Fixing the Dawgs’ ‘scary’ special teams
If Blair Walsh was rushing his kicks, why didn't anyone on the coaching staff notice it? (Associated Press)
Along with the lack of experienced depth in the secondary and the rebuilding project on the offensive line, the aspect of Mark Richt’s Bulldogs causing the most offseason apprehension among fans is special teams, where Georgia will be starting brand-new kickers and trying to turn around last year’s dismal performance.
Plus, doing all of that without the benefit of a special teams coach or coordinator, as Richt stubbornly sticks to the Bobby Bowden model of going without one.
That’s a decision that many have questioned, and the topic came up again over the weekend thanks to a report out of Minnesota, where the Vikings are betting they can fix what was wrong with placekicker Blair Walsh during his disappointing senior season at UGA.
The Vikes’ special teams coordinator, Mike Priefer, told 1500espn.com that after working with Walsh and studying film of last season, he’s figured out how the ex-Bulldog went from one of the nation’s most reliable PKs to making only 21 of 35 field goal attempts.
“He was rushing every kick,” Priefer said. “Every kick he missed, he hit them well, but he was much too fast with his get off time. I don’t know if that was what he was coached to do, maybe that’s what he wanted to do.”
That last bit sounds somewhat like an indictment of Georgia’s special teams coaching … or, more accurately, lack of special teams coaching.
Whether Priefer has nailed it remains to be seen — and there’s still the suspicion that most of Walsh’s problem last season was between his ears — but there’s no doubt Richt’s staff was clueless about how to help their placekicker get back on track, basically leaving it up to the kid to fix himself.
Hopefully, incoming freshman placekicker Marshall Morgan and punter Collin Barber won’t arrive in Athens with any hitches in their mechanics that need diagnosing, because it appears Richt’s staff wouldn’t be able to help them much.
Of course, they weren’t much better at improving any other aspect of special teams play last season, which Richt himself summed up rather generously as “mostly average to scary.”
More scary than average, as the numbers show: Georgia ranked 116th out of 120 teams last year in punt return defense and merely 88th in kickoff return defense, allowing two kickoffs to be returned for touchdowns and another long return by Florida that set up a field goal.
It's off to the races for the Honey Badger against Georgia. (Associated Press)
At least it’s good to know that John Lilly, the assistant coach who oversees Georgia’s punt coverage unit, is still haunted by his team’s performance against LSU in the SEC championship game, where Tyrann Mathieu returned one punt 62 yards for a touchdown and another punt 42 yards to set up a score as the Dawgs quickly lost control of the game in the second half.
“You think about that game every day and what happened there,” Lilly recently told the Athens Banner Herald.
Lilly recognizes that coaching is a big part of special teams play: “We’ve got to do a great job of coaching it,” he told the ABH. “We’ve got to give them a great plan and scheme that fits our personnel and then we’ve got to get the right guys on there and then motivate them. Then, at the moment of truth, we’ve got to make the plays when they’re there to be made.”
He reiterated what Richt has indicated several times, that it’s “all hands on deck,” as the head coach put it, and that starters and other high-profile players need to take the place of the many walk-ons that have populated Georgia’s coverage teams in recent years.
Said Lilly: “You’ve got to put guys in the right place and I do think from a personnel standpoint, I think you’re going to see guys across classes. You’ll see everything from a true freshman to seniors out there. You’ll see everything from a high-draft pick to a guy that might be one in two or three years but hadn’t done it yet. We’ve got to do — I’ve got to do — a great job of motivating them and getting it done. The punter’s got to do a great job of putting the ball where we want it and how we want it there, and I think we’ll be very good again.”
Richt, at least, is talking the talk about special teams … finally. As he put it a few months ago, “If we’ve got to put a bunch of starters on defense on some specials or starters at wide receiver or whatever you’ve got to do — tailback, I don’t care what position. We’ve got to get the best guys out there and understand how crucial it is.”
And he said after spring practice that Georgia most likely will have more live kicking reps in fall practice than in the past because of breaking in a new punter and placekicker. “They need to be under pressure as much as possible and it’s hard to create that pressure unless you’re doing some live situations. But we also just need to see for our own eyes can a guy make a tackle out in the open. Drills are great, but when it gets down to it, you have to have that sensation of being able to corral a guy out there when you’re covering a punt or covering a kick. You need to have your punts rushed full speed to make sure there’s no problems.”
But as David Ching of ESPN’s Dawg Nation noted, “Georgia’s unsightly return defense average doesn’t even include other disasters for the punt team. South Carolina defensive lineman Melvin Ingram rumbled 68 yards for a touchdown on a fake punt, providing points that made a huge difference in the Gamecocks’ 45-42 win. And Vanderbilt nearly pulled off a massive upset a few weeks later when the Commodores blocked a Drew Butler punt in the closing seconds, with Butler’s touchdown-saving tackle being all that preserved the Bulldogs’ 33-28 win.”
