BenchBledsoe Posted November 22, 2004 Posted November 22, 2004 Just a few years ago, our special teams were the worst I had ever seen for any team. Now, I can say that I have NEVER seen so many good returns from one team in the same season. McGee, Freddie, Clements. . . all doing a great job. Can Bobby April really be this good? Even our coverage seems good. I think the poor choices of special team coaches began the slide of GW out of town. Truly, our special teams have gone from worst to first. MM, I think realized much more than GW, how important special teams really are.
jarthur31 Posted November 22, 2004 Posted November 22, 2004 That's been the only bright spot this year. Ouch, it hurts to hear that too.
jad1 Posted November 22, 2004 Posted November 22, 2004 Just a few years ago, our special teams were the worst I had ever seen for any team. Now, I can say that I have NEVER seen so many good returns from one team in the same season. McGee, Freddie, Clements. . . all doing a great job. Can Bobby April really be this good? Even our coverage seems good. I think the poor choices of special team coaches began the slide of GW out of town. Truly, our special teams have gone from worst to first. MM, I think realized much more than GW, how important special teams really are. 128178[/snapback] You have to credit Donahoe for bringing Morman, McGee, Smith, Haggens, Crowell, and Stamer. These guys are huge contributors on special teams. These guys were all special teams contributors in college. Even Lindell is having a decent season.
34-78-83 Posted November 22, 2004 Posted November 22, 2004 Our coverage teams were among the tops in the league under Danny Smith. April's schemes along with the new blood and focus have completely turned around the return teams though. They are doing a fantastic job right now.
justnzane Posted November 22, 2004 Posted November 22, 2004 sorry 34-78-83. our coverage teams sucked last year. we had to put an abnormal amount of starters on our coverage teams last year to prevent getting burned
Alaska Darin Posted November 22, 2004 Posted November 22, 2004 That's been the only bright spot this year. Ouch, it hurts to hear that too. 128204[/snapback] You should pay more attention to the games, then.
BRH Posted November 22, 2004 Posted November 22, 2004 Check this ridiculous Martz quote out: Sent packing after three struggling seasons in St. Louis, special teams coach Bobby April put on a clinic in the second half with his new team, the Bills. When asked if April had devised anything differently with Buffalo than he used in St. Louis, Martz replied sarcastically: "I don't think so. Super sleuth? You mean that tricky Bobby? They just flat returned it. They've got good people." So let me get this straight. It was all Bobby April's fault special teams sucked in St. Louis, so Mike Fartz fired him. But now that he's got the league-leading unit in Buffalo, it has nothing to do with him. Hey Mike Fartz. :I starred in Brokeback Mountain: :I starred in Brokeback Mountain:
BRH Posted November 22, 2004 Posted November 22, 2004 Here's another Fartz excuse from the same article: The third interception came in the end zone, on a play in which Martz said intended receiver Isaac Bruce had his jersey pulled by a Bills defender with no call. Let's say he's right and Bruce was held. What did that have to do with the interception? It was a stevestojantty throw by Bulger and Fartz knows it. :I starred in Brokeback Mountain:
BillsGuyInMalta Posted November 22, 2004 Posted November 22, 2004 Its so weird to see excellent special teams in Buffalo again. We had such an amazing special team force for so long, and then it vanished about 5 years ago. *sniff* I love reunions!
Terry Tate Posted November 22, 2004 Posted November 22, 2004 I can still hear Chris Berman's voice - "Oh, those Bills special teams" - man, that used to hurt. I was to the point where I would cringe when it was time for any special teams play, I had so little faith in them. It's fun to watch them again. Keep it up, boys!
Kelly the Dog Posted November 22, 2004 Posted November 22, 2004 It's a combination of factors: 1. The returners. The difference in the return men this year compared to years past is by far the biggest change, even with the excellent coaching of April (so far). McGee is probably the best pure returner I have ever seen on the Bills. He was a great returner in college, looked good the few times we used him last year, looked great in pre-season and great this whole season. He makes excellent decisions, accelerates very quickly, cuts at nearly full speed, and has tremendous 10 yard dash speed that enables him to squeak through small holes and into the open field where he has great vision. He's just a better return man than we have had. Clements, too, and now Not Quite So Fast Freddy are far, far better than Bills of the past. They both accelerate very quick, don't dance much (although Clements will sometimes) and are able to cut and change direction without losing speed. Smith has made just great decisions and moves in his few attempts. The difference between these guys and Antonio Brown, and various other non-talented and wishy-washy, dancing return men is huge. Regardless of the crappy ST coaches we have had. 2. The blocking schemes and the players doing the blocking are far better, which has to ddo with the experience of being 2-3-4 year guys out there instead of rookies, combined with a few starters willing to put out. April has put them in very good positions to do their jobs and guys like Stamer and Crowell, and Fletcher and Nuefeld have been playing well. 3. The numbers on the punt and kickoff teams are grossly exaggerated both ways. The reason we are near the top in KO is because Lindell kicks so damn short and April has him pooch a bunch of KOs. They catch it on the 15 and run 17 yards to the 32. If we kicked to the goalline and they ran it back to the 32 we would think they suck. This way, however, we do limit the chance for long returns and we have a good enough defense to let that play out. On the other hand, Moorman punts the ball so damn long, the PR returns are way longer than they should be. The PR catches it over his head and runs 10-15 yards before a Bill is near him. The Bills P team, even though they are aout 17th in the league, are actually VERY good. At least as good as the K team, which is close to #1. 4. Moorman is definitely one of the top three punters in the league, which helps. He is the best Bills punter I have ever seen. 5. Lindell has a good percentage but it is very midleading because we havent had him kick long kicks and he hasn't really had much chance to win or lose games at the end. He has done his job this year though, and only missed two. When a guy with a 90% FG rate is your worst special teams performer, you're doing great. We have better, more experienced players blocking and tackling, we have solid, innovative coaching, and we have excellent returners. Overall, this is a very good unit.
