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Strong punting, poor kicking mark Rams' 2015 special teams
By Nick Wagoner
http://espn.go.com/blog/st-louis-ra...oor-kicking-highlight-rams-2015-special-teams
EARTH CITY, Mo. -- The 2015 NFL season is over and for the Los Angeles Rams, it has been for a while.
Once again, the Rams special teams were led by an excellent punter and coverage unit. But their performance dipped in other areas, specifically the kicking game.
Let's take a look at what the numbers say about the Rams' special teams and how they compare to 2014.
Rams' special teams last two seasons
Category 2015 2014
Net punting 43.81 (1st) 42.77 (5th)
Yds. allowed per punt return 7.22 (13th) 6.86 (7th)
Yds. allowed per kick return 22.41 (11th) 24.26 (20th)
Yards per kick return 24.41 (12th) 24.42 (11th)
Yards per punt return 7.69 (21st) 13.03 (2nd)
Opp. avg. yds. from goal after KO 79 (4th) 78.1 (T-9th)
Avg. yds. from goal after KO 76.6 (12th) 78.2 (T-23rd)
FG percentage 67.7 (32nd) 80 (25th)
PAT percentage 93.1 (20th) 97.1 (28th)
NFL rank in parentheses
• Punter Johnny Hekker isn't lacking in recognition for the work he did in 2015 or the punter he's been since he entered the league, but he once again proved why he's one of the league's elite. He actually improved on a strong year in net punting despite leading the league in punt attempts and put together what could be one of the best punting seasons in NFL history. Hekker also excelled pinning opponents inside their 20, and even deeper.
• The Rams' punt coverage unit again was strong in 2015, but it took a small step back from where it was in 2014. That number, though, is largely skewed by the punt return touchdown they allowed to Seattle's Tyler Lockett in Week 1. Take that away and Hekker's net punting numbers would have been even better. A special tip of the cap to safety Cody Davis for consistent excellence on coverage units.
• The return game again was solid on kickoffs as Benny Cunningham continued to be pretty good in that department despite not having the home run speed to go the distance. Cunningham was 10th in that category this year (28.56 yards per attempt), which was a bit higher than the 27.51 yards per return he had in 2014. Cunningham's value as a third-down back, especially in pass protection, makes him a must retain as he heads toward restricted free agency, and his special teams value should only help the case.
• On the other side of the coin, it clearly was a step back for the Rams on punt returns. They once again had some issues with penalties erasing long returns for Tavon Austin, which certainly skewed the numbers. But a drop of more than five yards per attempt is fairly significant, especially for a team with a struggling offense. Austin's production as a punt returner was the lowest of his three seasons. Again, that's not a knock on him because the penalty problems were out of his control, but the drop-off was important.
• The biggest change from 2014 to 2015 was the downturn in the performance of kicker Greg Zuerlein. The news wasn't all bad as he did well with directional kickoffs and touchbacks as evidenced by the average opponent distance to the goal line after kickoffs. But there wasn't much else to salvage from Zuerlein's fourth NFL season. His field goal conversion percentage was the worst in the NFL and he had two missed extra points after missing only one total in his first three years. Rams coach Jeff Fisher already has made it clear that the Rams will have an open competition at kicker even if they re-sign Zuerlein this offseason. For a team that lost three games by a field goal and another by two field goals, Zuerlein's struggles undoubtedly were important.
By Nick Wagoner
http://espn.go.com/blog/st-louis-ra...oor-kicking-highlight-rams-2015-special-teams
EARTH CITY, Mo. -- The 2015 NFL season is over and for the Los Angeles Rams, it has been for a while.
Once again, the Rams special teams were led by an excellent punter and coverage unit. But their performance dipped in other areas, specifically the kicking game.
Let's take a look at what the numbers say about the Rams' special teams and how they compare to 2014.
Rams' special teams last two seasons
Category 2015 2014
Net punting 43.81 (1st) 42.77 (5th)
Yds. allowed per punt return 7.22 (13th) 6.86 (7th)
Yds. allowed per kick return 22.41 (11th) 24.26 (20th)
Yards per kick return 24.41 (12th) 24.42 (11th)
Yards per punt return 7.69 (21st) 13.03 (2nd)
Opp. avg. yds. from goal after KO 79 (4th) 78.1 (T-9th)
Avg. yds. from goal after KO 76.6 (12th) 78.2 (T-23rd)
FG percentage 67.7 (32nd) 80 (25th)
PAT percentage 93.1 (20th) 97.1 (28th)
NFL rank in parentheses
• Punter Johnny Hekker isn't lacking in recognition for the work he did in 2015 or the punter he's been since he entered the league, but he once again proved why he's one of the league's elite. He actually improved on a strong year in net punting despite leading the league in punt attempts and put together what could be one of the best punting seasons in NFL history. Hekker also excelled pinning opponents inside their 20, and even deeper.
• The Rams' punt coverage unit again was strong in 2015, but it took a small step back from where it was in 2014. That number, though, is largely skewed by the punt return touchdown they allowed to Seattle's Tyler Lockett in Week 1. Take that away and Hekker's net punting numbers would have been even better. A special tip of the cap to safety Cody Davis for consistent excellence on coverage units.
• The return game again was solid on kickoffs as Benny Cunningham continued to be pretty good in that department despite not having the home run speed to go the distance. Cunningham was 10th in that category this year (28.56 yards per attempt), which was a bit higher than the 27.51 yards per return he had in 2014. Cunningham's value as a third-down back, especially in pass protection, makes him a must retain as he heads toward restricted free agency, and his special teams value should only help the case.
• On the other side of the coin, it clearly was a step back for the Rams on punt returns. They once again had some issues with penalties erasing long returns for Tavon Austin, which certainly skewed the numbers. But a drop of more than five yards per attempt is fairly significant, especially for a team with a struggling offense. Austin's production as a punt returner was the lowest of his three seasons. Again, that's not a knock on him because the penalty problems were out of his control, but the drop-off was important.
• The biggest change from 2014 to 2015 was the downturn in the performance of kicker Greg Zuerlein. The news wasn't all bad as he did well with directional kickoffs and touchbacks as evidenced by the average opponent distance to the goal line after kickoffs. But there wasn't much else to salvage from Zuerlein's fourth NFL season. His field goal conversion percentage was the worst in the NFL and he had two missed extra points after missing only one total in his first three years. Rams coach Jeff Fisher already has made it clear that the Rams will have an open competition at kicker even if they re-sign Zuerlein this offseason. For a team that lost three games by a field goal and another by two field goals, Zuerlein's struggles undoubtedly were important.