Spending more time in practice on live kicks and getting more starters out on the field for kick coverage definitely sounds like a good idea, but beyond that I’d like to see a heightened sense of awareness on the part of both the players and the coaching staff. Last year Georgia was a sucker for a fake punt (not for the first time under Richt). And against LSU you watched the Dawgs punt with a true sense of foreboding because they didn’t seem to know how to counter the Tigers’ return game.
I’d like to see some variation in how the Dawgs approach punting — for instance, on occasion using the rugby kicks that so many teams used to good advantage against us last year. They’re tough to return, and in the SEC championship game, it certainly would have made more sense to kick those, or at the very least squibbers that are hard to pick up, to try and keep the Honey Badger from breaking a long return. Instead, we kicked it right to him and depended on our obviously suspect coverage.
In order for the Dawgs to have a chance of living up to the high preseason expectations that have been placed on this team, there’s going to have to be a major turnaround on special teams. Yes, on-field execution is a key, and that’s on the players up to a point. But coaching is a big part of college football, and the approach taken with Walsh and the punting game last year certainly isn’t going to get it done.
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337 comments Add your comment
Ringleader
June 26th, 2012
2:33 pm
Dawginlex……….
Yes, I have observed practice…………….It is very, very soft, very little hitting, never no1 vs no1, its always no1 against scout team. In ten years, there has not been a “Bloody Tuesday”, as Coach Dooly was famed for. In ten years, there has never been a practice of any type on a Sunday. In fact, the assistants are not required to come in before 1pm.
Things are soft, very soft……..
Joey
June 26th, 2012
2:33 pm
“…but overall he is a little more than average QB.”
***********************************
And Lord knows you should know “average” when you see it, Alphare.
“Nesbitt for Heisman!!” Haha!
RedWhiner
June 26th, 2012
2:33 pm
In the South Carolina game, you got a missed field goal and the fake punt = 10 points.
Murray’s 2 td gifts = 14 points
14 > 10
Murray lost the game, not special teams.
Jon Fabris
June 26th, 2012
2:35 pm
If Jon Fabris were still apart of the Coaching Staff none of this would be a problem. If you look a the numbers when he was here, its night and day
RedWhiner
June 26th, 2012
2:36 pm
I still say, if you have some money to play with, throw it on South Carolina, trust me on this, Murray will always find a way to wreck his team.
Aaron “1 man wrecking ball” Murray, is 0-9 in these type of games.
Puu all your chips on Spurrier.
Alphare
June 26th, 2012
2:37 pm
Lex,
you watched the games or just searched the web to get this stat?
If you watched the games, who can you scare with UGA running game? some high schools in Clayton county?
Joey
June 26th, 2012
2:39 pm
RedWhiner, would our offense have scored 42 points if not for Murray? Maybe, maybe not.
You are right though, he has to protect the ball MUCH better this season.
RedWhiner
June 26th, 2012
2:39 pm
Do you think some guys throw games? I don’t, but some of my friends thought that Murray and Walsh were throwing games last year for a Vegas type of payoff, especially in the games UGA lost where UGA was favored, do you guys agree?
RedWhiner
June 26th, 2012
2:42 pm
No, the offense wouldn’t have scored 42 without Murray, more like 60 with Hutson Mason’s record setting arm, or ESPN player of the Year Lemay.
DawginLex
June 26th, 2012
2:42 pm
As I said, in SEC games, we avg 181 yards per game. We did this with 1 running back and he was hurt for 5 games.
you said our running game was horrible when in fact, it was not.
It is not at the level it needs to be but with no running back depth and no OL depth, it was inevitable.
you want to talk about a horrible running game, look to Knoxville, not Athens
Contractor
June 26th, 2012
2:44 pm
RedWhiner,
Georgia lost by three points, and that could have been overcome by special teams play. Though he gave up 14 points you can’t fault him 100% when the line allows their two All-SEC defensive ends to bum rush him without being blocked. My entire point is that Blair Walsh is on the field for one reason, to make field goals. I understand he is not perfect, and no kicker ever is, but when you shank a ball like he did, and continue to let your team down the rest of the season, then the blame can be put more on Special Teams. The offense put up 42 points as well, so you can’t really fault them as much for doing their job and scoring.
DawginLex
June 26th, 2012
2:44 pm
With Mason we lose to florida
With Mason we lose to Tennessee
With Mason we lose to Tech
Murray beat all 3 and destroyed Auburn
“Georgia has the finest downfield passing game of any team in the country. Murray has perfected the art of the back shoulder throw and we had no answer for it.”
