Rick Gosselin’s 2000 NFL Special Teams Rankings

First crown for Miami special teams coach Mike Westhoff

By Rick Gosselin Last updated Aug 1, 2022 0

(Published February 2001)

^{The best offense and defense in the NFL are easily identifiable. But not so the best special teams.}

^{St. Louis has stocked the NFL’s highest-scoring offense with league MVPs (Kurt Warner and Marshall Faulk), Pro Bowlers (Isaac Bruce and Orlando Pace) and first-round draft picks (Torry Holt).}

^{Baltimore has stocked the NFL’s stingiest defense with all-decade selections (Rod Woodson), Pro Bowlers (Ray Lewis and Sam Adams) and first-round picks (Peter Boulware and Chris McAlister).}

^{But the Miami Dolphins crafted the league’s best kicking game without any such names or reputations. With essentially a cast of free agents and castoffs, the Dolphins finished atop the NFL special-teams rankings compiled annually by Rick Gosselin.}

^{The league’s 31 teams are ranked in 19 categories and assigned points according to their standing _ one for the best, 31 for the worst. The Dolphins won with a score of 167.5 points, 35.5 fewer than runnerup Carolina.}

^{Coverage ace Larry Izzo signed with Miami as an undrafted rookie in 1996, and kicker Olindo Mare signed up a year later. Deep-snapper Brody Heffner-Liddiard, kick returner Autry Denson and coverman Twan Russell all were cut by other teams, and punter Matt Turk and punt returner Jeff Ogden were acquired by trade in offseason fire sales.}

^{Yet the Dolphins ranked in the Top 10 in 14 of the 19 kicking-game categories. Miami didn’t allow any negative plays — no kicks blocked or returned for touchdowns — and ranked in the Top 5 in both kickoff and punt coverage.}

^{Miami’s Mike Westhoff did his job better than any special-teams coach in the league in 2000. But he was inherited by Dave Wannstedt from Jimmy Johnson, who inherited him from Don Shula. Wannstedt fired Westhoff at the end of the season so he could hire his special-teams coach of choice (Keith Armstrong).}

^{Westhoff, 53, has surfaced in 2001 as special-teams coach of the New York Jets, where the process begins anew. Once upon a time Westhoff wanted to be an NFL head coach. But not any more. Head coaches have to worry about the salary cap. Special teams coaches don’t.}

^{“I deal with the other end of the spectrum,” Westhoff said. “I get that young kid coming out of college who just wants to make the team and everyone likes being around. I’m surrounded by those guys. I’m really having a ball coaching them.”}

^{Izzo led the Dolphins with 31 special-teams tackles and was selected for the Pro Bowl. Undrafted rookie Trent Gamble and Russell were next with 26 tackles apiece. Mare kicked 90 percent of his field goals and Odgen returned a punt 81 yards for a touchdown against Green Bay.}

^{The Oakland Raiders made the biggest jump in the rankings, moving up from 26th in 1999 to sixth in 2000. Rookie kickers Sebastian Janikowski and Shane Lechler helped the Raiders win their first AFC West title since 1990.}

Rank	Team	Score
1	Miami	167.5
2	Carolina	203
3	Tennessee	218.5
4	Baltimore	222
5	Seattle	223.5
6	Oakland	225
7	New England	227
8	Philadelphia	238
9	Detroit	240
10	Dallas	247.5
11	Tampa Bay	251.5
12	Green Bay	265.5
13	Pittsburgh	272
14	Atlanta	276
15	Chicago	283
16	Jacksonville	302
17	Arizona	305
18	Minnesota	307
19	Indianapolis	325.5
20	St. Louis	334
21	Cleveland	338.5
22	Denver	343
23	NY Jets	352
24	NY Giants	355.5
25	Kansas City	362.5
26	Cincinnati	386.5
2728	New Orleans	394
	San Diego	399
29	Washington	441.5
30	San Francisco	448.5
31	Buffalo	469.5

^{Here’s a breakdown of the 21 categories:}

^{KICKOFF RETURNS}

^Best:^{Arizona, 26.6 yards}

^Worst:^{Buffalo, 18.2 yards}

^{PUNT RETURNS}

^Best:^{Baltimore, 15.8 yards}

^Worst:^{Buffalo, 5.0 yards}

^{KICKOFF COVERAGE}

^Best:^{Carolina, 17.5 yards}

^Worst:^{Washington, 25.4 yards}

^{PUNT COVERAGE}

^Best:^{Atlanta, 4.3 yards}

^Worst:^{NY Jets, 15.7 yards}

^{KICKOFF STARTING POINT}

^Best:^{Tennessee, 33.2-yard line}

^Worst:^{San Francisco, 25.8-yard line}

^{OPPONENT STARTING POINT}

^Best:^{Detroit, 25.1-yard line}

^Worst:^{Buffalo, 36.1-yard line}

^{FIELD GOALS}

^Best:^{Baltimore, 35}

^Worst:^{Cincinnati, 12}

^{FIELD GOAL PERCENTAGE}

^Best:^{Minnesota, 95.6 percent}

^Worst:^{Cincinnati, 57.1 percent}

^{OPPONENT FIELD GOAL PERCENTAGE}

^Best:^{NY Giants, 54.1 percent}

^Worst:^{Atlanta, 93.5 percent}

^{EXTRA POINT PERCENTAGE}

^Best:^{24 teams tied at 100 percent}

^Worst:^{Washington, 93.1 percent}

^{GROSS PUNT}

^Best:^{San Diego, 46.1 yards}

^Worst:^{Carolina, 37.2 yards}

^{NET PUNT}

^Best:^{Oakland, 37.9 yards}

^Worst:^{Buffalo, 31.4 yards}

^{INSIDE THE 20 PUNTS}

^Best:^{Baltimore, 35}

^Worst:^{St. Louis, 13}

^{OPPONENT GROSS PUNT}

^Best:^{Carolina, 39.8 yards}

^Worst:^{Baltimore, 44.5 yards}

^{OPPONENT NET PUNT}

^Best:^{New England, 31.8 yards}

^Worst:^{Buffalo, 38.4 yards}

^{BLOCKED KICKS}

^Best:^{Tampa Bay, 7}

^Worst:^{10 tied with 0}

^{KICK PROTECTION}

^Best:^{5 tied with 0 blocks}

^Worst:^{Buffalo, 5 blocks}

^{POINTS SCORED}

^Best:^{Atlanta, 24}

^Worst:^{9 tied with 0}

^{POINTS ALLOWED}

^Best:^{10 tied with 0}

^Worst:^{New Orleans, 24}