CowboyMcCoy;3641662 said:
After listening to dcf's post with the clip of Randy White, I wonder if any of you think it's time to put starters in on special teams. Miles Austin is a great returner. That was his forte' before he became a starter.
Why not put the stars back there and in there and let them do their thing?
If I was a "paying member", I'd ask for a poll. But votes of yes or no are fine. Explanations are a plus.
Thanks for discussing.
Virtually the same players that play on the punt-coverage team are playing on the kickoff-coverage team. What’s obvious is that they are covering well on punt-coverage but not in kickoff-coverage, so if any starters need to be infused anywhere it might be on the kickoff-coverage unit.
But even then, that might be jumping the gun.
If you’re wondering why this might be happening, I think it’s because of 2 factors. First, David Buehler has really struggled to kick the ball into the end zone, and therefore there are 2 many run-backs. Also the coverage units have to run down a long length of the filed every time on a kickoff to cover it. That’s not the case on punts because Dallas’ offense usually moves the ball well, so the punts are shorter, making it a shorter distance for the coverage guys to travel.
But here’s my reservation about putting starters in on the kickoff-coverage unit. The best players for that job are defenders. Do you really want those guys travelling the length of the field to cover those, only to go back on the field right after that to play defense winded?
If you ask me what the remedy is, to me it’s simple. Coach Joe Decamilius needs to first-and-foremost do a better job coaching the kickoff coverage. Many here are reluctant to call him out; I’m not. If you want the kickoff coverage to improve you need better kickoffs and more fundamentally sound coverage. Period!
I don’t care that Buehler says he has a tired leg. Then train better son. And while Buehler has spent so much energy trying to become a field-goal kicker – with no success mind you – the fact that it has come at the expense of his kickoff ability is Decamilius’ fault.
Why? It’s because the buck always should stop at the feet of the coach. It’s up to Coach D to know when his kicker is being over-stressed and to know when to dial the routine back if need be. And it’s also up to the coach to know not to take risky chances with a player who’s been up-and-down. That kick to the sideline that Buehler hit out of bounds for a penalty, right after the celebration penalty, was so risky it should never have been attempted. And maybe that’s the problem.
Also, the kickoff units to me seem so aggressive that lanes are overrun and kicks are made with poor height and bad angles. Bad technique falls on coaching. So before any changes are made to personnel, perhaps changes need to be made by the coach about how the units should play smarter, more-fundamental, football.
Just my $0.02.
