Thanks for the dialogue JR53 and everybody who chimed in.
My reactions to some of what you said:
Kickoff coverage league wide is almost null with this year's rule changes - that has to be considered, but weakness there bit us in the arse real good. Punt coverage? Sometimes OK, especially given the range of our punter; sometimes scary. Punter performance masks covrage problems. Coverage remains, in my eyes the weakest link in a an unreliable chain.
The wedge was gone a long time ago, and with it injuries declined. We've moved on. (I knew a guy who was a wedge-buster specialist on ST's and sub linebacker. Interesting to watch games when his his old team played and listen... he once got a game ball for busting the wedge, busting the returner, and causing a fumble. )
Coverage and return = two different animals; can be same players w/different assignments, some overlap, some different faces. Return team? A Nifty Nimblefoot returner ain't gonna get much without a crease or a lane. And both phases, anemic returns and swiss cheese coverage, are lacking for the Rams - with coverage deficiencies being the most critical need.
So... what I gather is that we have teamers who are on the roster because they're teamers (good so far,) a possible roster churn after that, a new coach who may or may not be getting the reps with his unit that would constitute solid coaching (there is so much lacking with special teams coverage units, to start there, the one has to wonder) and at whatever layers the problems lie, return yardage could be - should be better, and coverage lapses are critical and have cost us games.
It's one thing to have a Darren Sproles, with good blocking and innate ability - make a long return on a team that got outplayed; it's quite another for continual lapses to give up long returns that shouldn't be there.
That's before we solve the place kicker dilemma.
Thanks for reading, and for your comments.
