Just How Bad Has The Pittsburgh Steelers Special Teams Been? Even Worse Than You Think.

by Michael Bean on Nov 25, 2009 2:03 AM EST

I wanted to take a look at just how historically poor the Pittsburgh Steelers have been covering kickoffs so far in 2009. I did so by first checking the numbers generated by Football Outsiders special teams metrics. You can read an explanation of their system for special teams formula(s) here. You don't have to though to understand just how bad the Steelers have been. Basically a score of 0 means you neither fare better nor worse than the average NFL team would in similar circumstances. The more negative a score, the more poorly you're performing. Let's take a look at the numbers first.

Worst Kickoff Return Coverage Teams By Year (by FO's metrics)

2000: Buffalo Bills (8-8)...-31.0

2001: St. Louis Rams (14.2)...-16.6

2002: Arizona Cardinals (5-11)...-14.9

2003: San Diego Chargers (4-12)...-14.1

2004: San Diego Chargers (12-4)...-17.2

2005: Arizona Cardinals (5-11)...-20.7

2006: St. Louis Rams (8-8)...-16.0

2007: Miami Dolphins (1-15)...-18.5

2008: Kansas City Chiefs (2-14)...-15.9

2009: Pittsburgh Steelers (6-4)...-32.3

Obviously we see there's plenty of awful records in that group. That's not too surprising. There's also a handful of teams that probably diminished their chances at finishing with a winning record by virtue of their poor special teams play. The 2006 St. Louis Rams and the 2000 Buffalo Bills come to mind. Both finished 8-8 and missed the playoffs. In fact, if the Rams don't give up two Devin Hestor TDs in a 41-27 loss to the Bears, they make the playoffs that year. Instead, they finished one game back of Seattle and lost the tiebreaker to the New York Giants (also finished 8-8) for the final Wild Card berth.

What's fairly interesting is that only two teams really in the past decade have been able to overcome being so poor on special teams. Those two teams would be the 2001 Rams and the 2004 Chargers. The Rams, of course, went to the Super Bowl that year. Their offense, The Greatest Show on Turf, was so explosive that it didn't much matter that they gave up poor field position after all those scores. Their defense was actually pretty darn good that year for how poor they were on special teams (they were also below average covering punts). They allowed just 17 points per game and allowed only 279.4 yards per game. Bottom line is that team was dominant.

The other team was the 2004 Chargers, who broke through with a big year following years of poor play to start the decade. Their defense was not quite as solid as the 2001 Rams unit. San Diego allowed just over 19 points per game and roughly 335 yards each outing. But they too had an explosive offense led by LaDanian Tomlinson in his prime, the emergence of Antonio Gates as a stud tight end, and the breakout season of Drew Brees at quarterback. The Chargers finished that year 10th in yards and 3rd in scoring. Perhaps most importantly, San Diego was dramatically superior in the turnover margin department than the 2009 Steelers. Pittsburgh is currently -5 through 10 games while San Diego finished +15 in 2005.

Will the Steelers wind up like the '04 Chargers or '01 Rams and still be successful despite their ST deficiencies? Or will they fall back to mediocrity over the course of this final 6 weeks? We'll see. History says it can't get any worse, as you'll see below. It's actually remarkable they're 6-4 when you also consider the turnover issues the Steelers have had. Anyway, moving on...

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I then wanted to see how many kickoff return touchdowns each of these teams allowed in the year they were ranked dead last by FO's metrics. Again, grim stuff if you're a Steelers fan. Take a look.

Kickoff Return Touchdowns Allowed

2000: Buffalo Bills (8-8)...2 kickoff return TDs allowed

2001: St. Louis Rams (14-2)...2 kickoff return TDs allowed

2002: Arizona Cardinals (5-11)....0 kickoff return TDs allowed

2003: San Diego Chargers (5-11)....1 kickoff return allowed

2004: San Diego Chargers (12-4)...2 kickoff return TDs allowed

2005: Arizona Cardinals (5-11)...3 kickoff return TDs allowed

2006: St. Louis Rams (8-8)...2 kickoff return TDs allowed (same game, Devin Hestor)

2007: Miami Dolphins (1-15)...2 kickoff return TDs allowed

2008: Kansas City Chiefs (2-14)...1 kickoff return allowed

2009: Pittsburgh Steelers (6-4)...4 kickoff returns allowed

Staggering stuff, no? The Steelers have allowed more kickoff return touchdowns in 10 games than any team has in the past 10 years. Yes, I checked each year since 2000 to see how many touchdowns were allowed by each team. And no, no team had more than 3. In fact, only a small handful of teams this past decade have even allowed three. The Steelers are already in the clubhouse with the lead at four. And there's 6 more games to be played, including matchups against Ted Ginn of Miami, Joshua Cribbs of the Browns (who's owned us) and LaDarius Webb of Baltimore twice, who's averaging 28 yards per return and taken one to the house. Yikes.

