NFC NEWS ‘N’ NOTES

SPECIAL TEAMS: ESPECIALLY IMPORTANT

It’s an area of football that often attracts little attention – unless things go spectacularly right or horribly wrong.  But, as any NFL coach will tell you, it is vital to a team’s success: special teams.

Not coincidentally, the 12 playoff teams of 2002, including the NFC-finalist Philadelphia Eagles, whose unit is led by coordinator JOHN HARBAUGH, were at or near the top in several key special teams categories.

Entering his sixth season in Philadelphia, Harbaugh is widely considered one of the top men in his profession, earning the 2001 Special Teams Coach of the Year award that is voted upon by the NFL’s special teams coaches.  Harbaugh will have an ample task in front of him this season as he seeks to replace one of the NFL’s all-time best kickoff and punt returners, BRIAN MITCHELL (NY Giants), and perhaps the club’s top coverage man, linebacker BARRY GARDNER (Cleveland).  Punters KYLE RICHARDON and DIRK JOHNSON also will compete for a job to replace SEAN LANDETA (St. Louis).

“Every year is challenging, and, as coaches, we always deal with turnover,” Harbaugh said.  “Our core roster was probably more unsettled last year than this year.  I am very excited about the talent we have and the season ahead.” 

One key aspect of special teams, if often little-noticed, is the ability to cover kicks.  Gardner excelled at the skill last season, leading the Eagles with 23 special teams tackles, possessing in abundance the qualities that Harbaugh looks for in coverage men.

Harbaugh’s keys to coverage are the willingness to do the job, wanting to succeed, speed, physical play, and toughness.

“We talk a lot about geometry, specifically about angles and spacing,” he says.  “Once players understand this, it becomes easier to do the job.  They need to anticipate where to be and then have the ability to get there.”

The return men naturally spend more time in the spotlight, as their successes and failures are more easily detectable.

When the New York Giants signed Mitchell as a free agent in early March, it was widely heralded as an important addition, and showed the emphasis NFL clubs give to special teams.  Entering his 14th season, Mitchell was a college quarterback at Southwestern Louisiana who never returned a punt or kickoff until reaching professional football in 1990.

Mitchell, who has spent his entire career in the NFC East with the Eagles and Washington Redskins, is the NFL all-time leader in eight different return categories.  His 22,001 combined net yards gained is second all-time, trailing only wide receiver JERRY RICE (22,248).

“I was a guy who said he would never return punts and kickoffs,” says Mitchell.  “I thought people who did it were crazy.   Now I’m going into my 14th year doing it.  I feel I still have a lot in the tank and I can be an important part of the team.”

The Giants’ offseason move toward improving their special teams did not stop with Mitchell.  They also signed former Cleveland long snapper RYAN KUEHL, veteran punter JEFF FEAGLES and kicker MIKE HOLLIS to provide competition to incumbent kicker MATT BRYANT.   

“One thing about signing Feagles, Mitchell and Kuehl, these guys are consummate pros,” said Giants head coach JIM FASSEL. “They’re going to bring a level of professionalism and an attitude to this team, beyond their ability.  And they all have the ability to help us.  Mike is going to give us depth and competition at a spot where we have to be good.”

Kansas City and New Orleans supplied last year’s Pro Bowl return men, in the Chiefs’ DANTE HALL and the Saints’ MICHAEL LEWIS.  Both gained valuable experience in the NFL Europe League before starring in the NFL.  Hall spent the spring of 2001 with the Scottish Claymores, finishing first in the league with a 24.4-yard kickoff-return average and second with an 11.8-yard punt-return average.  Lewis spent his European tenure with the 2001 Rhein Fire.

NFL clubs have looked to NFL Europe again this season in hopes of hitting it big in the return game.  The Green Bay Packers recently signed NFL Europe’s second-leading kickoff returner, BRIAN MC DONALD.  McDonald, who averaged 27.8 yards per kickoff return, spent the season with the World Bowl XI champion Frankfurt Galaxy and now hopes to make his mark in the NFL.

Miami Dolphins wide receiver KENDALL NEWSON was used as a return man for the first time in his career this spring as a member of the Rhein Fire.  The results were exceedingly positive, as he led the league in both punt (17.2) and kickoff return (28.2) average.

Following are some key special teams statistics from 2002:

   Teams in italics are 2002 playoff clubs