Special Teams of the AFC West from an Oakland Raiders eye view

Thoughts from the Dark Side

June 13, 2008

Special Teams of the AFC West from an Oakland Raiders eye view

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Special teams is an underrated yet integral aspect to a successful football team. Whether its an all world punter like Shane Lechler for the Oakland Raiders, or a terror of a return man like Devin Hester in Chicago, key plays on Special Teams can completely change the course of a game. Now, for the final regularly scheduled "From an Oakland Raiders Eye View" post, here is the break down of the special teams units from around the AFC West.

San Diego Chargers:

Nate Kaeding and Mike Scifres are a solid and steady kicker/punter combo, which barely take the top spot. Darren Sproles is not necessarily a threat to take it all the way on any given kick, but puts up solid returns.

OUTLOOK: Don't expect anything great from this unit, but with the strength of the rest of the team, they only need to be consistent.

Oakland Raiders:

Shane Lechler is a punting machine. He set a record last season for the top net yardage for a punter ever. Sebastian Janikowski has a powerful leg and led the league in touchbacks. He struggles at times on his consistency. The lack of a defined return man is what puts the Raiders below the Bolts in this category. Johnnie Lee Higgins couldn't hack the return job last year, and rookie Tyvon Branch is looking to take that role.

OUTLOOK: The Raider kickers can kick it a mile. Jano barely missed a 70 yard attempt last season, and distance wasn't the problem. The question is who will do the returns?

Kansas City Chiefs:

Billy Cundiff and Nick Novak will be battling it out for the kicker position. Cundiff is a solid vet, whilst Novak is untested. Dustin Colquitt is not great on distance, but still keeps teams from long returns. The Chiefs will be looking to replace the disappointing Eddie Drummond as their return man.

OUTLOOK: Colquitt will get a lot of work this year, and it will be interesting to see how the place kicker battle plays out.

Denver Broncos:

War horses Jason Elam and Todd Saurbraun, and the Broncos are scrambling to replace them. Sam Paulescu and Danny Baugher will be fighting for the punter's job. Matt Prater looks to be taking over for the former Pro Bowler Elam. The Broncos will also be looking for a game breaking return man.

OUTLOOK:Denver will miss Jason Elam's leg. Look for the Orange and Blue to realize what a treat they had in Elam, leaving Prater with a huge shoe to fill. Saurbraun got the better of himself on the way out and won't be missed, but Denver will need someoen to step up to replace him between the hashmarks.

Tags: NFL, Oakland Raiders, Raiders

Discussion

24 Comments on "Special Teams of the AFC West from an Oakland Raiders eye view"

Posted by inonewordraider, June 13, 2008 12:34 AM

Let Mcfadden do punts and kickoffs. He's getting plenty of money and is gonna be sharing carries. Reggie Bush has won games with his return skills, Dmac can do the same

Posted by Thoughts from the Dark Side: Special Teams of the AFC West from an Oakland Raiders eye view | The Ra, June 13, 2008 1:14 AM

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Posted by Tony, June 13, 2008 5:19 AM

Raiders should get bonus points for shutting down Hester last season a great effort. Especially when Denver thought they could do it too and got burned!!!

Posted by slv&blk4life, June 13, 2008 5:38 AM

Tony I was gonna say the same thing , wasn't that beautiful

Posted by draiderfan1, June 13, 2008 6:59 AM

Jano. Wasted pick. You don't need a guy that can kick a 65 yarder. You need a consistent kicker. Jano is too erratic. I'll take a guy that is automatic from 40-45 over Jano anytime.

Posted by SR Raider, June 13, 2008 7:48 AM

Raiders need a return game bad. They've been near the bottom of the league in this department since the SB.

Jano's not a great kicker, but if it comes down to a playoff clutch kick, I think he would actually be OK. It's the games he misses everything that get me. Costs us at least 1 game a year, probably more like 2.

Shane rules but our punt return coverage let in at least 2 touchdowns last year. Gotta fix that too.

Posted by Raider Blues, June 13, 2008 7:57 AM

I'm glad someone else realizes just how important Special Teams are to the three components of football!

Jano must just get drunk before some games or maybe he needs to be drunk to kick? Not sure what it is but the games he misses everything like someone said earlier???

Posted by Mad Road Dog, June 13, 2008 8:20 AM

Maybe Jano should drink before the games to help him relax. Big Al needs to hire AJ Smith from the Bolts to replace him as GM. I guarantee you better talent across the board.

Posted by Pat T, June 13, 2008 8:31 AM

Hell yeah... Its not all about Janokowski and Lechler... What about Jarrod Cooper, Isaiah Ekuijiaba, and Ricky Brown deserve alot of credit for shutting Devin Hester down when no one had the balls to kick to him... BERMUDA TRIANGLE...

GO RAIDERS!!!

#10

Posted by LDizzle, June 13, 2008 9:34 AM

Our return game has to be better this year. And what I mean is that it is highly likely it will be. It won't be difficult to upgrade Higgins. Tyvon Branch was a beast in the return game in college and should do well. I think after a few games the Raiders return game will be good enough to put them at the top of this list. I just hope that something else in special teams doesn't digress and cancel out that production.