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Finally, I wanted to see the actual yards per return allowed by each of these teams, as well as where those numbers ranked league wide that year. As you'll see, some of these teams ranked better in actual yardage allowed than they did by Football Outsiders metrics. That's why FO has some utility though - sometimes the numbers by themselves don't tell the whole story. Still, you'll also see that these teams were more or less very mediocre to downright awful in terms by the traditional metric of yards allowed.

Average Yards Allowed Per Kickoff Return

2000: Buffalo Bills...21.7 yards (?*)

2001: St. Louis Rams (14-2)...25.5 yards (31st)

2002: Arizona Cardinals (5-11)....24.3 yards (31st)

2003: San Diego Chargers (5-11)....21.4 (t-19th)

2004: San Diego Chargers (12-4)...22.2 yards (20th)

2005: Arizona Cardinals (5-11)...28.3 yards (32nd)

2006: St. Louis Rams (8-8)...25.0 yards

2007: Miami Dolphins (1-15)....26.4 yards (30th)

2008: Kansas City Chiefs (2-14)...24.3 yards (t-25th)

2009: Pittsburgh Steelers (6-4)...26.9 yards (31st)

* - Yahoo's special teams statistics only go back to the 2001 season. The link on the 2000 Buffalo Bills here goes to a site called database football. It only gives each team's total number of kickoffs and kickoff return yards allowed, not averages. Sorry, this already took long enough; not going to compute each team's average.

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So, in conclusion, it's pretty obvious just how bad the Steelers have been so far in 2009 covering kicks. Historically bad. In fact, in the past 30 years, only the 1998 Minnesota Vikings allowed four kickoff return touchdowns. I went back and checked the past 30 years for that tidbit, but I should have just checked the NFL record for most TDs allowed in one season. Yup. The 1998 Minnesota Vikings, who of course will at worst be joined by the 2009 Steelers in the dubious category.

The Steelers may also be in the running for one another dubious record - most yards allowed per return for the season. They're presently at 26.9 yards. The NFL record is 29.5 set back in 1972 by the New York Jets. What's shocking is the Carolina Panthers have actually averaged more yards per return this year than the Steelers (31.0 yards). The Panthers however have only allowed 1 TD. Still, is it overly surprising that the Panthers are underachieving this year?

What's the solution? I'm not sure. Obviously the recent personnel moves are the coaching staff's attempt to shore things up. History shows that they likely will get better before they get any worse, but that's certainly not something that the players or coaches will or should assume. I've already thrown my unimportant two cents out there - put James Harrison back in there first and foremost, then sit back and see if things fall in to place. We'll see! I do know this though - if this aspect of the team can improve dramatically, the Steelers still have time to get on a roll once more just in time for January football. If they don't? Well, we might be watching a Steelers-less field come January for the first time in the Mike Tomlin era.

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Comments

Pathetic

I understand Mike Tomlin is a loyal guy and that the blame can be spread around, but at some point the special teams coach will have to held accountable for this disaster. Although they were really good last year, the rest of Bob Ligashesky’s resume is not very impressive. Here’s what Joe Starkey had to say about him in today’s Trib ( http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/sports/steelers/s_654833.html )

I was astonished when Tomlin hired Bob Ligashesky as his special teams coach in 2007 and remain so, despite last year’s success.

Ligashesky’s resume included spotty tenures at Pitt and with the St. Louis Rams:

· In 2003, Pitt’s special teams finished 116th out of 117 Division I-A teams in kickoff coverage, and last in the Big East in returns.

