Special Teams Battle: Brian Schneider vs. John Fassel

 Posted by at 4:51 PM  No Responses »
Oct 282010
 

Remember Brian Schneider? I bet most of the Raider Nation does, because Schneider coached the Raiders special teams in 2007 and 2008.

Schneider was considered by many to be a great special teams coordinator for the Raiders. What was so special about Schneider’s special teams units? Was it kick coverage or return yardage? Is John Fassel worse? He’s certainly hasn’t received the praise like Schneider did during his time with the Raiders.

Both punting and kicking seem to be more dependent on the kicker and punter. Obviously, the Raiders have two of the best. One thing you can get from punting and kicking is blocks and return touchdowns which is more indicative of coverage and coaching.

In 2007, Brian Schneider’s first season as a coach for the Raiders, the return units were near the bottom in return yardage and had no return touchdowns. The Raiders allowed punt return touchdowns, but were middle of the pack in regards to kick coverage.

Schneider’s fortunes turned in 2008, with five return touchdowns. Johnnie Lee Higgins was the punt returner in both 2007 and 2008, but really thrived in that role in the 2008. Justin Miller was the kick returner who returned two kicks for touchdowns. Was it Schneider’s coaching, Higgin’s and Miller’s return skills or a total fluke?

The kick coverage regressed to near the bottom of the league in 2008 under Schneider, a noted decline from the year before.

In 2009, the special teams regressed significantly. Johnnie Lee Higgins was crushed by Eric Weddle and has yet to recover. Perhaps he just isn’t very good at punt returns? He averaged the same yards per return in 2007 under Schneider as he did in 2009 under Fassel (5.2).

The return man for the Raiders was rotating before settling on the very slow fullback Gary Russell in 2009. Was this Fassel’s idea or were the Raiders simply out of viable options to field the kicks? Obviously the return game wasn’t working and the Raiders came into 2009 looking for a more dynamic return man to complement the solid coverage teams.

To add insult to the special teams, the kick coverage unit was the worst in the league in 2009, but appears to have bounced back in 2010, despite early indications of struggle.

That brings us to the current year. The Raiders started with Yamon Figurs as the kick returner but Jacoby Ford has taken over those duties. Nick Miller has taken over for Higgins and done a great job so far. The Seahawks awesome kick return unit is largely due to the additions of Leon Washington and Golden Tate.

Washington was a great return man until the Jets used him more as a running back last season and he broke his leg. Not only does he have six career return touchdowns, but he has at least one longer than 90 yards in each of his three seasons as the primary kick returner. Washington has a career average of 26.6 yards per kick return. Tate is averaging 11.8 yards per punt return this season.

Schneider’s units are struggling in punt coverage and the Seahawks have already given up a punt return touchdown. However, the kick return coverage team ranks in the top 10 in the NFL.

Schneider seems to have a weakness, that being his punt coverage units. His return units and kick coverage unit will likely again be strong. Schneider has had a great set of returners, particularly Leon Washington.

Fassel has had to do more with less since taking over and his special teams units appear to be bouncing back from a horrible season.

This could be the game Nick Miller breaks loose on another long return, but don’t expect too much from Jacoby Ford returning kicks. The Raiders will have to defend against the prolific Seahawks return men, who have had a major impact in three of the four Seahawks victories.

Below are the raw special teams statistics from 2007 to present.

2007: Brian Schneider
21.6 yards per kick return (25), 0 Touchdowns
5.5 yards per punt return (31), 0 Touchdowns
49.1 Average Punt (1)
41.1 Net Avg (1)
2 allowed punt return Touchdowns (32)
23 of 32, 72% Field Goals (29), 1 Blocked, 1 miss 30-39, 3 missed 40-49, 5 misses 50+
22.4 avg yards allowed per kick return (14)

2008: Brian Schneider
22.8 yards per kick return (17), 2 Touchdowns
13.0 yards per punt return (2), 3 Touchdowns
48.8 Average Punt (2)
41.2 Net Avg (1)
24 of 30, 80% Field Goals (24), 2 Misses 40-49, 4 misses 50+
1 Blocked PAT
24.4 avg yards allowed per kick return (26)

2009: John Fassel
18.2 yards per kick return (32), 0 Touchdowns
4.9 yards per punt return (29), 0 Touchdowns
51.1 Average Punt (1)
43.9 Net Avg (1)
20 of 23, 90% field goals (6), 1 miss 40-49, 2 misses 50+
25.7 avg yards allowed per kick return (32)

2010: John Fassel
20.1 yards per kick return (27), 0 Touchdowns
9.0 yards per punt return (19), 0 Touchdowns
49.0 Punt Average (1)
44.1 Net Average (1)
15 for 20, 70% field goals, 1 miss 30-39, 2 misses 40-49, 2 misses 50+
25.4 avg yards allowed per kick return (23)

