Post by TheShadow on Nov 27, 2003 14:55:26 GMT -5
www.oaklandtribune.com
by Carl Steward
IT'S A SHAME the Oakland Raiders don't allow their assistant coaches to talk
to the media, because it'd be interesting and possibly revelatory to hear
Bob Casullo's take on why his special teams coverage units are so
appallingly horrible.
It also would be curious to see if he agrees they're as appallingly horrible
as head coach Bill Callahan said they were on Monday. Callahan usually takes
the kindly Ward Cleaver approach to assessing any aspect of his football
team -- stern but upbeat -- but he pulled out the leather belt regarding the
special teams' performance Sunday against Kansas City, and really for the
whole year.
The coach even went to the rare extreme of calling out the unit's collective
heart.
"I'm really not at all pleased with the way we go down and cover kicks,"
Callahan said flatly. "I just think it's half-speed, guys aren't selling
out, it's just not NFL-caliber play. We need to upgrade that in every
respect."
Tough words, but the coach wasn't through. Asked if he were questioning the
desire of certain individuals, Callahan put everyone under the same
on-the-spot umbrella.
"The overall unit desire is what I'm questioning ... collectively, the
effort," he said. "Collective effort is what wins football games. I'm not
pointing at one individual, I'm pointing at the entire unit going down and
making a play. We have too many missed tackles, our lane distribution still
isn't what it should be. We're trying (as coaches). We're doing everything
we can to put guys in position. But we still don't understand it yet."
In a 3-8 season, you can question all areas of a team's play as well as the
coaching. But there is little question that special teams is the biggest
disaster area of all with the Raiders. You could argue that special teams
were the difference between victory and defeat against the Chiefs on Sunday,
particularly if you include Philip Buchanon's empty-headed helmet removal
following his potentially outcome-altering punt return.
When teams go as far south as the Raiders have this year, poor special teams
usually can be attributed to a healthy part of the demise. No doubt about it
here. In Oakland's case, it's an extra-large badge of dishonor. In a season
where six of the club's eight defeats are by seven points or fewer, more
proficient special teams units might have spelled the difference in at least
half of those losses, perhaps more.
Coverage has been indefensibly bad. The Raiders are dead last in the NFL in
average yardage allowed per kickoff. On punts, even though they have the
fourth-best return average in the league at 12.3 thanks to Buchanon,
opponents are topping them at 12.5 per return.
There have been blunders in other areas as well, many of them elementary. It
all seemed to get off to a bad start when now-waived Ronney Jenkins stepped
out of bounds in the Tennessee game after fielding a kickoff that almost
certainly would have gone out of bounds. Every subsequent game has featured
at least one similar full-blown special teams travesty.
The Raiders have stabilized and actually taken a turn for the better in some
areas since bottoming out in Detroit. They beat Minnesota and could have
beaten the 10-1 Chiefs at Arrowhead on Sunday. The running game has been
rejuvenated behind Tyrone Wheatley's power running, and the offense has been
generally efficient under Rick Mirer. Jerry Porter had a healthy number of
catches Sunday, and Jerry Rice caught his first TD. Things are definitely
looking up.
But special teams continues to suck the team back down into the tar pit.
Callahan, clearly sensing some positive momentum in other areas heading into
the final five games, is putting Casullo and the special teams units on
notice. What mystifies and also galls him is the extra attention that's
already been devoted to the problem.
"I think we spend more time on the field and in the classroom (regarding
special teams) than any other team in the National Football League," he
said. "That's the disheartening part about it. Each morning we spend between
40-45 minutes on it (in meetings). We have a walkthrough for five or 10
minutes after our offensive and defensive walkthrough. We have an additional
special teams period after practice for over 30-35 minutes a day. So we're
putting in the time required. We're just not getting the results."
In a season of Raiders understatements, that might be the biggest one.
by Carl Steward
IT'S A SHAME the Oakland Raiders don't allow their assistant coaches to talk
to the media, because it'd be interesting and possibly revelatory to hear
Bob Casullo's take on why his special teams coverage units are so
appallingly horrible.
It also would be curious to see if he agrees they're as appallingly horrible
as head coach Bill Callahan said they were on Monday. Callahan usually takes
the kindly Ward Cleaver approach to assessing any aspect of his football
team -- stern but upbeat -- but he pulled out the leather belt regarding the
special teams' performance Sunday against Kansas City, and really for the
whole year.
The coach even went to the rare extreme of calling out the unit's collective
heart.
"I'm really not at all pleased with the way we go down and cover kicks,"
Callahan said flatly. "I just think it's half-speed, guys aren't selling
out, it's just not NFL-caliber play. We need to upgrade that in every
respect."
Tough words, but the coach wasn't through. Asked if he were questioning the
desire of certain individuals, Callahan put everyone under the same
on-the-spot umbrella.
"The overall unit desire is what I'm questioning ... collectively, the
effort," he said. "Collective effort is what wins football games. I'm not
pointing at one individual, I'm pointing at the entire unit going down and
making a play. We have too many missed tackles, our lane distribution still
isn't what it should be. We're trying (as coaches). We're doing everything
we can to put guys in position. But we still don't understand it yet."
In a 3-8 season, you can question all areas of a team's play as well as the
coaching. But there is little question that special teams is the biggest
disaster area of all with the Raiders. You could argue that special teams
were the difference between victory and defeat against the Chiefs on Sunday,
particularly if you include Philip Buchanon's empty-headed helmet removal
following his potentially outcome-altering punt return.
When teams go as far south as the Raiders have this year, poor special teams
usually can be attributed to a healthy part of the demise. No doubt about it
here. In Oakland's case, it's an extra-large badge of dishonor. In a season
where six of the club's eight defeats are by seven points or fewer, more
proficient special teams units might have spelled the difference in at least
half of those losses, perhaps more.
Coverage has been indefensibly bad. The Raiders are dead last in the NFL in
average yardage allowed per kickoff. On punts, even though they have the
fourth-best return average in the league at 12.3 thanks to Buchanon,
opponents are topping them at 12.5 per return.
There have been blunders in other areas as well, many of them elementary. It
all seemed to get off to a bad start when now-waived Ronney Jenkins stepped
out of bounds in the Tennessee game after fielding a kickoff that almost
certainly would have gone out of bounds. Every subsequent game has featured
at least one similar full-blown special teams travesty.
The Raiders have stabilized and actually taken a turn for the better in some
areas since bottoming out in Detroit. They beat Minnesota and could have
beaten the 10-1 Chiefs at Arrowhead on Sunday. The running game has been
rejuvenated behind Tyrone Wheatley's power running, and the offense has been
generally efficient under Rick Mirer. Jerry Porter had a healthy number of
catches Sunday, and Jerry Rice caught his first TD. Things are definitely
looking up.
But special teams continues to suck the team back down into the tar pit.
Callahan, clearly sensing some positive momentum in other areas heading into
the final five games, is putting Casullo and the special teams units on
notice. What mystifies and also galls him is the extra attention that's
already been devoted to the problem.
"I think we spend more time on the field and in the classroom (regarding
special teams) than any other team in the National Football League," he
said. "That's the disheartening part about it. Each morning we spend between
40-45 minutes on it (in meetings). We have a walkthrough for five or 10
minutes after our offensive and defensive walkthrough. We have an additional
special teams period after practice for over 30-35 minutes a day. So we're
putting in the time required. We're just not getting the results."
In a season of Raiders understatements, that might be the biggest one.