jimster Posted June 25, 2003 Share Posted June 25, 2003 Unsung heroes on special teams By Gil Brandt Special to NFL.com (June 19, 2003) -- We hear about the guys who throw touchdown passes and the players that score them week in and week out during the NFL season. We hear about the sack leaders, the run stoppers and the pass deflectors. There's never a week that goes by when we don't hear about some of these big names. But rarely do we hear about the men who also make tremendous plays, but only on special teams. How often are you aware of the David Binn's and the Paul Edinger's of the world? Believe it or not, those that play on special teams are extremely important to the success of an NFL team. Do you know how many games were decided by a field goal or less last season? Would you believe 63 games, nearly four per week on average? In some of these games, a special teams player may have made a play or two that saved (or cost) his team the victory. Before the 2003 season gets started, it's a good idea to familiarize yourself with these big, contributing -- but little-known -- players Quick history of special teams Obviously, there's been kicking and punting and returning of both since the game of football was invented. But for years and years, not a lot of attention was paid to the special teams game. Teams would often find kickers all sorts of ways -- the draft, the waiver wire, private tryouts and so on. With the Cowboys in 1972, we signed a former soccer player from Austria named Toni Fritsch, who was very famous across the pond. He couldn't even speak much English! During a game in St. Louis, Fritsch lined up for an important field goal and one of our opponents started yelling at him. Dave Edwards, a linebacker on our team who also played on special teams, told the guy he was wasting his energy -- Fritsch couldn't understand a word. It was a good thing Fritsch wasn't our quarterback -- his job didn't need to be spelled out for him very much. Like kickers, good deep snappers are not easy to come by. At Dallas, we actually had one by the name of David Manders. One year, Manders decided to hold out. He didn't attend practice or play the entire preseason. Well, during our final preseason game, the deep snapper that we did have in camp, Jim Arneson, snapped the ball way over our punter's head and through the end zone. Not good. Coach Tom Landry came up to me on the sidelines, looked me in the eye and said, "Get Manders signed!" He was there for our first game that year. In 1983, the Cowboys' Bill Bates caught everyone's attention. He was the first NFC guy to be selected as a Pro Bowl special teams player. He was great, and our fans really loved him. But until 1983, the NFL never had a designated Pro Bowl player that was strictly a special teams player. Since then, the Pro Bowl has allowed one kind of that player from each conference make the team. It's a nice way of rewarding those who aren't household names. Hall of Fame coach Marv Levy loved his special teams units. You may be thinking that there are way too many Cowboys stories here, but I guess we focused on special teams a lot. The team still does -- coach Bill Parcells recently put his rookies through special teams drills to find out who was good at them. If a sixth- or seventh-rounder on the bubble can make a nice open-field hit or block, he could make the team because of it. In actuality, the two pioneers of special teams are Dick Vermeil and Marv Levy. Both legendary coaches broke into the league as special teams coaches. In fact, Levy was always proud to promote the special teams game to his players. He would usually keep five receivers on the roster, but the fifth receiver wasn't necessarily the fifth-best receiver he had in camp, but rather a solid special teams player. That's how Steve Tasker made the Bills. Ironically, both of those coaches have taken teams to the Super Bowl. According to my rankings, the top three special teams units in the NFL last season were Tampa Bay, Pittsburgh and the New York Jets. All three made the playoffs, and the Buccaneers won the Super Bowl. Coincidence? Deep snappers Here are the 10 guys who I feel are the best at delivering the ball to their holders and punters. Player Team College Mike Bartrum Philadelphia Eagles Marshall David Binn San Diego Chargers California James Dearth New York Jets Tarleton State Ryan Kuehl Cleveland Browns Virginia Brody Lodiard Minnesota Vikings Colorado Jason Kyle Carolina Panthers Arizona State Pat Mannelly Chicago Bears Duke Lonie Paxton New England Patriots Sacramento State Ed Perry Miami Dolphins James Madison Derek Rackley Atlanta Falcons Minnesota The average cap value for these guys is $452,000. So, for an average of six-tenths of one percent of a team's salary cap, a team could have a quality snapper. Kickers Here are the top eight upright-splitters from where I sit. Player Team College David Akers Philadelphia Eagles Louisville John Carney New Orleans Saints Notre Dame Phil Dawson Cleveland Browns Texas Paul Edinger Chicago Bears Michigan State Jay Feely Atlanta Falcons Michigan Jason Hanson Detroit Lions Washington State Matt Stover Baltimore Ravens Louisiana Tech Adam Vinatieri New England Patriots South Dakota State The average cap value for these guys is $746,000, about one percent of a team's salary cap. Special teams Here are the best overall special teams players in the game right now. Player Team College Frank Chamberlain Tennessee Titans Boston College Tim Johnson Oakland Raiders Youngstown State Michael Lewis New Orleans Saints No college Damien Richardson Carolina Panthers Arizona State Adalius Thomas Baltimore Ravens Southern Miss Notables: Lewis is a great returner as everyone knows, but he's also on the Saints' punt-defense team too. He made 12 tackles last year stopping punt returns ... Thomas is as good as anyone at blocking his man on returns for the Ravens. Get familiar Here's a sampling of some of the special teams standouts from each NFL team. Keep an eye out for these guys as the 2003 season goes on. Team Player Team Player Arizona Coby Rhinehart Miami Trent Gamble Tommy Hendricks Scott McGarrahan Atlanta Artie Ulmer Minnesota Tyrone Carter Baltimore Alvin Porter New England Matt Chatham Adalius Thomas Je'Rod Cherry Larry Izzo Buffalo Phillip Crosby New Orleans Steve Gleason Michael Lewis Carolina Damien Richardson N.Y. Giants Wesly Mallard Karl Hankton Damon Washington Chicago Rabih Abdullah N.Y. Jets Jason Glenn Larry Whigham Jerald Sowell Cincinnati Reggie Myles Oakland Eric Johnson Tim Johnson Cleveland Chris Akins Philadelphia Dameane Douglas Brant Boyer Ike Reese Dallas Randal Williams Pittsburgh Vernon Haynes Chris Hope Chidi Iwouma Denver Sam Brandon St. Louis Nick Sorensen Donnie Spragan Reuben Droughns Detroit Brian Walker San Diego Joey Goodspeed Jimmy Wyrick Vernon Fox Ronney Jenkins Carlos Polk Green Bay Torrance Marshall San Francisco Paul Smith Houston Jason Bell Seattle Alex Bannister Ramon Walker Tim Terry Indianapolis Derek Smith Tampa Bay Corey Ivy Joe Jefferson Jermaine Phillips Clifton Crosby Dwight Smith Aaron Stecker Nate Webster Todd Yoder Jacksonville Ainsley Battles Tennessee Eddie Berlin Johndale Carty Aric Morris Frank Chamberlain Kansas City Gary Stills Wasington Matt Bowen Ifeanyi Ohalete Kenny Watson Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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