cowboyjoe
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Joe DeCamillis makes a big difference
11:59 AM Tue, Sep 15, 2009 | Permalink | Yahoo! Buzz
Tim MacMahon/Blogger Bio | E-mail | News tips
The biggest surprise of Sunday's season opener was that the Cowboys convincingly won the special teams battle.
We all know the Cowboys' special teams were terrible last season, costing Bruce Read his job. The Cowboys' three leading special teams tacklers from last season are no longer on the roster. A handful of rookies the Cowboys were counting on to fill the voids are injured.
The addition of one big leg (David Buehler) and the return of another (Mat McBriar) definitely helped, but Joe DeCamillis deserves a ton of credit for keeping Pro Bowl return specialist Clifton Smith from making an impact on the game. The Bucs' average starting field position was the Tampa Bay 23, which was a huge key considering the Dallas defense's subpar performance. Plus, Gerald Sensabaugh's blocked field goal basically was a six-point swing play since the return set up a Nick Folk field goal.
"Bruce was really good to us, but there was something lacking and the guys just weren't buying into his system as much as they have bought into Joe's," McBriar said. "Well, Joe kind of forces it on you. It's his way or the highway and that's great. That's what you need with special teams.
"The guys come in and they have draft picks and free agents or they think they'll be starters or backups. They don't really think too much about special teams. And Joe makes it a priority. It's been sort of a breath of fresh air for us, especially for those of us that are specialists."
11:59 AM Tue, Sep 15, 2009 | Permalink | Yahoo! Buzz
Tim MacMahon/Blogger Bio | E-mail | News tips
The biggest surprise of Sunday's season opener was that the Cowboys convincingly won the special teams battle.
We all know the Cowboys' special teams were terrible last season, costing Bruce Read his job. The Cowboys' three leading special teams tacklers from last season are no longer on the roster. A handful of rookies the Cowboys were counting on to fill the voids are injured.
The addition of one big leg (David Buehler) and the return of another (Mat McBriar) definitely helped, but Joe DeCamillis deserves a ton of credit for keeping Pro Bowl return specialist Clifton Smith from making an impact on the game. The Bucs' average starting field position was the Tampa Bay 23, which was a huge key considering the Dallas defense's subpar performance. Plus, Gerald Sensabaugh's blocked field goal basically was a six-point swing play since the return set up a Nick Folk field goal.
"Bruce was really good to us, but there was something lacking and the guys just weren't buying into his system as much as they have bought into Joe's," McBriar said. "Well, Joe kind of forces it on you. It's his way or the highway and that's great. That's what you need with special teams.
"The guys come in and they have draft picks and free agents or they think they'll be starters or backups. They don't really think too much about special teams. And Joe makes it a priority. It's been sort of a breath of fresh air for us, especially for those of us that are specialists."
