State of the 2024 Browns: Special Teams

[Orion]

Deep Dive: Special Teams

The Special Teams Coordinator has a working relationship with more players than any other coach as he works with many players on offense and defense for blocking, tackling and returning kicks and punts. Many times it’s the Special Teams Coordinator that is the Assistant Head Coach.  And he will act in the role of HC should the actual HC become ill or otherwise unavailable for a game.

Special Teams errors are typically quite costly. A muffed or blocked punt hurts in many ways. It’s a successful 50 yard play for the opponent. It puts your defense right back onto the field after earning a rest break. And missing a FG after a decent drive by the offense feels like taking points off the board. Special Teams gaffs demoralize and/or infuriate the rest of the team...whether vocalized or not. It’s one of those ‘Thankless Jobs’.

Under Eric Mangini, as a bottom of the roster player, Special Teams ability is what could keep you on the roster over another player. The same held true for being ‘up’ or ‘active’ for a game. He wanted the bottom of the roster to be useful...and that meant playing on Special Teams in many cases. We’ve had worse coaches than him.

I won’t bore you with last years’ Special Teams stats except to say that we had no glaring weakness, though we had a few more touchbacks on punts than most teams and that we were only 91% on extra points, which was quite low in relation to the rest of the league. All and all though, we were pretty solid.

Assistant Head Coach / Special Teams Coordinator Ray Ventrone (Bubba) played for us from 2009 – 2012. Mostly on Special Teams. He was a smart player, but not fast enough to be a defensive starter. He was the Special Teams Coordinator for the Colts from 2018-2022. This will be his second year as Special Teams Coordinator for us...and this will be a most challenging year for him and all of his counterparts throughout the league as everyone is trying to figure out what-the-hell to do about the new kick-off rules.

Bubba’s assistant is Stephen Bravo-Brown.

Bubba’s core skilled players are Charlie Hughlett, Long Snapper. Dustin Hopkins, Kicker. Corey Bojorguez, Punter. Last season Pierre Strong handled most of the Kick-Offs (we only returned 11 Kick-Offs last year) and James Proche II handled the Punt Returns.

Dustin Hopkins was brought in last season and solidified a position that was in turmoil with Cade York melting into jello when it came time to kick a Field Goal. Hopkins made the kicks, including the 50+ yarders and the high pressure game winners. He brought a sigh of relief to all of us. And we just signed him to a 3 year extension. We just have to keep him from pulling his hamstring while chasing Kick-Off returners. (Hello Bubba, paging Bubba!)

Cade York is currently on the roster. I assume that we’ll use him in Training Camp to take some of the load off of Hopkins, cut him at final cuts, and try and sign him or somebody else to the Practice Squad. With the current size of the PS we should always have a kicker on it. Someone who could step in the following week and be familiar with the team, stadium, etc. (not quite sure if York is that guy but Berry seems to have a soft spot for him)

Corey Bojorguez did a good job for us last year with the punting. The punter doesn’t need to be GREAT! He doesn’t need to kick it 70 yards. That usually leads to longer returns anyway as you out-punt the coverage. He’s gotta get it way up in the air and 40 some-odd yards downfield so that it can be fair caught because the coverage team is surrounding the returner. Also, a sense of touch is required to try and get the ball to land softly around the 10 yard line.

Now, to the elephant in the room. The new kickoff rules:

The receiving team has to have 7 guys with one foot on their 35 yard line. They can have 2 guys in between the 30-35 (Setup Zone) but they have to be lined up outside the hash marks. And they can have 2 guys awaiting the kick in the Landing Zone. They can have only 1 return guy and another guy in the Setup Zone...but I'm not 100% sure if he has to be outside of the hash marks or not.

The kicker is way back at the 35 yard line and can’t cross midfield until the ball lands in the Landing Zone or End Zone. The other kick coverage guys line up with one foot on the opposing 40 yard line, 5 on each side of center. And outside of the kicker and returner(s), nobody can leave their spot until the ball lands or is fielded. Perhaps these rules will naturally keep the kicker out of harms way more often than not. That is an outcome that we’d love for our Dustin Hopkins.

If you kick the ball through the end zone, or it is caught and downed in the end zone, the ball is spotted at the 30 yard line. If the ball lands in the Landing Zone but goes into the end zone and is then downed, the ball will be spotted at the 20 yard line.

Also, you can only do onside kicks in the 4^th quarter. (no changes to the onside kick rules)

Rules Here: https://operations.nfl.com/updates/football-ops/new-nfl-kickoff-rule/

At mandatory mini-camp Stef mentioned that they had come up with some ideas in the offseason….and then they watched the players actually run the stuff in real life...and...well, they’ll be heading back to the drawing board with some of those ideas. It’s uncharted waters here. Bubba will be in the spotlight.

I’m looking forward to the kickoff to our 1^st preseason game just to see how we compare with other teams in terms of our methodology for either side of the kickoff equation. Bubba thinks that some teams will choose to ‘get on guys early’ so it’ll look more like a punt return situation. Whereas others may ‘treat it like the old kick-offs’ and retreat their blockers.