stevewin Posted November 22, 2004 Posted November 22, 2004 While the return game is remarkable - the thing I kept thinking about yesterday was how awesome the kickoff coverage was - and how far we had come from just a couple years ago when you were honestly afraid on every kickoff that the opposing team would take it all the way. They improved last year but were nowhere near where they are now. It is amazing to be able to look at something that was such a horrible weakness such a short time ago and actually be excited about it as a strength.
nick in* england Posted November 22, 2004 Posted November 22, 2004 It's a combination of factors: 128613[/snapback] A great set of points there Kelly. What concerns me about Lindell is exactly that he has not been tested on long FGs. In facts TMQ regularly laments our 'preposterous punts' and that is directly as a result of the lack of faith we have in Lindells ability to kick it long. We would be much closer to a winning record if we could covert FG trys from 45+ yards up to 55 yards. Similarly - one stat that is not reflected in our quality ST play this season is the preponderance to call for the punting unit when we are inside the opponents half. It is frustrating to see us have to kick the ball away for net gains of only 15-20 yards. This conservative play calling on STs is a real frustration and we must overcome these situations to be successful. Moorman is clearly one of the top punters in the NFL - helped and hindered by the winds in Buffalo - but when we talk about STs play - I want us to be clear we are talking coverage and returning only. Our play calling is a little too conservative (pooch KOs and preposterous punts) to say that we get a 'complete' performance from STs. Credit where credit is due tho - April does appear to have this unit on the rise. We have to replace Lindell for someone with a stronger leg this offseason - kicking is a critical part of the game - and I don't think we can carry a weak legged lindell for very much longer.
BenchBledsoe Posted November 22, 2004 Author Posted November 22, 2004 A great set of points there Kelly. What concerns me about Lindell is exactly that he has not been tested on long FGs. In facts TMQ regularly laments our 'preposterous punts' and that is directly as a result of the lack of faith we have in Lindells ability to kick it long. We would be much closer to a winning record if we could covert FG trys from 45+ yards up to 55 yards. Similarly - one stat that is not reflected in our quality ST play this season is the preponderance to call for the punting unit when we are inside the opponents half. It is frustrating to see us have to kick the ball away for net gains of only 15-20 yards. This conservative play calling on STs is a real frustration and we must overcome these situations to be successful. Moorman is clearly one of the top punters in the NFL - helped and hindered by the winds in Buffalo - but when we talk about STs play - I want us to be clear we are talking coverage and returning only. Our play calling is a little too conservative (pooch KOs and preposterous punts) to say that we get a 'complete' performance from STs. Credit where credit is due tho - April does appear to have this unit on the rise. We have to replace Lindell for someone with a stronger leg this offseason - kicking is a critical part of the game - and I don't think we can carry a weak legged lindell for very much longer. 128653[/snapback] Agreed. We cannot continue with Lindell next year. His kickoffs that come down at the 15-20 yd line are laughable. The coaching staff's hesitancy to let him attempt longer field goals speaks volumes. Hopefully, we address the kicker postion in the off season as it is clearly a big weakness.
BB2004 Posted November 23, 2004 Posted November 23, 2004 Just a few years ago, our special teams were the worst I had ever seen for any team. Now, I can say that I have NEVER seen so many good returns from one team in the same season. McGee, Freddie, Clements. . . all doing a great job. Can Bobby April really be this good? Even our coverage seems good. I think the poor choices of special team coaches began the slide of GW out of town. Truly, our special teams have gone from worst to first. MM, I think realized much more than GW, how important special teams really are. 128178[/snapback] Good post. Maybe Ralph Wilson had a talk with him about the unusual history of our special teams.
ganesh Posted November 23, 2004 Posted November 23, 2004 You have to credit Donahoe for bringing Morman, McGee, Smith, Haggens, Crowell, and Stamer. These guys are huge contributors on special teams. These guys were all special teams contributors in college. Even Lindell is having a decent season. 128207[/snapback] and don't forget London Fletcher...He has handed out fantastic blocks during many of these big returns....Also looks like the ST have rectified their problems in the 1st qtr of the season, when we had holding or other silly calls that caused us big returns.
Alaska Darin Posted November 23, 2004 Posted November 23, 2004 and don't forget London Fletcher...He has handed out fantastic blocks during many of these big returns....Also looks like the ST have rectified their problems in the 1st qtr of the season, when we had holding or other silly calls that caused us big returns. 129904[/snapback] Probably more that the officials were chastized for calling phantom penalties than anything. Fletcher has been amazing this year. A true professional.
34-78-83 Posted November 23, 2004 Posted November 23, 2004 sorry 34-78-83. our coverage teams sucked last year. we had to put an abnormal amount of starters on our coverage teams last year to prevent getting burned 128248[/snapback] Try again bud. Look at the numbers. Top five in the league in all coverage categories. There are way more starters on ST this year than last. I assume you already put down the crack pipe.
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