2008 Special Teams Preview

In an effort to assist Comrade Pelligrino in his Herculian task of position-by-position analysis of the Bengals from last year to this, I'm taking a review of Special Teams off his plate.  Last year special teams were uneven at best, absolutely horrendous at certain times.  Injuries and some offseason losses exacerbated things, but on the whole I think it's fair to say that the Bengals underperformed on Special Teams.  This year I'd say the prospects look brighter with the return of some core ST players, notably Ethan Kilmer.  However, the punt return job--which has been manned by the woefully unskilled Antonio Chatman--did not get substantially upgraded despite numerous opportunities in the draft.  Although I am a huge fan of Stewie Griffin's "compliment sandwich" style of critique, I think I have to start with the bad ("You really dazzled that rep from the Cincinnati office last week.")

First, a look at the players and numbers from last year.

2007 Special Teams Core Players: Herana-Daze Jones, Dhani Jones, Daniel Coates, Marvin White, Dede Dorsey, Blue Adams

2007 KR: Glenn Holt

2007 PR: Antonio Chatman

2007 Kicking: K Shayne Grahan, P Kyle Larson, LS Brad St. Louis

2007 Special Teams Statistics

Kickoff Return Rank: 16th (24.3 yds per return, 1 TD)

Punt Return Rank: Last (5.2 yds per return, Antonio Chatman)

Kicking Rank: 5th (accuracy, 91.2%), 5th (total points, 130)

Punt Rank: 27th (average 41.3 yds per punt), 16th (coverage, 9.1 yds per return), 29th (net avg, 36.2 yds per punt)

Leading ST tackles: 13, Herana-Daze Jones

2007 Special Teams Overview

The Bengals started out the year with a series of horrendous special teams performances, highlighted by a 63-yard punt return by Ed Reed in the opener, a series of long returns by Josh Cribbs (including an 85-yarder) in game 2, and a number of similarly attrocious efforts in the first half of the season.  Most notable during this stretch was the seeming inability of Shayne Graham to kick the ball into the end zone, often failing to get his kicks beyond the 10-yard line.  Certainly, a hip injury in the preseason contributed to his ineffectiveness, but Graham has never had a particularly big leg.

The addition of Dhani Jones to the lineup around week 3 turned out to be much needed, and by mid-season the spat of dubious returns quieted down a bit.  Jones, later named Captain of Special Teams, brought some professionalism to a unit that lost some key players, including Special Teams mavin Ethan Kilmer, shelved for the year with a knee injury.  Due to several injuries, the team often had to turn to starters including Landon Johnson and Dexter Jackson to cover kicks, not what you want to see.  The mysterious Herana-Daze Jones (for some reason pronounced "Hernandez-Jones") had another solid year, leading the team with 13 total tackles.  Both Daze-Jones and Dhani will likely need to add something to the unit this year if they are to improve on kick coverage, although Dhani may see his time limited or curtailed entirely if he assumes the role of MLB.

On kick returns, the Bengals faired a bit better, with Glenn Holt providing some flash including a kick return TD against the Bills.  However, some critical fumbles--most notably on the last possession at Seattle--seriously dampened an otherwise promising performance by Holt, so he will have to drastically improve in this area if he wants to retain his job.

Once again the Bengals' punt return unit was laughable, with Chatman finishing dead last in punt return average for qualifying players.  Why the Bengals ever thought this guy could return punts is beyond me, but without a doubt the most glaring hole in our special teams is the lack of a punt return game.  It can't be overlooked that DeDe Dorsey blocked the first punt I can remember in Bengal's history, returning it for a TD against Arizona in week 11.  We here at WDR would love to see DeDe make it on ST--heck, we'd rather have Domata Peko return punts than Chatman.

Shayne Graham, though not as accurate as usual, had another solid year, although questions remain  with regards to his big-play ability and poise under pressure.  Graham always seems to nail 'em when we're ahead, but has proved very shaky when the going gets tough.  Well-paid incumbent long-snapper Brad St. Louis had a steady year, which is to say that he didn't COST US THE PLAYOFFS as he did in Denver in 2006.  And rounding out the squad, punter Kyle Larson was well below average, making his $1 million-plus salary dead weight, in my opinion.  Overall, a sub-par season for the Bengals in special teams, leaving a lot of room for improvement in 2008.

