Denver's yesterday.
 
1.  Gostkowski was awesome; McManus was not.  Ghost kicked 3 field goals, two from 45+ yards (including a 45-yarder into the wind right after Denver scored to cut the lead to 13).  McManus missed his 41 yard attempt.  Plus, Ghost's kickoffs were tremendous.
 
2.  Allen was great punting the ball.  The biggest punt of the game was his 67-yarder (plus a Denver penalty) that completely changed field position early in the 4th quarter.
 
3.  The coverage units were great for NE.  Denver averaged 13.5 yards per kick return.  And just 9 yards per punt return.  Denver never got good field position following a Patriots' score.
 
4.  Edelman.  An electrifying 84-yard punt return for a TD.  Tremendous play.  Helped by a bobbled snap by Colquitt.  That made the score 20-7 and began the romp.  
 
An absolutely awesome performance by NE special teams, especially compared to Denver's miscues.  I don't think we can expect that to happen every game, of course, and who knows how different the game turns out if the special teams play is even.  Fortunately it wasn't even in this particular game.

 

[Number45forever]

The special teams have been fantastic all year with generally great coverage skills, a few awesome returns and now TDs on both a blocked FG and a punt return.  Plus Ghost has been just about perfect.  Can't expect anything more from that phase of the game. 
 
I believe by DVOA that were #3 in special teams prior to this week...perhaps a jump to #1 now?

 

[Saints Rest]

The coverage teams have been great, with a number of individuals repeatedly drawing my attention:
Slater, of course, not only as gunner but on kick coverage as well
Jones has been a standout as the other gunner
White
Casilla
Bolden

 

[JerBear]

The special teams have been fantastic all year with generally great coverage skills, a few awesome returns and now TDs on both a blocked FG and a punt return.  Plus Ghost has been just about perfect.  Can't expect anything more from that phase of the game. 
 
I believe by DVOA that were #3 in special teams prior to this week...perhaps a jump to #1 now?

NE was 4th in ST DVOA @ 4.9% (IND is 3rd also @ 4.9% so I assume its rounding).  PHI is 1st at 10.1%.  I expect they will move up after this week but not enough to take 1st.  It doesn't seem that ST rankings have large swings only a couple tenths the past few weeks.
 
That said, ST was awesome this week and I can't wait for ChuckZ's STPOTW recap whenever it comes out.
 
EDIT: I remember seeing a lot of Wright on the ST units last night and I don't remember seeing him earlier.  Was that new or have I just not been paying attention?

 

[IdiotKicker]

Aside from the opening-week block and a couple issues with kickoff coverage, the Pats special teams have been absolutely outstanding this year.  Allen has had a couple small issues as well, but generally has been very solid.  Their ability to score and change field position on these plays is really, really strong right now.

 

[GregHarris]

 I don't think we can expect that to happen every game, of course

 
It's funny you say this because it seems like Edelman has had a game changing return for several weeks in a row now.  In addition to his Patriots team records, he's #3 all time for average punt return yardage passing both Devin Hester and Desmond Howard.
 
http://www.pro-football-reference.com/leaders/punt_ret_yds_per_ret_career.htm
 
It's safe to say that he's one of the best, if not the best punt returner since the merger.

 

[Super Nomario]

NE was 4th in ST DVOA @ 4.9% (IND is 3rd also @ 4.9% so I assume its rounding).  PHI is 1st at 10.1%.  I expect they will move up after this week but not enough to take 1st.  It doesn't seem that ST rankings have large swings only a couple tenths the past few weeks.
 
That said, ST was awesome this week and I can't wait for ChuckZ's STPOTW recap whenever it comes out.
 
EDIT: I remember seeing a lot of Wright on the ST units last night and I don't remember seeing him earlier.  Was that new or have I just not been paying attention?

Wright's been playing on STs but not a lot. That punt return unit might be the only one he's playing on.

 

[IdiotKicker]

It's safe to say that he's one of the best, if not the best punt returner since the merger.

 
I do love that little guy, but Hester is still in a class by himself.  Average yardage is one thing, but Hester would force teams to gameplan against him on a weekly basis and essentially give up yards by directionally kicking, rather than kick to him.  Edelman is really, really good.  But he still has a ways to go to catch Hester, both in terms of peak performance, and longevity.  No one looks good next to Hester.  It's like comparing a hitter to Ted Williams.  He's that good.

 

[Tony C]

Casillas really popped out -- seemed like he made an impact on STs. Kudos to the front office for spotting him as a guy with a talent they could use. He and Ayers as guys picked up at the wire and having significant impacts is remarkable in football.

 

[dcdrew10]

 
I do love that little guy, but Hester is still in a class by himself.  Average yardage is one thing, but Hester would force teams to gameplan against him on a weekly basis and essentially give up yards by directionally kicking, rather than kick to him.  Edelman is really, really good.  But he still has a ways to go to catch Hester, both in terms of peak performance, and longevity.  No one looks good next to Hester.  It's like comparing a hitter to Ted Williams.  He's that good.

 
 You beat me to it. Hester has 14(!) punt return TDs; Eric Metcalf has 10, no one else is in double digits. Julian might be one of the best, but he has a long way to go before he reaches Hester. Edelman probably has more value overall on the team, he's a superior WR and they might be a wash as CB.
 
Edit: Hester put up 4 punt return TDs in 2007 alone. Patrick Peterson did it in 2011. Edelmen = very good. Hester = otherworldly

 

[JerBear]

Wright's been playing on STs but not a lot. That punt return unit might be the only one he's playing on.

Must be recency bias, just remember him popping out on the big return and something else.  Thanks!

 

[Curtis Pride]

Edelman is second this season in punt returns of 20 yards or more.  This was the stat that Nantz and Simms discussed when Edelman returned a punt for a touchdown. Watching the game and reading Chuck Z's breakdown of Edelman's return against the Bears lead me to believe that it is as much due to play design and execution as it is  to Edelman's skill and talent.

 

[Super Nomario]

Edelman is second this season in punt returns of 20 yards or more.  This was the stat that Nantz and Simms discussed when Edelman returned a punt for a touchdown. Watching the game and reading Chuck Z's breakdown of Edelman's return against the Bears lead me to believe that it is as much due to play design and execution as it is  to Edelman's skill and talent.

One of the post-game shows broke down Edelman's return last night and showed that the wall of blockers was to the left, but Edelman couldn't get there so he broke it right and got the touchdown. Punt returns like anything are a team effort, but I think it's fair to say Edelman is a great individual returner and a good portion of the success is due to his vision and elusiveness.

 

[Stitch01]

Pats ST's have been consistently good for years despite the inherent volatility that comes from turning over back of the roster players.  Its a real testament to the coaching staff as well as Matt Slater and Ghost.