Spring Special Teams

Gabe Miller was at practice today working with the long snappers. Tough situation for him but good that he's still trying to help out.

 
Red Five said:
I hope that we don't use that punt formation again. Let's stick 3 300lb guys on the punt coverage team! And as a trick play, lets have 1 of them run the ball!
Click to expand...
I was very disappointed that we ran the same punt formation with the 3 linemen in the spring game as we did last season.

Maybe someone smarter than me can explain its advantages over other formations. I assume is has something to do with letting your other players get down field quicker and cover more area.

 
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Red Five said:
Red Five said:
I hope that we don't use that punt formation again. Let's stick 3 300lb guys on the punt coverage team! And as a trick play, lets have 1 of them run the ball!
Click to expand...
I was very disappointed that we ran the same punt formation with the 3 linemen in the spring game as we did last season.

Maybe someone smarter than me can explain its advantages over other formations. I assume is has something to do with letting your other players get down field quicker and cover more area.
Click to expand...
Evidently, the shield punt formation allows for better kick coverage (two fewer blockers) and better angles for pursuit. So says the web...

http://xandolabs.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=902:12efficiency-of-the-shield-punt&catid=96&Itemid=165

http://mgoblog.com/content/hokepoints-what%E2%80%99s-spread-punt

 
Nebraska is going to be able flip the field easily with the combo of Foltz and DPE. If we can get Drew Brown to develop better accuracy outside of 35 yds or Sutcliffe is the real deal (previously named the #1 JUCO Kicker), Nebraska special teams will be a force.

 
Red Five said:
Red Five said:
I hope that we don't use that punt formation again. Let's stick 3 300lb guys on the punt coverage team! And as a trick play, lets have 1 of them run the ball!
Click to expand...
I was very disappointed that we ran the same punt formation with the 3 linemen in the spring game as we did last season.

Maybe someone smarter than me can explain its advantages over other formations. I assume is has something to do with letting your other players get down field quicker and cover more area.
Click to expand...
The theory is it spreads out the receiving team such that the seven guys on the line don't really have to block. As long as they get in the way for a count, they can release downfield so you your coverage is much better as they should be able to get to the receiver before the punt gets there so they don't have much chance to get a return. Then you keep the three bigs as a shield because they just have to stop someone coming right up the middle to be able to get the punt away cleanly.

The main focus is to get your coverage team down the field more quickly without giving up a lot in protection.

 
Special teams is so undervalued sometimes. Being able to flip the field, like Foltz seems he'll be able to do well this year, and having a man that can turn a 5-yard return into a 25-yard or more return is huge.

FG kicking hasn't been the for sure thing it's been in recent years, but overall, I really like how our ST group is shaping up.

 
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