2008 Special Teams Outlook

2008 Projected Core Players: Ethan Kilmer, Herana-Daze Jones, Chinedum Ndukwe, Daniel Coates, Corey Lynch, Glenn Holt, DeDe Dorsey, Darryl Blackstock 

2008 KR: Glenn Holt (DeDe Dorsey)

2008 PR: Antonio Chatman (Andre Caldwell)

2008 Kicking: K Shayne Grahan, P Kyle Larson, LS Brad St. Louis

Special Teams always seems to be an area where a team can quickly upgrade in the offseason, be it through the selection of a freakishly athletic speed guy from the college ranks (of whom there are many each year) or by acquiring journeymen and veterans from around the NFL who grind out their careers as 'teamers.  However, the Bengals yet again took the approach of: we're not going to fix anything.  Absolutely no improvements were made to shore up the punt return game, unless perhaps Andre Caldwell or Jerome Simpson can add something in that department.  Simpson appears to be a little too lanky (and maybe too important long-term) to try his hand at PR, but I would LOVE to see Caldwell get a shot since he simply cannot be worse than Chatman.  Another guy I can't leave out is DeDe Dorsey, who has flashed some great ST ability--if he can't make it as a RB, Bengals' fans would kill to see this guy on KR or PR, and obviously punt block packages.

The return of Ethan Kilmer and particularly the drafting of Corey Lynch (Applachian State) could mean some exciting things on our coverage units--Kilmer flashed some exceptional ability in 2006 prior to being injured last year, while Lynch is among the NCAA all time leaders with 6 blocked kicks.  Ohio State fans will no doubt remember his blocked kick against Michigan that sealed one of the biggest upsets in college football history.  Overall, with these two guys as core 'teamers, and possibly Daze-Jones, Dorsey, and others, I could see some much-needed improvement in our kick coverage.

As far as kick returns, Glenn Holt appears to be the incumbent as long as he can make the squad as the sixth WR.  If not, look for Caldwell, Dorsey, or even Kenny Watson to take that job, which should be about on-par with last year unless Caldwell really takes to the role (incidentally, he has not returned kicks since breaking his leg in college his junior year).  Graham and Larsen will maintain their roles at kicker and punter, respecitively, so no improvements their unless either one has done something to improve leg strength. 

Overall, I'd say Special Teams should be categorized under "No Improvement" at this point.  A few of the players we've added may bring some additional playmaking ability, but it's too early to tell.  We'll check back in the preseason with more insight.

Comments

[Todd]

How many single plays have been botched by special teams in the past two years that cost us the game? My guess is we lead the league in those, too. Should be such an easy fix.

Has anyone been able to adequately explain why we can't get 32 outstanding punters from our population into the NFl? This seems like a skill that should be all that rare.

[Todd]

That last sentence should read that punting should not be a rare skill...I need a drink.

[IgnatiusJReilly]

With Rudi, Kenny, and the healthy to this point Chris Perry ensconced at running back, it seems like DeDe Dorsey is tailor made for the return game, that he maybe needs to return kicks to earn a spot on the squad.

Chatman? I think he's on the chopping block after never really showing up as a receiving threat- whether through injury or lack of ability, the result is the same- and managing to inspire fond memories of Keiwan Ratliffe as a punt returner.

At Florida, Bubba Caldwell proved his return skills. We know he's got the speed and the hits he took in the SEC on a regular basis should prepare him for the bodily abuse at this level- or more so than most rookies anyway. Given Chad's imminent return, returning could provide Caldwell with ammunition to beat out Maxwell for 4 or to hang on at 5(I'm counting Chad, TJ, and Simpson ahead of him, Caldwell roughly tied with Marcus Maxwell and questioning Holt's involvement at all competing with Urrutia and Purify).

So, I'd go with Dorsey on punts, Caldwell on kickoffs.