2024 Spring Practice Notes - Special Teams

Punt returners or punt catchers? 
I hope they return some punts. 
Bring back the ol Osborne (I know I know, good ol days) of 2 up-back returners for a shank or positional punt, and 1 deep returner that is fearless to catch and try to gain. 
I used this for my little league team for 5 years and we flipped the field over a dozen times a season. It was genius, it worked so well and it could be again. 
 

but yeah, let’s get the punt catchers to become punt returners. 

 
I am I said:
Punt returners or punt catchers? 
I hope they return some punts. 
Bring back the ol Osborne (I know I know, good ol days) of 2 up-back returners for a shank or positional punt, and 1 deep returner that is fearless to catch and try to gain. 
I used this for my little league team for 5 years and we flipped the field over a dozen times a season. It was genius, it worked so well and it could be again. 
 

but yeah, let’s get the punt catchers to become punt returners. 
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I would like to see two guys back as well.  Or at least one deep and the second about 10 yards in front of him.  There always seems to be one guy that makes it down field untouched making the returner fair catch.  Having the second guy back there allows him to pick up the biggest threat to the returner.  

 
I am I said:
Punt returners or punt catchers? 
I hope they return some punts. 
Click to expand...


Punt returns aren't really a thing in modern football.  Only 7 teams returned 2 or more punts per game.  40 teams returned less than 1 punt/game.

Nebraska was pretty average in the amount of punt returns at 1.3 per game (tied for 42nd with 19 other teams).

Now what we did with those punt returns was pretty much dog poop and needs to improve greatly.  We averaged 3 yards/return, good for 124th.

 
There are just some dudes with a natural feel for it - Dejuan Groce comes to mind, and then most recently Demornay Pierson-El. Haven't had one of those guys since.

Nation deserves more of a chance, but gotta say he didn't look 'different' than the other guys back there so I don't have super high hopes with those two options. I know there's more to a punt return than pure speed, but I don't understand why Lloyd, Charles, Barney, or even Brice Turner aren't in the mix. Can they not catch a punt or something?

 
Red Five said:
Now what we did with those punt returns was pretty much dog poop and needs to improve greatly.  We averaged 3 yards/return, good for 124th.
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It's even worse than that sounds. Our long on the year was 8, and no one other than Billy and Ethan had one longer than 1.

The punt return game was similar to the offense. Billy was the returner, but he was hurt a lot. We weren't even trying to return punts with him much of the time, instead just being content that he was going to catch the ball. At some point we just didn't even bother with a return game and opted to try blocking punts.

Husker in WI said:
I know there's more to a punt return than pure speed, but I don't understand why Lloyd, Charles, Barney, or even Brice Turner aren't in the mix. Can they not catch a punt or something?
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Sounds like they're trying to develop some more options this year. The biggest thing you need in a punt returner, besides catching it, is the ability to make the first guy miss. Once that happens the blocking can develop and then you might have a chance at doing something.

 
Good thing we have a dedicated Special Teams coach so we can miss field goals and run muffed kicks out of the end zone.

 
Apparently Barney hadn't been returning kicks this spring.  Only punts.

Only yesterday morning did they tell him he'd get a chance to return kicks.

Seems like he might get the chance to do that more.

 
Barney is emerging as that player you just have to figure out how to get on the field.

Have we tried him at kicker, seems he's successful everywhere else.

 
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