As for us only returning 11 kick-offs last year, I think it was smart not to take the ball out of the end zone. A hefty percentage of the time somebody gets called for a poorly executed block. Now you’re starting around the 10 yard line. I’m guessing that it could be something that Bubba pushed through the chain of command last season.

I Wonder: How many game winning Field Goals we’ll have this season?

If we’ll see a lot of penalties regarding early player movement on Kick-Offs.

If we’ll see more O-Line & D-Line players (big fat guys) on Kick-Offs.

If we’ll choose to Kick-Off the ball through the end zone and spot it at the 30. (I currently lean towards that option, but I reserve the right to change thinking based on observation)

If we’ll return a Kick-Off for a TD. Or if we’ll allow one.

If we’ll return a Punt for a TD. Or if we’ll allow one.

[AP1]

Thanks for the time and information @Orion. I was unaware onside kicks were now only allowed in the 4th Quarter. I'm not a fan of such regulation.

Be that as it may, you covered the important albeit unglamorous special teams. Until their needed, then it changes. 

Dustin Hopkins has been one of Berry's better acquisitions. If I'm Bubba Ventrine and Kevin Stefanski, I'm telling him to kickoff and get out of the way. No chasing this year!

[Flugel]

8 hours ago, Orion said:

Deep Dive: Special Teams

The Special Teams Coordinator has a working relationship with more players than any other coach as he works with many players on offense and defense for blocking, tackling and returning kicks and punts. Many times it’s the Special Teams Coordinator that is the Assistant Head Coach.  And he will act in the role of HC should the actual HC become ill or otherwise unavailable for a game.

Special Teams errors are typically quite costly. A muffed or blocked punt hurts in many ways. It’s a successful 50 yard play for the opponent. It puts your defense right back onto the field after earning a rest break. And missing a FG after a decent drive by the offense feels like taking points off the board. Special Teams gaffs demoralize and/or infuriate the rest of the team...whether vocalized or not. It’s one of those ‘Thankless Jobs’.

Under Eric Mangini, as a bottom of the roster player, Special Teams ability is what could keep you on the roster over another player. The same held true for being ‘up’ or ‘active’ for a game. He wanted the bottom of the roster to be useful...and that meant playing on Special Teams in many cases. We’ve had worse coaches than him.

I won’t bore you with last years’ Special Teams stats except to say that we had no glaring weakness, though we had a few more touchbacks on punts than most teams and that we were only 91% on extra points, which was quite low in relation to the rest of the league. All and all though, we were pretty solid.

Assistant Head Coach / Special Teams Coordinator Ray Ventrone (Bubba) played for us from 2009 – 2012. Mostly on Special Teams. He was a smart player, but not fast enough to be a defensive starter. He was the Special Teams Coordinator for the Colts from 2018-2022. This will be his second year as Special Teams Coordinator for us...and this will be a most challenging year for him and all of his counterparts throughout the league as everyone is trying to figure out what-the-hell to do about the new kick-off rules.

Bubba’s assistant is Stephen Bravo-Brown.

Bubba’s core skilled players are Charlie Hughlett, Long Snapper. Dustin Hopkins, Kicker. Corey Bojorguez, Punter. Last season Pierre Strong handled most of the Kick-Offs (we only returned 11 Kick-Offs last year) and James Proche II handled the Punt Returns.

Dustin Hopkins was brought in last season and solidified a position that was in turmoil with Cade York melting into jello when it came time to kick a Field Goal. Hopkins made the kicks, including the 50+ yarders and the high pressure game winners. He brought a sigh of relief to all of us. And we just signed him to a 3 year extension. We just have to keep him from pulling his hamstring while chasing Kick-Off returners. (Hello Bubba, paging Bubba!)

Cade York is currently on the roster. I assume that we’ll use him in Training Camp to take some of the load off of Hopkins, cut him at final cuts, and try and sign him or somebody else to the Practice Squad. With the current size of the PS we should always have a kicker on it. Someone who could step in the following week and be familiar with the team, stadium, etc. (not quite sure if York is that guy but Berry seems to have a soft spot for him)

Corey Bojorguez did a good job for us last year with the punting. The punter doesn’t need to be GREAT! He doesn’t need to kick it 70 yards. That usually leads to longer returns anyway as you out-punt the coverage. He’s gotta get it way up in the air and 40 some-odd yards downfield so that it can be fair caught because the coverage team is surrounding the returner. Also, a sense of touch is required to try and get the ball to land softly around the 10 yard line.

Now, to the elephant in the room. The new kickoff rules:

The receiving team has to have 7 guys with one foot on their 35 yard line. They can have 2 guys in between the 30-35 (Setup Zone) but they have to be lined up outside the hash marks. And they can have 2 guys awaiting the kick in the Landing Zone. They can have only 1 return guy and another guy in the Setup Zone...but I'm not 100% sure if he has to be outside of the hash marks or not.