Auburn Head Coach Gene Chizik
Lagdawg
June 26th, 2012
2:45 pm
@Redwhiner, UGA lost the game. It is a team effort. We continue to blame Murray for the interceptions and the costly fumbles. It still starts with coaching. If the HC and the OC do their job and put the fear of god in the players, they would get better playing from the entire team. The team is still too soft and CMR can’t seem to put all the components together to win the big games. Somebody on the coaching staff has to step up and hold these kids accountable and also hold the coaches accountable. The #1 offense should always practice against the #1 defense and there should be padded knockout practices from Monday thru Wednesday. Until the coaching staff at UGA gets it into their heads that the team is not playing up to SEC level and making the practices tougher, UGA will continue to struggle and lose the big games.
RedWhiner
June 26th, 2012
2:45 pm
Like Bill’s headline, my pals have wondered if some of the special teams play were ‘fixed” so “fixing the SPECIAL TEAMS” is an apt title, as would “fixing the QB position at UGA”. So many things went wrong, in games UGA was favored in, on special teams and QB, that some pals have been forced to think a fixing was in.
DawginLex
June 26th, 2012
2:46 pm
your pals are as dumb as you are
Fair n Balanced
June 26th, 2012
2:47 pm
Well, I don t know what it will take to convince GA coaches, but 1/4 of the game is special teams. If Richt can’t get better play then the pressure is going fall onto someone else. It just isn’t wise to almost ignore 1/4 of the game.
DawginLex
June 26th, 2012
2:47 pm
at least this blog handle you picked is appropriate for a whiny little girl like you
Alphare
June 26th, 2012
2:51 pm
Joey,
Murray has the arm, but doesn’t have the touch or “it”. To the contrary, David Green doesn’t have the arm, but has the touch or “it”.
Murray is an average QB, while David Green is an excellent QB.
TallaDawg
June 26th, 2012
2:51 pm
Where is a Grad. Assist. like Coach Hartman when we need one?
RedWhiner
June 26th, 2012
2:52 pm
UGA was favored against Boise, SC, and Mich St, and lost all 3.
Vegas made a LOT of money off those 3 games.
Murray and the Special teams, played terrible in all 3 games.
Sterling
June 26th, 2012
2:56 pm
WOW! I’m just wondering why Bill king and other “experts” aren’t making their living coaching? They KNOW all the solutions, they KNOW how things should be done. Why aren’t they coaching somewhere? I just don’t understand. After all, Bobby Bowden must have been worthless as a coach because he didn’t follow Bill Kings “path to awesomeness”!
Joey
June 26th, 2012
2:59 pm
Wish I hadn’t responded to you now whiner. But I have to wonder if you think there was a shooter on the grassy knoll?
ckgator
June 26th, 2012
3:01 pm
Inexperienced secondary and a questionable offensive line, yet ranked #6 preseason? That schedule must truly be a cake walk.
Some Dawg fans (and writers) are finally starting to get it. The more you talk about titles in the summer, the less likely they are to happen in the fall.
Alphare
June 26th, 2012
3:01 pm
Sterling,
“and other “experts” aren’t making their living coaching?”
The reason is I am not given a chance to coach. How do you know I cannot do better than the current coaching staff if I am not give a chance?
SouthGaBrave
June 26th, 2012
3:04 pm
Joey,
Well, JFK’s head did go back and to the left……
THE Dixie Redcoat Band
June 26th, 2012
3:04 pm
We’re all scared of the new kickers, special (?) teams, and coaching staff.
We’re just plain scared of this season.
GTDog
June 26th, 2012
3:05 pm
Man! I missed Ride Troll again! Keep meaning to ask him how his prognosticating is working out for him? After he missed on just about every point he made last season, I was really looking forward to it.
RedWhiner
June 26th, 2012
3:05 pm
Florida scored 20 points, GT scored 17 points, Tenn scored 12 points, and Auburn scored 7 points.
ANY UGA QB would have won those 4 games with that kind of defensive effort.
Murray didn’t win ANY of thos games.
Joey
June 26th, 2012
3:05 pm
Alphare – I’m on Murray’s case all the time, but just consider that in 2 seasons he has 59 TD passes, with 6,000 yds, plus 6 more TD rushing. All of that in a dated, predictable offense.
He ain’t the best QB in the country, I’ll agree. But he is absolutely better than “average.”
Joey
June 26th, 2012
3:07 pm
What’s your theory about the “magic bullet,” SouthGaBrave?
Haha . . .
DawginLex
June 26th, 2012
3:08 pm
If you watch the movie “The Rock”, Sean Connery tells Nicholas Cage who really shot JFK at the end of the movie on the microfilm
Why don’t you call him up redwhiner?
RedWhiner
June 26th, 2012
3:09 pm
70% of Murray’s td’s/yards are against teams with losing records.
12 of Murray’s 16 wins are against teams with 6 or LESS wins.
