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Special Teams

I don't like the decision of Spruce returning punts. I like Spruce as a WR but not as returner. Yes, he has sure hands, but if I recall, our issues on the return game post J Bloom era, was not necessarily dropped punts (although we had a few), but was more/less poor blocking and our return guy wearing cement boots. I forget the guy's name the last couple of years, but man o mighty, he was a short WR and couldn't move more than one to two steps before getting blasted. I want to see a Ben Kelly back there and that's one of our lighting fast WRs, RBs or defensive guys. Using Spruce is way too conservative and offers little excitement in the return game and probably will not give us the extra yardage/field advantage that we need.
 
Dalbuff said:
I don't like the decision of Spruce returning punts. I like Spruce as a WR but not as returner. Yes, he has sure hands, but if I recall, our issues on the return game post J Bloom era, was not necessarily dropped punts (although we had a few), but was more/less poor blocking and our return guy wearing cement boots. I forget the guy's name the last couple of years, but man o mighty, he was a short WR and couldn't move more than one to two steps before getting blasted. I want to see a Ben Kelly back there and that's one of our lighting fast WRs, RBs or defensive guys. Using Spruce is way too conservative and offers little excitement in the return game and probably will not give us the extra yardage/field advantage that we need.
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Well, having a sure handed kid who knows the rules (i.e. don't field a punt inside the ten) means more than you would think....I would love to have Ben Kelly back there too, but who is the BK on the roster?
 
Spruce is the right guy to start the year. Sure hands is the idea. With the emphasis they are putting on ST don't think this is permanent. We may see someone emerge later in the season.

The bigger question in my mind is KO. Too many times last year the kick to get long didn't have enough hang time to let our under-speed coverage get down to cover. Flat kicks deep + slow coverage = space and good returns.

That to me is the biggest hole in ST that I hope we can improve.
 
J.R. Ewing said:
Spruce might not be the most explosive guy out there, but he seems like the kind of guy that can field them consistently and not lose yards trying to reverse directions.
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Awesome! We have Jason Espinoza as our punt returner again. I can't wait to see those thrilling fair catch signals when the coverage team is still 30 yards away
 
DrunkPanda said:
Awesome! We have Jason Espinoza as our punt returner again. I can't wait to see those thrilling fair catch signals when the coverage team is still 30 yards away
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Hey! Espinoza may have been small, but he made up for it by being really slow.

Spruce has better hands and deceptive speed. Is he gonna win a 100 meters ? No, but he doesn't need to, just 10-15---with possession---will help.
 
The important things would be knowing when to catch a punted ball and then, upon making that decision, making a clean catch and keeping the ball secure prior to attempting to run with it. Baby steps on the road to improving the return game. I trust Nelson's fundamentals and decision making so I think it's a smart move.
 
Duff Man said:
Spruce is going to surprise a lot of people. I love the move.
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:nod:

Go to 7:10 of this video to see what we can expect. Makes sure of the ball, patient, sees the field, sets up blocks, and doesn't dance (changes angles while moving north-south):

[video=youtube;xwOnCJ0BQM0]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xwOnCJ0BQM0[/video]
 
leftybuff said:
Well, having a sure handed kid who knows the rules (i.e. don't field a punt inside the ten) means more than you would think....I would love to have Ben Kelly back there too, but who is the BK on the roster?
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This is likely a huge part of the decision. Spruce strikes me as a kid who is football smart. Not only will he be sure handed not giving up the ball deep but also should make smart decisions on when to catch the ball and when to let it go. I don't want to see any fair catches inside the 5, I don't want to see us let the ball roll 20 yards when it could have been easily fielded at little risk. I also want to see him not fair catching when he has enough room to safely return even if he only gets 5-10 yards out of it. Spruce hopefully will also be one of those guys who not only gets us some yards but also doesn't cost us yards.
 
If the coaches gave him the opportunity, I think Spruce wood grow into the position. The kid leaves everything on the field and while he may not have us feeling pins and needles seeing him back there, he can be a plank in a solid return team.
 
Daaah said:
If the coaches gave him the opportunity, I think Spruce wood grow into the position. The kid leaves everything on the field and while he may not have us feeling pins and needles seeing him back there, he can be a plank in a solid return team.
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Aren't we getting board with the tree puns?
 
Daaah said:
If the coaches gave him the opportunity, I think Spruce wood grow into the position. The kid leaves everything on the field and while he may not have us feeling pins and needles seeing him back there, he can be a plank in a solid return team.
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I think he will be a stud someday.
 