· In 2006, the Rams had the NFL’s 28th-ranked kick coverage unit and allowed an NFL-worst three returns (one punt, two kickoffs) for touchdowns.

by Steelfrog on Nov 25, 2009 3:15 AM EST reply actions

Pathetic Claim Steelfrog

I see zero correlation between a speacial teams coach and kickoff coverage. ZERO correlation!!! It comes down to the players on the field executing. If you have ever played football you would realize that coverage is fairly basic: stay in your lanes, shed blocks, and make tackles. There is a bit more scheme to returns but coverage is coverage. There are other SP coaches out there with dynamic coverage schemes that the rest of the league dosn’t know about. It not like we are running the wildcat as we sprint down field.

The media members are searching for answers and pointing fingers at an attempt to sell papers. I doubt many of them have ever attended a special teams meeting either.

In fact i think it is outragous that anyone question coach Tomlin or his staff. Give me a break. It is humous. When players stop executing and turning the ball over the coaches are the first to blame. Typical fan reaction. Go visit the team page for every team that lost on Sunday or Monday, you will find one post or reaction calling for heads on every single one of them.

Valid point by Blitz though! I think it comes down to three things:
1. Poor Tacking
2. Jeff Reed
3. Ligahesky is not staying in his lanes

I get jealous when I see opposing kickers boom kicks though the endzone. Gostkowski from NE really comes to mind. For some reason Skippy lacks depth and hangtime which is crucial because every hole opens and closes in split seconds when returning. For some reason I don’t think Skippy has haunted us to the fullest extent quite yet this season.

by TheCommish on Nov 25, 2009 4:10 AM EST up reply actions

pathetic spelling and typos by me as well!

by TheCommish on Nov 25, 2009 4:18 AM EST up reply actions

Steelfrog is right

lack of execution on a consistent basis eventually falls on the coach’s shoulders despite the fact that the players aren’t executing. This isn’t any different than any other unit’s performance affecting the job of that unit’s coordinator. It is the ST coordinator’s job to get the players to stay in their lanes and not over-pursue. It’s also his job to change personnel and shift them around as needed to affect change and improve the overall performance of the unit. Yes, they have shown poor tackling and yes, Jeff Reed has failed miserably in KO both in distance and as the last resort in stopping a return. All of this ultimately falls on the ST coach and like it or not, he has to go.

by qwikdoc on Nov 25, 2009 12:01 PM EST up reply actions

I agree: Steelfrog is right

You hold managers responsible for the performance of their units. Period. Otherwise, you don’t have managers.

by TURFgeek on Nov 25, 2009 12:04 PM EST up reply actions

If there's no correlation between coaching and performance

Why have coaches?

Just fire Ligashesky, then, and spend the money on painting parking lot stripes.

What we do have is Ligashesky’s record as a special teams coach at both the collegiate and professional levels. He’s very consistent — consistently awful.

by TURFgeek on Nov 25, 2009 12:02 PM EST up reply actions

By the way

Not only have I played, I’ve been a coach for 12 years and I coach special teams and linebackers at a Junior College. And there is WAY more to coverage than fundamentals, which, by the way, are also taught, even at the pro level. Ultimately execution is a coach’s responsibility, shedding, tackling and pursuit are drilled for a reason…

by Steelfrog on Nov 25, 2009 12:29 PM EST up reply actions

I have to agree with you on that

Biggest mistake of young coaches is to work too much on plays and not enough on drills. If your team has bad technique you drill it until they get it. If they don’t get gimme someone that can. The best solution though is to make it part of your culture. It’s easier to change a gameplan than it is to fix a hitch or a tendancy.

"A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty." - Winston Churchill

by PixburghArn on Nov 25, 2009 1:01 PM EST up reply actions

tendency

"A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty." - Winston Churchill

by PixburghArn on Nov 25, 2009 1:01 PM EST up reply actions

My point is that Jeff Reed is not a kickoff specialist, he sucks actually and the special teams coach is the one getting the blame

by TheCommish on Nov 25, 2009 1:28 PM EST up reply actions

There are 11 guys on special teams

Reed can’t tackle, and he rarely kicks deep enough for touchbacks. This is true.

However, there are 10 other guys who are responsible for tackling the returner.

Shall we blame all the kickers for Ligashesky’s lifetime record of incompetence? We’re not just talking about one year of being an abject failure here. Ligashesky again and again and again produces one of the worst special teams wherever he goes.

by TURFgeek on Nov 25, 2009 1:58 PM EST up reply actions

Zero Correlation?!