AJ Smith is a HUGE douchebag. Hiring him would not be a good idea.

#11

Posted by ken stabler, June 13, 2008 9:51 AM

mad road dog you are an idiot!

#12

Posted by Diamond Jim, June 13, 2008 10:09 AM

Losing Elam was a dumb move, really dumb. Shanahan will be on the bubble very soon. I'm still waiting for Seabass to break the record. I hear he kicks seventy yarders in practice and during warm-ups. There have been plenty of opportunities just before half-time where we ran down the clock and could have given him a shot. Give him a shot. We drafted him for his power to hit long field goals and for touchbacks. What are we waiting for. I had no problem with drafting a kicker in the first round. Kickers score points, win or lose games and make or break seasons. Unfortunately, when Seabass is off, he is way off and goes 0 for 3 and loses the game for us.

#13

Posted by BlakSean, June 13, 2008 10:42 AM

If they do put D Mac out there on kick offs it would be amazint to see what he could do? I think that Higgins was too scared to do punt returns.

#14

Posted by OGKUSH, June 13, 2008 11:30 AM

yes we all know maddog is about 12, he doesnt make any sense 99% of the time.. so don't take anything he says seriously, thanks guys.

i just hope mcfadden isn't used on special teams, he has enough on his plate in being our star, extremely versatile RB ...

#15

Posted by Joe, June 13, 2008 11:34 AM

Don't forget about Hall.

It could be Hall and D Mac on kickoffs.

Sbass just needs to take a little off when he's not kicking from 50+. They need to show him some tape of Elam. He can't kick much more than 50 which is why he's so accurate.

They also need to keep Sbass of the infield. I'd love to see how many of his missed kicks were from the dirt.

#16

Posted by Jon, June 13, 2008 11:58 AM

From the Chiefs' side, they have an undrafted kicker named Connor Barth from UNC that looks to be the favorite. Untested, but he's got good range and didn't miss a field goal in 2007. We'll see how that plays out, but it all but takes Novak and Cundiff entirely out of the picture.

In the return game, the Chiefs brought in BJ Sams from Baltimore and used their 6th round pick on Kevin Robinson, who returned 2 kickoffs for a TD last year in college.

So both problems are likely solved. How both play out, we'll see...

#17

Posted by Patrick Patterson, June 13, 2008 6:30 PM

Pat- I did a post earlier this offseason on the importance of the Triangle

#18

Posted by pat T, June 13, 2008 7:15 PM

No, no, no... You DO NOT PUT YOUR 4TH PICK OVERALL 60$ MILLION MAN AS A KICK RETURNER... Unless its caused by injury you dont want Dmac at kick returner... How many times have you seen guys injured on special teams... We have Johnie Lee Higgins and Tyvon Branch to do those things... and DeAngelo Hall can play punt returner once in while... Maybe we put Dmac at kick or punt returner if were down by a touchdown or less and our offense has been playing awful to get better field position... But i like D. Hall at punt returner, he's SPEEDY as can be and very illusive...

GO RAIDERS!!!

#19

Posted by Patrick Patterson, June 13, 2008 8:02 PM

Pat- I agree completely with you About using McFadden on returns. Remember Tim Brown's knee injury?

#20

Posted by OGKUSH, June 14, 2008 11:46 PM

yea man.. you want the guy to be a RB, WR, and a kick/punt returner? haha.. he will definetely develop a laundry list of injuries if he has to carry that huge load. yes pat t is right.. a lot of players get injured from being on special teams.. most guys are coming at you full speed, if they connect with mcfadden's kind of meatless legs running full blast... it could be disasterous for him... not to mention the raider nation's spirit!

#21

Posted by AJSmith, June 15, 2008 6:59 PM

AJ Smith is the best or 2nd best GM in the whole league, the problem is the Chargers will never let him go, they just gave him another big contract. The Chargers GM is the reason they have become one of the most dominant teams in the league.

#22

Posted by Bolts08, June 15, 2008 8:13 PM

While it is true Lechler can kick it a mile, that is also the reason you had those punts returned for touchdowns. Hangtime is just as, if not more, important than distance. Why do you think the Chargers have a special teams gunner in the pro bowl every year? It gives them time to get down the field and make key tackles. I'll take Scifers and his moon balls any day.

#23

Posted by Patrick Patterson, June 16, 2008 3:25 AM

Actually, Bolts08, the reason for the returns for touchdowns was special teams standouts Jarrod Cooper and Isaiah Ekejiuba were both out due to injury. When Coop, Eke, and Ricky Brown were all healthy, they completely shut down Devin Hester.

Lechler has plenty of hang time.

#24

Posted by sdbolts, June 16, 2008 10:10 AM

Patrick is correct, Bolts08. Lechler is an awesome punter. The only thing usually entertaining to watch during the Raider massacres is the special teams battles (by the punters). Best two punters in the league, IMHO, Lechler and Scifres, and pretty much the only area of the game where the Raiders can compete is the punt team.