Michigan State Special Teams Preview

MSU’s 2005 Special Teams were in a word, abysmal. The field goal kicking unit converted on only 5 of 13 attempts, and had notable misses like the one in OT versus Michigan, and who can forget the Chinese fire drill that took place at the end of the first half against OSU.

Not to be outdone, the Spartan’s All-American punter Brandon Fields went from being an asset to a liability. He repeatedly misfired on opportunities. When the Spartans needed a big punt he would shank it. When they needed a coffin-corner kick, he would sail one out of the endzone. Consistently inconsistent was the best way to describe him

If you want to know how serious a dilemma MSU is facing in the placekicking department, there were eight kickers listed on the spring roster. That’s three more players than were listed at quarterback this spring. If John L. Smith is seeking suggestions on how to correct this problem, let me suggest that he hire Anthony Robbins to work with the kickers on the mental part of the game. As a former kicker, I studied under the guru of instruction on how to kick a football, Edward "Doc" Storey. Storey was a big believer in the technique of visualization. He wanted his students to "see" the kick in their mind before each attempt. Robbins teaches on a similar principle, instructing those to set a mental image in their mind of the perfect kick by detailing every aspect. After last season the only visual image I have is Lucy pulling the ball away just as Charlie Brown attempts to kick it and ends up falling flat on his back.

Todd Boleski’s powerful leg was on display in the spring game, when he booted several 50+ yard fieldgoals. As impressive as that may sound, it doesn’t measure up to actual game conditions where the kick will decide the outcome. Boleski or any other MSU kicker should seriously consider attending Dave Pelfry’s kicking camp this summer. The Spartans cannot afford another year like 2005. Incoming recruit Brett Swenson will have a shot at beating out all challengers, but it hasn’t been decided if he will be any more effective.

Heading into the 2005 campaign the punting game was supposed to be a strength. Brandon Fields was coming off a sophomore season where he led the nation in punting, and there was only speculation on much he would improve. I can only speculate as to the reasons why Fields punting fell apart. The one theory I believe caused his downfall was him trying to be too much of a finesse punter. He was trying not to out-kick his coverage, while improving the hang-time on his punts. This caused him to alter his natural approach and fouled up his mechanics. JLS has now decided to allow Fields to revert back his "grip-it-and-rip-it" style, and try to find another punter to handle short field situations much in the way Dave Rayner did in 2004. The much maligned John Goss could possibly handle this duty, but only if his fragile psyche has not been damaged to severely.

Going into the 2005 season there was some concern about who would replace Cobb as the kick returner. Cobb was a threat to take one back every time he touched the ball. Cobb provided MSU with field position, and forced opponents to alter how they would approach kicking to the Spartans. Not being able to find another player capable of routinely delivering the big return hampered the Spartans just as much as the kicking game itself. Demond Williams took a kickoff back for a score once in 2005, but other than this one instance the Spartans didn’t have any electrifying return man who would consistently take a kickoff past the 25 yard line.

MSU has not had a quality punt returner since Gari Scott, but hopefully that will change this year. Receiver Terry Love has displayed a wonderful open field running ability, as well as a nice set of hands. If he can display those same attributes returning punts, he may in fact help MSU win the battle of field position. Another possibility is sophomore Carl Grimes who has yet to see significant playing time in the receiving corps.

Another aspect of special teams’ play that JLS stresses is the punt block. Because of the issues with depth, especially at linebacker, and a lack of overall team speed, MSU was not very effective at applying pressure to the punter. This year expect to see a significant upgrade in the performance of this unit. Smith is experimenting with SirDarean Adams and Javon Ringer, by utilizing their speed off the edge to produce more blocks. I would also expect linebackers Adam Decker, A.J. Hawken, Josh Rouse, Tom Dance, and Steve Juarez to see significant playing time on special teams.

With special teams making up one-third of the formula for winning, MSU can ill afford another poor showing by this unit. The Spartans are not strong enough at this point where they can rely on one unit (primarily the offense) to carry the burden for the entire team. Defense is still a question mark, so that leaves special teams with the honor of possibly being the necessary edge required for winning games. Three questions that still need to be answered regarding special teams are: Can Fields return to his 2004 form? Can the Spartans find a kicker who can hit better than 50% on his attempts? Does MSU have a legitimate threat for a return man?