SouthGaBrave
June 26th, 2012
3:10 pm
Joey,
No theories, other than alot of shady stuff went down 50 years ago before they had the forensic technology that we possess today. That, and the gov’t was only going to let you know what they wanted you to know back then (heck, still that way today).
RedWhiner
June 26th, 2012
3:10 pm
Murray ranked #440 out of 450 QB’s that ESPN tracks in interceptions, and #440 in sacks.
Not the best QB in America? No, the worst? Pretty much.
DawginLex
June 26th, 2012
3:11 pm
So Murray only loses games when we lose but he does not win when UGA wins??
Gotcha
now we understand
Caro_Dog
June 26th, 2012
3:13 pm
the dogs special teams should be at the top this year in the SEC. With a top special teams and a great D,the dogs should win the SEC east with ease and beat alabama for the sec title!! the dogs are back!!!
RedWhiner
June 26th, 2012
3:14 pm
Make all the excuses you want to, but Murray’s consistency, and POPENSITY to WRECK his team in BIG GAMES, has reached an EPIC cosisntency.
Murray has never beat a single team, in 9 attempts, whi finished in the top 25 rankings.
0-9.
His signature game is New mexico State.
RedWhiner
June 26th, 2012
3:17 pm
All I know is if you had put big money VEGAS style on Murray’s 9 opponents when facing a ranked team who finishes top 25, you’d be a very rich person.
Murray’s team LOSES, EVERY TIME.
Vegas LOVES guys like Murray.
The Truth Detector
June 26th, 2012
3:26 pm
I am not a UGA fan, but I remember UGA under Dooley always having great kickers,punters and returners. I think for the most part CMR has done a decent job getting kids to play for him who can boom the ball and guys that return the ball. If I were a UGA fan I would not be so anxious about the kickers or returners as much as I would the coverage aspect of their game. I would alot more worried about their Offensive line, especially after watching the Outback Bowl replay on the Big 10 Network the other night.
ckgator
June 26th, 2012
3:26 pm
It took 2 fumbles deep in FL territory for UGA to beat Florida’s worst team in 30 years by 4 points.
Yay for you.
2012 will be much different.
bucket
June 26th, 2012
3:27 pm
I agree that the special teams play has been an ongoing problem @ UGA, but anyone who thinks that Kevin Butler wasn’t in Walsh’s ear telling him what to do and how to fix his problem is living in a dream world. I hope Walsh gets his stuff straightened out, but his problems cannot be blamed on not having an expert tell him how to fix it.
Joey
June 26th, 2012
3:28 pm
Um, whiner, I think that 2012 counts as a new season. 2011 is over.
Name me a college QB that was fabulous for all 4 years of eligibility . . .
Red Stick
June 26th, 2012
3:32 pm
Special teams play may prove huge for Georgia this season with their thin offensive line. Against tough defensive teams such as South Carolina and Florida, field position and making field goals may be the difference.
Geaux Tigers
Go SEC
Joey
June 26th, 2012
3:35 pm
Y’all were so bad last season (0-for-October), no UGA fan even brags about that game. Sorry to disappoint you gatorboy, but, to quote Coach Paul Johnson, “we’ve got bogger fish to fry!”
Like Mizzou and SC, and whoever we meet in the SECCG . . .
kevin
June 26th, 2012
3:35 pm
An interesting relevant aside…Preseason last year, Rivals.com ranked UGA special teams #1 in the country. That sure held up! Never can tell.
Joey
June 26th, 2012
3:36 pm
dang,… “bigger fish”…
Dawg Haus
June 26th, 2012
3:37 pm
Funny, kevin. I’m hoping that since special teams are such a question mark going into 2012 that they’ll end up great.
Holy Guacamole
June 26th, 2012
3:42 pm
Murray has been running for his life most of the time that he has been in Athens. No Oline and not much of a running game doesn’t let you establish much momentum and yet he still gets record numbers. I don’t think that he is too bad of a QB.
Red – you need to quit whining.
UGADawg83
June 26th, 2012
3:45 pm
I agree that improvements need to be made in special teams that said lets note that:
1. Walsh didn’t have any different coaching this year than his first three years when he made everything in sight.
2. Our return game is a part of special teams and that was pretty good.
3. All of you whinning about starters being needed on special teams will be the first ones whinning when a starter gets hurt on special teams. Most of you have obviously forgoten what happened to Boss Bailey in ‘00.
You Richt bashers never cease to amaze me.
GuacDawg
June 26th, 2012
3:50 pm
Murray has had the MOST epxerienced o-line in the NCAA in 2010 (he went 0-5 vs ranked teams as a starter)
Murray has had the largest o-line with 4 NFL future draftpicks (he went 0-4 as a starter)
Does anyone see a pattern here?