The kicker is way back at the 35 yard line and can’t cross midfield until the ball lands in the Landing Zone or End Zone. The other kick coverage guys line up with one foot on the opposing 40 yard line, 5 on each side of center. And outside of the kicker and returner(s), nobody can leave their spot until the ball lands or is fielded. Perhaps these rules will naturally keep the kicker out of harms way more often than not. That is an outcome that we’d love for our Dustin Hopkins.

If you kick the ball through the end zone, or it is caught and downed in the end zone, the ball is spotted at the 30 yard line. If the ball lands in the Landing Zone but goes into the end zone and is then downed, the ball will be spotted at the 20 yard line.

Also, you can only do onside kicks in the 4^th quarter. (no changes to the onside kick rules)

Rules Here: https://operations.nfl.com/updates/football-ops/new-nfl-kickoff-rule/

At mandatory mini-camp Stef mentioned that they had come up with some ideas in the offseason….and then they watched the players actually run the stuff in real life...and...well, they’ll be heading back to the drawing board with some of those ideas. It’s uncharted waters here. Bubba will be in the spotlight.

I’m looking forward to the kickoff to our 1^st preseason game just to see how we compare with other teams in terms of our methodology for either side of the kickoff equation. Bubba thinks that some teams will choose to ‘get on guys early’ so it’ll look more like a punt return situation. Whereas others may ‘treat it like the old kick-offs’ and retreat their blockers.

As for us only returning 11 kick-offs last year, I think it was smart not to take the ball out of the end zone. A hefty percentage of the time somebody gets called for a poorly executed block. Now you’re starting around the 10 yard line. I’m guessing that it could be something that Bubba pushed through the chain of command last season.

I Wonder: How many game winning Field Goals we’ll have this season?

If we’ll see a lot of penalties regarding early player movement on Kick-Offs.

If we’ll see more O-Line & D-Line players (big fat guys) on Kick-Offs.

If we’ll choose to Kick-Off the ball through the end zone and spot it at the 30. (I currently lean towards that option, but I reserve the right to change thinking based on observation)

If we’ll return a Kick-Off for a TD. Or if we’ll allow one.

If we’ll return a Punt for a TD. Or if we’ll allow one.

Excellent preview of the Special Teams and very thorough explanation of the kick off rule changes Orion!  Obviously, there's a lot of challenges ahead for all 32 teams with this.  Maybe we can put David Copperfield on the practice squad as the onside Kicker.  The formations that both teams have to adhere to seem like they're going to make it very difficult for the kicking teams to recover any onside kicks.  It's gonna be interesting.

JMO, some of these changes are probably going to put more starting linemen on both sides of the ball out there on kickoffs - increasing their risks of injury.  I hope I'm wrong about that.  We'll see...

[Orion]

4 hours ago, Flugel said:

The formations that both teams have to adhere to seem like they're going to make it very difficult for the kicking teams to recover any onside kicks. 

Actually not Flugel.  Onside kick formation has not changed from previous years...with the exception that they can only be attempted in the 4th quarter.  

 

4 hours ago, Flugel said:

JMO, some of these changes are probably going to put more starting linemen on both sides of the ball out there on kickoffs - increasing their risks of injury. 

I'd think that most of the starting linemen are safe...but their backups might have roles out there where they never did before.  I dunno.  It's a clean slate.

[Flugel]

2 hours ago, Orion said:

Actually not Flugel.  Onside kick formation has not changed from previous years...with the exception that they can only be attempted in the 4th quarter.  

 

I'd think that most of the starting linemen are safe...but their backups might have roles out there where they never did before.  I dunno.  It's a clean slate.

Thanks for the clarification on the onside kick.  As for the linemen, keep in mind we lost the 1st and 2nd string RTs last year and our LT - so you have a reasonable point if our starters stay healthy.  As for Dline - we could be putting guys that rotate in with the starting unit out there.  

[syd]

3 hours ago, Orion said:

Actually not Flugel.  Onside kick formation has not changed from previous years...with the exception that they can only be attempted in the 4th quarter. 

and that you have to declare. No more surprise onside kicks

[Orion]

On 7/21/2024 at 10:07 PM, Orion said:

some teams will choose to ‘get on guys early’ so it’ll look more like a punt return situation. Whereas others may ‘treat it like the old kick-offs’ and retreat their blockers

So, on a kick return, if we 'get on guys early' and attack the coverage guys up near the 40 yard line, do you put one of your 'fast guys' back there to get up field as far as possible before engaging the enemy?  

Conversely, if you 'retreat your blockers' do you put a Pierre Strong back to return it and treat it more like a running play?

I'm curious as to whether coverage of kick-offs change a whole lot.  Your coverage guys are at the opponent 40.  That's quite different from starting at their own 35.  But from the 40 yard line, they can't move until the ball is fielded (or hits the ground).  So, by the time the ball is fielded, would the coverage guys running from their own 35 (old rule) with a full head of steam wind up engaging the enemy at about the same time and place as the new rule guys standing at their 40 and having to take off from a dead stop?   -  In other words, If you kick it such that it's fielded around or inside the 10 yard line, is it a wash between old and new rules?