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2017 Special Teams - will they be good?

Where do you rate CU's special teams for 2017?

  • Great

  • Good

  • Mediocre

  • Crap

Results are only viewable after voting.
Buffnik

Buffnik

Real name isn't Nik
Club Member
Junta Member
Coach Els was a significant addition here as the primary ST coach.

Kinney is in his 3rd year as a punter.
Stefanou is a wildcard at kicker, but has a monster leg.
Return and coverage teams are filled with more speed and talent than ever - with Oliver potentially one of the best PRs in the nation.
Bale didn't miss a snap all of 2016 as a freshman LS.

Is this the breakthrough year on ST?


 
I actually think this ST unit should be good, maybe even 3rd best in conference as a unit...biggest weakness will be the Kinney.
 
I was very happy to hear we were putting emphasis on special teams.

But Kinney is still Kinney. HCMM is still HCMM. I hope for good, but think mediocre.
 
Depends on how you're asking. The importance of it is a given, it's a big damn difference many a week between winning and losing. As far as personnel as to who will do what, idk enough about because I'm not close to it. I've heard the names mentioned but that's all I know about this particular situation. That answer it for ya?
 
I would be ecstatic if our kicking game came in at average. We have had too many momentum swings from our special teams.

Michigan was a disaster
Oregon completed a successful fake put to bring them back into the game early on
Several muffed punts against ASU
We had 3 missed field goals, where we won 10-5 against Stanford
Utah was given 10 pts off returns

Maybe I am compartmentalizing a bit much, but the only two games where I think we won the special teams battle where CSU and UCLA. (I don't count Idaho St and Oregon St.).
 
Buffnik said:
Coach Els was a significant addition here as the primary ST coach.

Kinney is in his 3rd year as a punter.
Stefanou is a wildcard at kicker, but has a monster leg.
Return and coverage teams are filled with more speed and talent than ever - with Oliver potentially one of the best PRs in the nation.
Bale didn't miss a snap all of 2016 as a freshman LS.

Is this the breakthrough year on ST?


Click to expand...


So...Kinney's averaging 30 yards a punt now?
 
All depends on the Aussie kicker, IMO. We know what we have in Kinney. If the Aussie can hit 85-90% of his kicks from inside 40 yards, and 50% from outside that, and kick the ball through the end zone, we will have what I consider to be good special teams.
 
Isn't this the first time since HCMM has been here that, at least according to self reporting, he has actually spent meaningful time, and not just words, on special teams?
 
skibum said:
Isn't this the first time since HCMM has been here that, at least according to self reporting, he has actually spent meaningful time, and not just words, on special teams?
Click to expand...

I thought it was talked up last offseason as well.

Really need Kinney to rebound. If he is not right, we are in trouble.
 
BuffsNYC said:
Is competently blocking for punts mediocrity? If so, I'm all for it.
Click to expand...

This,

Don't need anything spectacular, just get our punts off clean and don't give up game changing returns. Kick the ball into the end zone and again don't give up big blocks of field position.

Make our XPs, make the short FGs and enough longer ones to be a threat. On the return game don't put us in bad position with fumbles or dumb penalties. Make good choices on which punts to field.

If we get some big returns or block some kicks that is all a bonus but mostly we just need to do the basic stuff right.
 
Duff Man said:
I thought it was talked up last offseason as well.
Click to expand...
It was talked up. Since we have no third party observers, we don't know if they are actually spending their most valuable resource (practice time) on it, but it struck me that he's not just repeating coach speak about how important special teams are, he's specifically saying that they are spending more practice time on it then they have before.

It's the watch what they do, not what they say hypothesis. Of course in this instance it's watch what they say they do... so I remain a touch skeptical - which is why I voted mediocre.
 
Where will K.D. Nixon factor in because he is doing well in fall camp according to post practice interviews.
 
My 2016 ST Grades

- KO coverage has been fine. If the Aussie's leg is as advertised in his Instagram videos, we'll be set there. Grade: B
- KOR could be better, I guess, but just find some guys that are dynamic with the ball. Grade: C
- Punt team was bad to quite bad. Blocking and Kinney need to be much better. Grade: F
- PR team was pretty good outside of a few muffed punts from JMac and allowing a big play fake punt against Oregon (that will happen from time to time). Oliver could be special. Grade: B+
- FG/XP was below average to bad. Aussie kid can really improve it this year. Grade: D

Overall 2016 ST grade: D+

The Aussie can really help a few of these, especially FG/XP, but drastic improvement to ST is going to come with a clean Punt blocking and coverage and Kinney finally putting it together with solid kicks. Those two things happen (not a stretch) and I think a D+ could easily move into the B range for 2017 so I'm saying "Good".
 
People are forgetting about Julmisse who I recall being on Phil Steele's 4th Team All PAC. And then you have KD Dixon...I'm thinking we take one punt and one KO to the house this year and we might not need to discuss kickoff coverage due to that leg of the 30 year old Aussie.
 
Jalapeno said:
People are forgetting about Julmisse who I recall being on Phil Steele's 4th Team All PAC. And then you have KD Dixon...I'm thinking we take one punt and one KO to the house this year and we might not need to discuss kickoff coverage due to that leg of the 30 year old Aussie.
Click to expand...
We don't know if we'll have Julmisse or I would have listed his as a guy we have back as KR.
 
Buff_since76 said:
I would be ecstatic if our kicking game came in at average. We have had too many momentum swings from our special teams.

Michigan was a disaster
Oregon completed a successful fake put to bring them back into the game early on
Several muffed punts against ASU
We had 3 missed field goals, where we won 10-5 against Stanford
Utah was given 10 pts off returns

Maybe I am compartmentalizing a bit much, but the only two games where I think we won the special teams battle where CSU and UCLA. (I don't count Idaho St and Oregon St.).
Click to expand...
Utah???
 
Jalapeno said:
Perhaps Nixon will take his job due to Julmisse's situation.
Click to expand...
Maybe. I think Blackmon has a good shot. I also think this is where some of the RB depth might come into play. I've always thought that Adkins could be nasty as a KR if blocking was there to get him a crease and a head of steam.
 
The Aussie kicker, can he punt too? We can't be giving up field position if Kinney can't get it done. Too many questions on D for that imho. Also, is Oliver on both return teams or just punt? It'd be a lot to ask, I know.
 
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