Special Teams Work

[Mavric]

Reports are the new punt block wall (three personal protectors) - at least for today - were Chongo Kondolo, Vincent Valentine and Maliek Collins.

Hate this philosophy... No offense, but are those three really going to chase down a returner after he catches the ball? You're essentially trading never having a punt blocked for having 8 (1 being the punter, 1 being the long snapper) men capable of chasing down a returner. So really, 6.

It only takes one man with a motor and no personal regard for safety (i.e. Eric Martin) to block a punt in that formation. When will teams stop using it?

Pretty sure this is not correct or more teams would be blocking punts and no teams would be using it.

 

[Mavric]

Reports are the new punt block wall (three personal protectors) - at least for today - were Chongo Kondolo, Vincent Valentine and Maliek Collins.

Hate this philosophy... No offense, but are those three really going to chase down a returner after he catches the ball? You're essentially trading never having a punt blocked for having 8 (1 being the punter, 1 being the long snapper) men capable of chasing down a returner. So really, 6.

You aren't looking at the entire picture. The advantage is the seven on the line can take off immediately instead of waiting to block first so they are covering the receiver before the ball gets there (the vast majority of the time, anyway). Those three have basically no responsibility to make any tackles. We allowed fewer than two yards per punt return last year so I don't think the strategy is all that bad.

 

[NUpolo8]

Who ran that special teams work out yesterday? I know Ross Els has been the Special Teams Coordinator the last few years, but the official Huskers website no longer has him listed as such, only Linebackers/Recruiting Coordinator. Oversight on the website, or are we mixing up coaching personnel?

Sipple commented that Ron Brown was working with the Punt Returners yesterday.

While I'm all for the punt returners getting work and improving, I have to think the amounts of muffs would decrease regardless of who was back there if literally -anyone- was blocking for the poor souls.

 

[hskrfan4life]

Who ran that special teams work out yesterday? I know Ross Els has been the Special Teams Coordinator the last few years, but the official Huskers website no longer has him listed as such, only Linebackers/Recruiting Coordinator. Oversight on the website, or are we mixing up coaching personnel?

Sipple commented that Ron Brown was working with the Punt Returners yesterday.

While I'm all for the punt returners getting work and improving, I have to think the amounts of muffs would decrease regardless of who was back there if literally -anyone- was blocking for the poor souls.

I would think that is probably true. The thought of noone blocking for you would not help you catch a ball.

 

[Mavric]

Sounds like Abdullah was unblockable in the punt block drill today. He'd been lobbying for a chance and apparently made the most of it.

 

[Lyons in the Sea of Red.]

Sounds like Abdullah was unblockable in the punt block drill today. He'd been lobbying for a chance and apparently made the most of it.

I wonder if we will have an identity with the punt return unit this year. Last year, we wouldnt attempt to block the kick, nor the 11 guys running downfield untouched to destroy our returner. It'd be nice to try one or the other.

 

[RedRedJarvisRedwine]

Don't have to reinvent the wheel. Put on some Frank Beemer coached special teams tape and copy copy copy.

 

[papersun87]

Don't have to reinvent the wheel. Put on some Frank Beemer coached special teams tape and copy copy copy.

seriously. it can't be rocket science.

 

[Mavric]

Josh Harvey ‏@JoshHarveyScout 1h
No timetable on LS Gabe miller at this time. They could use him. #huskers

 

[Mavric]

Steven M. Sipple ‏@HuskerExtraSip 1h
Players working at kickoff return Saturday: Alonzo Moore, Ameer Abdullah, Kenny Bell, Jamal Turner, Terrell Newby. #Huskers

 

[Decked]

Drew Brown and Mauro Bondi both getting first team reps today.

 

[The Dude]

That's great we have guys working of fair catches, any twitter talk of installing a punt return scheme this year?

 

[Thanks_Tom RR]

Drew Brown and Mauro Bondi both getting first team reps today.

For a second, that made me wonder if Drew is not doing enough to stand out. However, from all accounts, it sounds like Drew is living up to the billing, and Bondi saw time today because he step up his game this week. Good news in both fronts.

 

[Mavric]

Sounds like Brown had a tough day kicking a couple days ago but was good today. Conversely, Bondi had been kicking well but didn't do so hot today.

Hopefully someone will find some consistency.

 

[papersun87]

On the punt side, Kenny Bell took reps fielding punts, a job that he said he wants “real bad.” You might think of Bell as a natural fit for punt returns, but he said he’s got a lot to prove.“The one time I got to catch a punt I fumbled it against Northwestern,” he said “That one still eats at me. That’s what I want to do. You know, we weren’t good at punt return last year, and I’m gonna play every single down I can. If it’s not catching punts and returning, I’m gonna go block someone.”

Bell compared punt returns with kick returns; an area where he has excelled at Nebraska.

“In kickoff return you don’t have to worry about anybody being in your face right as you catch it,” he said. “It’s a big difference. I’d definitely say it’s the scariest play in football.”

Bell said the returns differ in that punt returns allow more open field for running after the initial adrenaline rush of fielding the high ball.

“It’s a lot more violent than people realize,” he said.

http://hailvarsity.com/2014/08/rb-taylor-out-with-broken-ankle/