Competition Brewing for Spots on Special Teams Units
July 05, 2012 | Football
LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Head coach Charlie Strong always stresses the importance of being solid in all three phases of the game - offense, defense and special teams. For the last two seasons, the special teams unit has been an integral part of the success for the Cardinals, and assistant coach Kenny Carter has been the leader of that success.
Entering his third season as the running backs and special teams coach, Carter has developed the special teams unit to be a crucial part in the rebuilding job of the staff. Last season, the Cardinals led the nation in punt return yardage allowed. Louisville was 27th in the country in kickoff return yardage in 2011 and was 10th in 2010. Louisville was also 18th in punt return yardage in 2010. That success in the third phase of the game has helped the Cardinals win 14 games over the last two seasons.
"Coach Strong puts a great emphasis on special teams in practice," said Carter. "We spend a great deal of preparation on every special teams phase and it's one of the reasons we keep on improving. We have a ways to go to be a complete unit, but I think we have a number of players who can help us get even better in 2012."
The Cardinals lost one of their all-time great kickers in Chris Philpott, who was 12-of-18 on field goals a year ago. He was instrumental in the kickoffs, posting a number of touchbacks and limiting the opposition's field position. There are multiple candidates to take over that role and it will be a fun competition to watch unfold in August.
"It's going to be interesting to see how it comes about," said Carter about the placekicking situation. "Josh Appleby can do it all. He can punt. He can kickoff and kick field goals. We have John Wallace, who we are very excited about. He is battling an injury right now so we have to see what happens with him. We have Matt Nakatani and a walk-on coming from Trinity, who has a good leg. We will have plenty of people who will apply for that position and we will see who will come away as the guy."
Another area the Cardinals are looking to improve upon in 2012 is returning punts, where they averaged less than five yards a return.
"Right now, it's an open competition," added Carter. "There are quite a few guys who are out there. They are out there twice a week catching kicks and punts. They have their schedule and they control it. The great thing about it is that we get Charles Gaines back, and no one has seen him yet. So Charles is phenomenal. Eli (Rogers) understood the problems he had last year. Scott Radcliff has been very consistent and Adrian Bushell will be back there. Bushell didn't return punts last year, but he can do it well."
While the Cardinals have options, the coaching staff wants someone to emerge as the go-to guy; someone who can change the game with a sizeable return or swing the momentum back in Louisville's favor.
"Our number one priority is to get a first down," said Carter. "We are going to go after the punt. That is the first thing the opposition has to worry about defending. That is where you get returns. You want a guy who isn't worried making a fair catch, but he is trying to get the ball vertical. We would rather have someone back there who is aggressive and trying to get the offense a first down."
If Louisville is going to reach its final destination, the special teams unit becomes an extremely significant factor in helping the Cardinals journey toward their goals in 2012.