2010 Seattle Seahawks: Brian Schneider
32.2 yards per kick return (1), 2 Touchdowns
9.9 yards per punt return (14), 0 Touchdowns
42.8 Punt Average (25)
36.3 Net Avg (23)
1 allowed punt return touchdown (32)
9 of 9, 100% Field Goals (1), only one attempt longer than 40 yards (51 yards).
22.1 avg yards allowed per kick return (10)

Figurs Out, Pears Returns

 Posted by at 10:08 PM  No Responses »
Sep 152010
 

Per a source and as speculated, receiver Yamon Figurs has been released to make room for offensive tackle Erik Pears.

Keeping Figurs on the active roster was a mistake because his contract is now guaranteed for the entire season.

In the end, his ball security issues may have been his demise and his talents are somewhat redundant.

He also failed to take accountability for his fumble on the opening kickoff. While Figurs had a point, that’s not what you want a player to say.

“Return” To Excellence

 Posted by at 8:31 PM  No Responses »
Jun 022010
 

One of the major problems with the 2009 Raiders was the struggle in the return game.

Fullback Gary Russell became the primary kick returner when Nick Miller was injured for the season.

Johnnie Lee Higgins was the primary punt returner, but showed little of the promise in 2009 that he did in 2007 and 2008.

The Raiders ranked 32nd in the league in kick return average in 2009 with just 18.2 yards per return and 29th in the league in punt return average with just 4.9 yards per return.

There are three phases of the game: offense, defense and special teams. The Raiders have two of the best legs in the game to kick and punt, but in 2009 the worst return game.

A lot more goes into the return game in the form of blocking than we can cover here and the personnel are so fluid at this point it isn’t worth the effort.

One way the Raiders can improve drastically is to give the return duties to a new player.

Gary Russell’s lack of speed and agility really hurt the return game. Warren Sapp at one point commented saying that Russell’s waist was as big as his. Take this for what it is worth, but by most accounts Russell should never have been returning kicks.

Higgins struggled mightily to recapture the success he had in the return game in 2008, but has a small window to recapture it in 2010.

Higgins punt return average in 2007 and 2009 were an identical at a sub standard 5.2 yards per return. In 2008,

Higgins returned three punts for a touchdown and averaged 13.0 yards per punt return. His career average is 23.4 yards per kick return and 8.7 yards per punt return.

Can Higgins recapture his 2008 success or 2009 the norm?

Almost immediately following the season the Raiders signed Yamon Figurs. Figurs will attempt to earn a job in return game in 2010, having averaged 23.1 yards per kick return and 8.0 yards per punt return in his career. If Figurs can replicate those marks in 2010, the Raiders return game could improve, but those numbers would still be considered average by NFL standards.

The Raiders used the draft pick acquired for Kirk Morrison to select Jacoby Ford out of Clemson University. Ford was good enough to share return duties with C.J. Spiller, the Bills first round draft selection.

While Spiller was much more dynamic with seven kick return touchdowns to Ford’s two, he wasn’t significantly more successful returning the football. Spiller averaged 27.7 yards per kick return in college and 6.5 yards per punt return. Ford averaged 23.9 yards per kick return and 6.0 yards per punt return.

Ford’s youth and speed make him the favorite to win a return job, but it is also possible the Raiders opt for dual threat kick return game for the first time in years.

Nick Miller returns as a second year player who made the team as an undrafted free agent only to play in zero snaps. No small feat. Miller averaged 20.3 per return on kickoffs in college and a whopping 16.5 yards per punt return while playing for Southern Utah.

It is difficult to gauge how return stats will translate to the NFL, especially in Nick Miller’s case. He played just one year against inferior competition.

Rock Cartwright also has a chance to make the roster partly because of his kick return ability. Cartwright has returned kicks exclusively the past four seasons and averaged 24.0 yards per return in his career.

Cartwright is a sleeper candidate to win the kick return job, but he may also need to beat out Michael Bennett for the reserve running back position to stick.

Johnnie Lee Higgins has a slight window to recapture his 2008 success, but he will have players breathing down his neck for the punt return duties.

This will be one of the better return battles in recent memory and the Raiders are hoping the player who wins the job can elevate one of the weakest areas on the team.

Who do you think wins the kick and punt return jobs in Oakland?

twtpoll

  Johnnie Lee Higgins Nick Miller Jacoby Ford Yamon Figurs Rock Cartwright Other
PR
KR


Notes:

- The Raiders signed CB Joe Porter of the UFL’s Las Vegas Locomotives. He was a track star at Clemson University and ran a 4.33 second 40 yard dash at his pro day in 2007.