TigerNet -- Blogs -- Mickey Plyler's Blog

Special or Not?
We all spend a lot of time talking, writing and reading about football this time of year. The beat writers ask Dabo every day about the quarterback race. We get injury updates each day as well. The routine then turns to the head coach saying something positive about a few players and a few concerns as well.

One area that fans love to point out is the priority of the special team. I hear people talk about the games where special teams cost their favorite team a game but seldom hear the same people point out the times where special teams are solid. Stats can be misleading too.

For example, statistically speaking, Clemson tied Miami for the best special teams in the ACC last year.

The ACC ranks each team in kick-off returns, punt returns, punting, kick-offs, field goals and PATs. Clemson and Miami tied for the best ranking when you look at all six categories. The Tigers and Hurricanes both went 7-6 last season.

Virginia Tech has the reputation of being among the nation’s best in the special teams category. Frank Beamer has even coined the phrase “Beamer Ball.” The Hokies are supposed to be the model for special teams yet last season they were eighth in the ACC in special teams stats. They were 10th in punting.

Georgia Tech won nine games last year but they were last in the league in the special teams stats. The Jackets were third in kick-off coverage but ranked ninth in punt returns, 10th in PAT percentage, 10th in kick-off returns, and 11th in both punting and field goals.

Clemson finished eighth in the league in punting but was in the top half of the league in the other five categories including the best in PATs and kick-off coverage. Again, the Tigers tied for the top spot in combined special teams rankings but finished 7-6.

Miami tied the Tigers the top spot overall and led the league in three categories including punt returns and field goal percentage but the Canes finished with a 7-6 record.

The league’s special teams ranking look like this:
T1. Miami 7-6 record
T1. Clemson 7-6
3. North Carolina 8-5
4. Florida State 9-4
5. NC State 6-7
6. Maryland 8-5
7. Duke 4-8
8. Virginia Tech 10-4
9. Virginia 5-7
10. Wake Forest 7-5
11. Boston College 9-5
12. Georgia Tech 9-4

The league’s top two teams in terms of special teams stats were 14-12 last season. The bottom two teams combined to go 18-9.

Some say special teams comes down on the head coach and I hear some talk about how much time their teams spend on special teams in practice.

I also hear about how great Georgia Tech’s Paul Johnson is but his team finished last in the league in special teams.

Are Wake Forest fans down on Jim Grobe because his team finished 10th in special teams?

The NFL came flirting with former Boston College coach Jeff Jagodzinski. Did they not know his team finished 11th in the ACC in special teams stats?

Bowden is gone at Clemson and Randy Shannon is feeling the heat in Miami but they had the top special teams last season.

Practice Time
Clemson ran 831 offensive plays last year. The defense was on the field for 871 plays.

The Tigers punted the ball 63 times. The opponent punted 71 times. The teams combined for 134 punts. Clemson tried 21 field goals and the opponent attempted 27 for a total of 48 field goal attempts. The Tigers kicked off last season 66 while their opponents had 54 kick-offs which means there were 120 kick-offs. Clemson attempted 40 PATs and the opponent had 23 PAT tries for a total of 63.

Last year there were 365 special team plays. There were 1,702 plays from scrimmage. When you combine the offensive plays run by both teams with the special teams plays for both it means there were 2,067 total plays in 2008. Special teams made up 17.6% of the plays last year.

However, special teams present special opportunities. PATs and field goals obviously mean points. Punts give the team a chance to change field position and they give the opponent a chance at a big play with a block or a big return. The longest yardage per play is a kick-off return, a play that presents big-play opportunities every time.

The two longest plays in football are kick-offs and punts. No offensive or defensive play allows the opportunity for the field position to change like a kick-off, a punt or returns of kick-offs and punts.

Flights
Fans remember the bad but forget the positives. Clemson fans cringe when someone brings up the bad snap against Georgia Tech a few years ago. Few fans ever talk about the punt blocks, punt returns for great field position or scores and great kick coverage in wins.

The two most talked about special teams plays I hear are the Georgia Tech bad snap and the Puntrooskie.

Remember David Dunham’s caused fumble on the opening kick against Corey Boyd and South Carolina in 2004? How about all of the punt returns the Tigers have had against the arch-rival? Jamie Harper’s blocked punt last season in your memory bank?

According to the National Air Traffic Controllers Association, “On any given day, more than 87,000 flights are in the skies in the United States. Only one-third are commercial carriers, like American, United or Southwest. On an average day, air traffic controllers handle 28,537 commercial flights (major and regional airlines), 27,178 general aviation flights (private planes), 24,548 air taxi flights (planes for hire), 5,260 military flights and 2,148 air cargo flights (Federal Express, UPS, etc.). At any given moment, roughly 5,000 planes are in the skies above the United States. In one year, controllers handle an average of 64 million takeoffs and landings.”

There are over 64 million safe take offs and landings each year that don’t make the news. The only ones that are news worthy are the disasters that don’t take off or land safely.