Buffnik said:
:nod:

Go to 7:10 of this video to see what we can expect. Makes sure of the ball, patient, sees the field, sets up blocks, and doesn't dance (changes angles while moving north-south):

[video=youtube;xwOnCJ0BQM0]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xwOnCJ0BQM0[/video]
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I like Spruce. I hope this works out. But his video looks like he's jogging...and he's carrying the ball way too loose. Hope the CU ST coaches shored that up.
 
Spruce is ok, but I would like to see guys like Abron, Devin Ross, Moseley, Hall. Adkins also get a look.
 
Hopefully Neinas can work some magic this year. Castor out for the year, Oliver to do kickoffs per rivals.

tumblr_md6t3sgOzg1r0sqdio1_500.gif
 
White_Rabbit said:
Hopefully Neinas can work some magic this year. Castor out for the year, Oliver to do kickoffs per rivals.

tumblr_md6t3sgOzg1r0sqdio1_500.gif
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Castor out??? Can't be! Our intrepid Kyle Ringo would have sniffed this story out BEFORE it happened and let us all know by a My Space posting!!!
Or a call from the rotary phone from the couch in his basement!
 
Yes, exactly...these are the guys we need back there. I believe Moseley had a 100 yard kickoff return last year and I don't see why he couldn't translate his return game into Punt returns.

I like Spruce, don't get me wrong, I watched his HS tape, but I see fair catch city or gains of 5 or 10 yards then tackled. I want to hear the announcers say "Here we gooooo.....he's across mid field, to the 30 to the 20 to the 5...touchdown Buffalos!"
 
Kick returners are different than punt returners. Mosley gaining a head of steam and finding the seam is not at all the same as catching a punt in traffic then making a cut upfield. You guys really underestimate Spruce's athleticism.
 
It's not that I am underestimating Spruce's athleticism, because I think he is a tremendous athlete. I have supreme confidence in his football IQ and ability to catch just about any pass. I guess with Espinoza et al, I've been tainted with what I don't want to see in the punt return game and that's the fair catching (which may have more to do with blocking) and the cement boots we've grown accostomed to seeing. I guess I want to see a punt returner make good decisions, catch the ball when they are supposed to, make a few cuts, jukes, then turn on the after burners where nobody is going to catch him. I think we will be pleased with Spruce back there and will be a big improvement to what we've had the last 5 years.
 
As much as we'd all love to see a game breaker at PR, I think we'd all be happy if we could go the season without fumbling a punt, misjudging one for lost yardage as it bounces down field, or catching one that shouldn't be.

And on game breaking, the most important thing is to be able to read blocks while getting up-field. Does anyone think Tom Zibikowski was the fastest or shiftiest guy on the Notre Dame roster? He took 3 to the house in a season, including 1 against USC.
 
Buffnik said:
As much as we'd all love to see a game breaker at PR, I think we'd all be happy if we could go the season without fumbling a punt, misjudging one for lost yardage as it bounces down field, or catching one that shouldn't be.

And on game breaking, the most important thing is to be able to read blocks while getting up-field. Does anyone think Tom Zibikowski was the fastest or shiftiest guy on the Notre Dame roster? He took 3 to the house in a season, including 1 against USC.
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:yeahthat: And they timed Zibikowski's 40's using a calender!
 
Buffnik said:
As much as we'd all love to see a game breaker at PR, I think we'd all be happy if we could go the season without fumbling a punt, misjudging one for lost yardage as it bounces down field, or catching one that shouldn't be.

And on game breaking, the most important thing is to be able to read blocks while getting up-field. Does anyone think Tom Zibikowski was the fastest or shiftiest guy on the Notre Dame roster? He took 3 to the house in a season, including 1 against USC.
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Wow! Someone on this board actually understands football. Thank you Nik and Duff
 
Buffnik said:
As much as we'd all love to see a game breaker at PR, I think we'd all be happy if we could go the season without fumbling a punt, misjudging one for lost yardage as it bounces down field, or catching one that shouldn't be.

And on game breaking, the most important thing is to be able to read blocks while getting up-field. Does anyone think Tom Zibikowski was the fastest or shiftiest guy on the Notre Dame roster? He took 3 to the house in a season, including 1 against USC.
Click to expand...

How many true game breakers (for punt returns) are there in D1 football? Can't be all that much n
 
Just so we are clear, I thought Espinoza returning punts was a joke. For Spruce to be successful, he will have to make people miss. A decent to good punt return can ignite a team, just as a fumble can deflate a team. You have to find the balance and I think that is what Spruce represents.
 
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