Originally posted by Wolf_Packer_53:
Special teams, specifically the coverages on kicks and punts, is what is holding this team back. We would have blown the Seahawks out last night if it wasn't for the kick return td. That completely shifted the momentum. And there was almost another special teams td if Matthew Wright didn't play the role of sacrificial lamb. Sorry but the special teams coordinator needs to be canned.
This - it's as plain as day.
In the ultra-competitive NFL ("any given Sunday"), you cannot be this bad on ST and expect to get away with it, especially against good teams. ST/the "3rd Phase" is so important to either be at level or winning in this area every game...don't blow it here and allow a team momentum (like last night) or to take control of a close game.
We saw what happened in this past SB...KC didn't have a TD but SF opened the door wide open for them late in the 3rd Qtr. with that bad turnover on the punt return (what was Luter, a guy who barely played at all last year and a rookie, doing out there on ST anyway?). People might say that particular play was a fluke play...I say to a degree it was but really it wasn't because you have to have the right guys out there in the right position, especially in as big a game as the SB.
You don't see teams like the Chiefs making such game-changing errors on ST in big games. You really need to be good in all three phases in today's NFL where it's as competitive as ever with rosters being only so deep (salary cap), player injuries (to further test that lack of depth), etc.
say the line