The Brad Hughes All-State Insurance Agency

Prayer List
We have started a prayer list on the blog. Here are the guidelines:
*If you are offended by prayer or prayer lists then I apologize in advance. The blog is free and the prayer list will be on the bottom of the page so you don’t have to read it.
*If you would like to add someone to the list please e-mail me at mickeyplyler@hotmail.com
*If you want the reason for the prayer to be added to the name please specify in your e-mails.
*Please let me know when it is appropriate to take the person off of the prayer list

Those who need our prayers include:
Finn Brookover, Mrs. Kathleen Bowers, Larry in Naples, FL, RTG-Pawsitive Tiger, Mary-Louise Pawlowski (John's daughter), Jo Ann Bachman, Frank Taylor, Kenneth Bryant, Pruitt Martin, Got igers and his family, David Rowland, Leonard Gillespie and his family, Jim S, Christine Hepfer, Daniel Rosborough, Amy Murphey, Jack Huffman, Nancy Winkler, Dr. Nancy Strom Morgan, John Reeve, Eileen Woodrum, Ethel Southard, Vinnie Brock, Jean-Pierre Bailey, Kaitlyn L, Delores Weaver, Eric Boessneck, John Bowers, Jimmy Ness, Susan Miller, Joyce Harley, Steve Proveaux, John Petrey, Chalmers Carr, Drayton Melton, Jeffrey Greene, the Hutto family, Sherl Drawdy.

Comments:

no surprise special teams improved when bowden delegated the authority away.

Posted by Tigerbothesh on August 12, 2009 at 01:47 PM EDT #

Jad Dean put the SPECIAL in Special Teams

Posted by toptentiger on August 12, 2009 at 02:09 PM EDT #

I would question exactly how the ACC ranks teams overall for special teams, since you have so many different parts. Also, I would add that special teams do not make much of a difference until you are in a close game, and then they usually are the difference. I don't have time to do it, but it would be interesting to go back through all of our games over the last few years settled by a touchdown or less and see how many of them were affected by special teams. WF in 2004, GT in 2004, A&M in 2005, BC in 2006, MD in 2006, USC in 2006, VT in 2007, USC in 2007, and BC in 2008 all come to mind as games where special teams played a big role in the outcome...turn some of those L's into W's and TB might still be the coach. On the flip-side, if some of those W's had been L's, then TB might have been let go a lot sooner.

Posted by Locotiger on August 12, 2009 at 02:29 PM EDT #

Last year the ST were improvede, the reputation came the years before that. I remember SPECIFICALLY the VT game in Clemson in 2007 (year BEFORE last) when they had 2 or 3 returns for TDs. I remember giving up long returns in 06 and 07 and Ford running people down from behind and then teams having a 10 yard field to work with. I remember other disasters.

The point is special teams (in total) accounts for a significant portion of the overall game.

Posted by truetiger1998 on August 12, 2009 at 02:32 PM EDT #

Mickey ---

I usually pretty much agree with you, but your take on special teams is an exception.

I think that Miami and Clemsion just did enough other things badly to offset good special teams play and that Ga Tech did enough other things well to overcome poor special teams.

Special teams is as important as offense or defense IMHO, but like FTs in basketball, it only tends to show up when you suck at it.

Posted by apextiger on August 12, 2009 at 03:14 PM EDT #

You didn't discuss FIELD POSITION in your summary of special teams play. Field position is always very important, especially offensively, because it determines the plays that are available to be used. You have a much better chance of success when you begin a drive at the 40 rather than at the 10! And don't forget the amount of pressure the qb and ol has when you are backed up toward your own goal. Special teams are SPECIAL.

Posted by FORESTTIGER on August 12, 2009 at 03:53 PM EDT #

If you are above average at 17% of plays that rarely result in touchdowns and pretty pathetic in the other 83% of plays, how is this a good thing?

This blog is full of dilbert statistics:
http://tinyurl.com/5cwuk8

Posted by the_merlin on August 12, 2009 at 04:25 PM EDT #

The stats dont show disaster plays on special teams when the chips are down late in the game.

Posted by Buzzlightyear on August 12, 2009 at 09:42 PM EDT #

your man card has been revoked;you are exposed for the gurl you are.kc over SRV LOL

Posted by ORANGECRUDE on August 12, 2009 at 11:17 PM EDT #

I have to question this article. Last year was on of the years we didn't choke on special teams. Last year we had one of the least productive years rushing in the modern history of Clemson football. That is why we lost so many games. The defense was solid but not spectatular and special teams was overall as good as it had ever been under TB. Now three years ago we were awful on special teams (remember all the blocked fg's/extra points) Two years ago our two sport kicker missed some key fg's that were very costly (how many did he miss vs GT in 07?)
But in 08 he only played one sport and was a Lou Groza finalist.
Your article says 08 special teams stats were misleading but them write about things that happened prior to 08.

Posted by CU''90 on August 13, 2009 at 04:43 PM EDT #