Alabama’s special teams not playing so special

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1. TrueCrimson October 2, 2008 at 1:42 pm #

   

   There has been steady improvement and I expect it to continue. The Prince Miller punt return was enabled by illegal blocks that went un-flagged.

   The blocked punt is a bigger concern. It has been rare to see anyone get a punt block against Alabama in recent memory.

   I think that Nick Walker’s fumble was a fluke. They need to continue to emphasize the little details of the Special Teams play, but it’s not like they have been terrible.

   Leigh Tiffen is an excellent Field Goal Kicker, but he is rarely able to put a kickoff into the end-zone. I wish that Bama had a power kicker to specialize in kickoffs.

   After having the tee moved back, it is a great advantage to have such a kicker. Typical starting field position for kicks into the field of play seem to be at about the 30 yard line. Ten yards per kickoff adds up to a lot of yardage.

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2. Christopherson October 2, 2008 at 7:18 pm #

   

   Last season we had the best overall unit in the SEC. How did that number change so dramatically in the course of ONE offseason?

   I know for a fact we didn’t lose that many star players on the special teams force.

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3. TrueCrimson October 3, 2008 at 6:18 am #

   

   I think that you are exaggerating the “problem”. Bama Special Teams play has not “dramatically changed” from last year.

   http://www.ncaa.com/football/article.aspx?id=376152

   When the offense is putting the ball in the end-zone more often, two things happen:

   1. Special teams contributes less to the overall score. Less Field Goals — and kick returns make up a smaller percentage of the total yardage and score.

   2. You kickoff to the other team more often, and you punt less.

   This is not a terrible problem to have.

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4. TiderInsider October 3, 2008 at 1:51 pm #

   

   I know for a while there our special teams did receive a lot of praise, but I can concur with what True Crimson said about kicking off to the other team more often. Last year our offense wasn’t as efficient as it was this year.

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