Nothing like a little hyperbole sprinkled into an argument. Honestly, if there is zero correlation between a special teams coach and ST performance then why the heck does anyone have a ST coach in the first place? I have no issue with you trying to defend Ligashesky — though I have yet to hear a good reason why he was hired in the first place given his record — but do you honestly believe that he has absolutely NO responsibility for ST performance? That’s absurd.

by Citizen of Steeler Nation on Nov 25, 2009 4:39 PM EST up reply actions

My guess is

TheCommish’s real name is Bob Ligashesky — note the intentional misspelling of his own name to throw off the scent.

by TURFgeek on Nov 25, 2009 7:15 PM EST up reply actions

hehe

Freel free to email me anytime at behindthesteelcurtain@gmail.com with questions, suggestions, complaints, etc, or to just say what's up. -Michael Bean (Blitz)

by Michael Bean on Nov 25, 2009 7:23 PM EST up reply actions

Thanks guys

I appreciate your support, however indirect it may be, because that was a direct attack at me more than an argument!

by Steelfrog on Nov 25, 2009 7:59 PM EST up reply actions

Wow, that is sick bad.

I do like the message Tomlin is sending with the cuts this week. Nothing has worked so far, so maybe fear of losing your job will motivate some people, while hopefully the players he’s bringing in will play better to stay on the roster.

Like you said, it’s not like we can get that much worse. If we just stay as bad as we are right now we aren’t going anywhere anyway.

As for Reed, was he kicking it farther last year? Because or ST coverage was sick last year, and I don’t remember many TB’s.

by Phantaskippy on Nov 25, 2009 4:18 AM EST reply actions

Sepulveda

Could Sepulveda be an option on kick-offs? I know that it would be unusual for a punter but as TheCommish said Jeff Reed’s lack of height, distance and ability to cause touchbacks are a real problem. Also as we all know Sepulveda is more than capable of covering his own kicks.

by allymac06 on Nov 25, 2009 8:24 AM EST reply actions

I thought the same thing

Could Sepulveda do kickoffs better than Reed? A friend of mine agrees with you, grapes, that the answer must be no- if he could, he’d be doing it already.

by steagle34 on Nov 25, 2009 3:08 PM EST up reply actions

Is Sepulveda as good as we all think?

Looking at the punting stats he is only 18th in the league in average, and 8 yards per punt behind the league leader. Robopunter is mediocre at best right now, and in my opinion has not lived up to being a high round draft pick (for a punter). As far as kickoffs go, I’m sure he would be out there doing them if he were better than Reed.

by grapes on Nov 25, 2009 9:02 AM EST reply actions

Seriously......this just makes me mad!

The very existence of flamethrowers proves that some time, somewhere, someone said to themselves, "You know, I want to set those people over there on fire, but I'm just not close enough to get the job done."
-George Carlin

by Cdsumm on Nov 25, 2009 9:30 AM EST reply actions

part of the problem

With special teams through the yrs is the lack of money for a small market team. I know the cap, blah blah blah….
We have less money and have to skimp in certain areas. One area that is always skimped is special teams ie: Madison cut or never having a kicker with a big leg to kick into the endzone

by MEP12 on Nov 25, 2009 11:46 AM EST reply actions

This isn't MLB

the cap evens the field for small and big market teams. It’s how successful an organization is that affects retaining players and being able to pay ST players more money. A successful team like the Steelers increases the value of their players when they are in the playoffs every year and winning super bowls. The cap forces the team to decide who they want to pay the money to keep. Money isn’t the problem with our ST. It’s the play of the players and the coaching. If we want to effect change in ST to save our season, we need to cut the coach and play some starters the rest of the way

by qwikdoc on Nov 25, 2009 12:23 PM EST up reply actions

Is there an explanation for this? And how can this be fixed?

by Freddyd on Nov 25, 2009 2:41 PM EST reply actions

Amazing, amazing post

by Han on Nov 25, 2009 4:17 PM EST reply actions 1 recs

hehe, amazingly discouraging

But thank you, took a damn long time to do.

Freel free to email me anytime at behindthesteelcurtain@gmail.com with questions, suggestions, complaints, etc, or to just say what's up. -Michael Bean (Blitz)

by Michael Bean on Nov 25, 2009 4:55 PM EST up reply actions