Oakland’s Daisher needs to make unit “special” again

By Anthony Carroll  |   Wednesday, April 12, 2006  |  Comments( 0 )

Oakland Raiders
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The NFL offseason is a time to revamp the offense and refurbish the defense, right? But what about that underlying X-factor, the ever so forgettable unit ironically named "special" teams? Fans love to overlook it and the media repeatedly neglects it. But the role that the special teams unit plays in the outcome of each individual game is quietly critical.

Look at it as one of those little underappreciated blue cubes of pool chalk. You need the pool cue and you need the billiard balls to play the game effectively, but without the chalk you could spoil your entire gameplan. One slip up of an unchalked stick opens a door of opportunity for your opponent...

One special teams falter could cost you a 60-minute NFL game.

For instance, consider the week 15 matchup Oakland had with Cleveland. The game played out to be a 9-7 victory for the Browns in which Phil Dawson perfectly kicked three field goals in three different quarters. The Raiders' Sebastian Janikowski, on the other hand, missed a 51-yard field goal and had a 46-yarder blocked. Add it up: six points Oakland missed out on. A possible 13-9 win ended up to be 9-7 loss.

…the ideal transition into Oakland's special teams areas to improve upon for the 2006 season:

1. Kicking game: Sebastian Janikowski missed a third of his field goal attempts last season, going 20 for 30 on the year. He was an atrocious 7 for 15 in field goals beyond 40 yards and, for the first time in his career, failed to connect on an attempt over 50 yards. And although the Raiders were the seventh-best team in the NFL in kickoff touchbacks last season with 11, the field goal hitch outweighs this positive heavily. Of the possible 90 points Oakland could have earned in the kicking game last season, only 60 were added to the scoreboard.

2. Punt returns: Ever since the team lost Philip Buchanon, punt returns have been a major problem area for the special teams unit. Last year, the Raiders averaged an NFL-low 5.6 yards per return on punts. The team struggled due partly to their poor decision making on fair catches-only New Orleans totaled fewer than Oakland's seven in 2005. Rookie Chris Carr was responsible for 34 of Oakland's 37 returns; however, the blame cannot be placed entirely on the shoulders of the Boise State alumnus. Special teams coach, Ted Daisher, will have a lot of work to do to improve the blocking scheme on returns and the overall decision making of his return man.

3. Kick return coverage: Although Oakland prevented all of their opponents from returning a kickoff for a touchdown in 2005, they allowed 24.4 yards per return. Only five teams were worse than the Raiders in that category-a category that is quietly important in the NFL. As a result, the majority of Oakland's opponents started their drives off at the 30-yard line and beyond, making the defenders' on-field duties much more difficult.

4. Punt return coverage: One more league-worst here for Oakland. The 11.8-yard average that Oakland gave up on punt returns last season was 32nd in the NFL. Head coach Norv Turner criticized all-pro punter Shane Lechler last season about this issue, saying he "out-kicked" the coverage. However, Lechler was merely doing his job, while the overall coverage unit underachieved. Next season, the Oakland Raiders need to force their opponents to fair catch the ball on a more consistent basis.

Or, they could just punt the ball less.

The second alternative seems a bit superior.

-Anthony Carroll can be contacted at acarroll@realfootball365.com
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About Anthony Carroll

Anthony Carroll began writing for RealFootball365.com on Sept. 26, 2005, making him one of the longest tenured contributors to the “365” team. As a senior writer, Anthony has taken on the task of delivering original content to the silver and black faithful year round, despite having to deal...
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