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The Search for The Winning EdgeCreating a Systematic Winning Edge with the Kicking Gameby: Jeff Reinebold Rhein Fire © More from this issue The search for a winning edge drives those of us in the coaching profession. Look at the time and money spent by coaches in search of the latest wrinkle or new idea. We attend clinics, read magazines and books, and at every chance, swap ideas and experiences in hopes of building the proverbial better mouse trap. George Allen, one of modern football's greatest innovators went out on a limb when he convinced the ownership of the Los Angeles Rams to allow him to hire Stanford assistant Dick Vermiel as the NFL's first special teams coach. For the first time, an NFL team had moved to prioritize the role of the kicking game. Since that day, men like Rusty Tillman, Bill Cowher, Scott O'Brien, Frank Ganz, Bobby April, Joe Avezzano and Joe Marciano have elevated the position of special teams coach in the NFL and advanced the science and strategies employed in the coaching of the kicking game. Be sound in your overall approach to the kicking game. The winning edge is not necessarily a trick play or a gimmick, it's sound play that contributes to the overall team scheme and objective, which ultimately is to win the game. Beyond that, all of the special teams goals are reflective of what it historically takes to succeed as a winning special teams unit in pro football. After researching stats in the NFL Europe since the league resumed play in 1995, these are the goals that we felt were reflective of what it takes to create an edge in the kicking game. Rhein Fire Kicking Game Goals 2000: 1) Win 2) Punt avg. of 38 net yards 3) Punt return avg. of 10 yards per return 4) Out punt our opponent (net) 5) Hold opponent inside the 25-yard line on kickoff coverage 6) DSA (drive start average) of the 30-yard line on kick return team 7) Out DSA our opponent 8) More kicking points than our opponent 9) At least two big plays in the kicking game 10) No big plays against the kicking game 11) Zero penalties against the kicking game Be passionate. We are asking our athletes to perform above and beyond the call of duty. Few players will initially volunteer for the kicking units. Not very many athletes approach the kicking game with the passion that two of our kicking game standouts did in 1999 - linebacker Jamie Baisley, who went to training camp with the Jacksonville Jaguars, and current Dallas Cowboys fullback Robert Thomas. Every team has the potential to have guys like that, and it is the special teams coach's job to locate those guys and use their passion for the game to develop a unit's pride. Remember it all starts with you. You cannot expect them to give it up for you if you're not willing to give it up for them. Be demanding. We grade each and every kicking play and the performance of every player. This is a tremendous amount of work, especially in the NFLE, where we all coach another position and we must write reports each week back to the parent clubs on all of our allocated players. Again, it boils down to a simple fact: if it is important to you, it will become important to them. We post the names of athletes who give us winning efforts in each game. Over the course of the season, we keep a running tally of plus-points awarded. It's amazing to see how closely the athletes follow the scores and how they compete with one another. Additionally, we post a game evaluation on our board so all can see where we did well and what areas need to improve. As we look at all facts of the kicking game, we divide the total picture into six subgroups: punt, punt defense, kickoff coverage, kickoff return, field goal and field goal defend. Let's begin by looking at what we consider the highest-priority kicking situation: the punt game. Punt Coverage Lanes Discipline in lane distribution is vital to success in punt coverage. Each member of the punt team will have an assigned landmark to run through (see diagram one). Our coverage philosophy is to run through your landmark then squeeze to the football as we "close the cage" on the return man. Key Punt Concepts • Know and understand punt protection principles. Protect first, cover second. • Run through your landmark. Converge on the football by running through the near leg of the returner. • Come to balance in the open field. This does not mean break down, but lower your base as you get to the moment of truth. • Turnover mentality: gang tackle and get the ball out. • Attention to detail: listen to the punter's directional calls: Red= punted ball right, White= punted ball in the middle, Blue= punted ball left. Punt Defense Concepts Blocks and returns are our opportunity to create big plays. Our main initiative in punt defense is to establish ball possession and field position. Points are a bonus. A punt block or big return is a momentum changer for us, and a demoralizer for our opponent. Ball Security We must understand that we are gaining possession of the football from our opponent. We never want to create a situation where our opponent can maintain possession of the ball. Penalty Avoidance The field-position battle can be won and lost on yellow flags. Penalties are the product of lazy or undisciplined players. Trust All 11 players must believe in our ability to create a big play on every trip. Commit yourself to your assignment and give yourself to the scheme. Don't wait to see if you have a chance to make a block or get free to the block point. If all 11 give themselves each trip out, a bond of trust will develop and the big plays will happen. Punt Return Take advantage of the fact that the interior linemen cannot leave the line of scrimmage prior to the punt. By delaying the cover people's release into coverage with good holdups, we create working space for our return man. Returns are won or lost on the line of scrimmage. FB and LWB are free, they belong to the returner. Holdup side: put your head in the outside gap and force an inside release. If your man is determined to release outside, flatten him. Peel side: rush for three steps and peel then run for the return man. Return man: run for the holdup side until you are forced back to the peel blocks. Center is the only free guy. L4 will lie in the weeds to trap the guard. Return man needs to set up the trap by the L4. 5's are singled up outside and must win to give the returner a chance. Keys to Punt Rush • Clue the football and get off first. Attack with pad level - get skinny or dent your way to the "free zone." • Break to the block point once you've cleared the inside blocker. • At the block point, explode your eyes to the football - take the ball off of the punter's foot. • Attack the double-team versus the zone. Bump position. • Attack rookies and subs. Make them play. • Go after punt blocks to force the protection to be honest KICKOFF COVERAGE • Our goal is to hold our opponents to the 25-yard line or less on all kickoff returns. • Kickoff coverage is a test of our collective toughness. There is no place for the faint of heart. • The kicker's job is to give us both hang time and placement on all kickoffs. We want a minimum four-second hang time on any returnable kick. • The best kickoff is the one that isn't returned. • Collisions don't enhance your ability to get to the football - avoid contact with the first wall of blockers, then realign yourself in your proper lane. Attack any second level blockers. • When attacking the wedge, we can never cancel one-for-one - run through and blow up the wedge. KICKOFF RETURN FIELD GOAL AND FIELD GOAL DEFEND • This is never a routine play. One team is trying to move the scoreboard, the other is trying to prevent it from moving - take this play off and you can get beat. • We need effort and technique out of everyone for 1.25 - 1.35 seconds. We're not asking a lot. • Just as in any offensive or defensive situation, we stress technique. It is critical for the inside people, in particular, to understand the concept that low man wins. • Most field goals and extra points are blocked up the middle. Protection has to be firm inside-out. • Rushers who give effort and get their hands up stand the best chance of getting a block. FIELD GOAL DEFEND GAP RUSHERS: Align in a track stance - butt up - looking in at the football. Communicate to one another prior to the snap and reinforce takeoff and effort. s (Editor's Note: Although we traditionally we include multiple clinic articles in each edition of the magazine, this issue we chose to include an expanded, A-to-Z article on special teams. We hope it serves you well - JD) |
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