(Published February 2003)

The New Orleans Saints returned the emphasis in football to “foot” in 2002.

When the ball was kicked, the Saints had an advantage, which is why New Orleans finished first in the NFL special-teams rankings compiled annually by Rick Gosselin. The league’s 32 teams are ranked in 21 kicking-game categories and assigned points according to their standing – one for best, 32 for worst. The Saints compiled 195 points – 34 ½ better than the runnerup New England Patriots.

Start with the return game. Michael Lewis was voted to the Pro Bowl as the NFC’s kick returner after finishing fourth in the NFL in punt returns with an average of 14.2 yards and sixth in kickoff returns with an average of 25.8 yards. He returned two kickoffs and a punt for touchdowns.

John Carney finished fourth in the NFL in scoring with 130 points. He was darn-near automatic, converting all 37 of his conversion kicks and 31 of his 35 field-goal attempts. Along with punter Toby Gowin, the Saints were one of only six teams that did not have any kicks blocked that season. On the flip side, New Orleans led the NFL with five blocked kicks, batting down three punts, a field goal and an extra point. The Saints also recovered two fumbles on opponent kick returns.

Those New Orleans special teams, coached by Al Everest, finished in the Top 10 in 14 of the 21 categories, including 12 Top 3 finishes. In addition to Carney, Fred McAfee was voted to the Pro Bowl as the NFC special-teamer.

The Cleveland Browns charted the greatest improvement from one year to the next, vaulting from 24^th in 2001 to fourth in 2002. The Philadelphia Eagles slid from first in 2001 to sixth in 2002.

Rank	Team	Score
1	New Orleans	195
2	New England	229.5
3	Jacksonville	236
4	Cleveland	261
5	Detroit	263.5
6	Philadelphia	273.5
7	Tampa Bay	288
8	Kansas City	291
9	NY Jets	294
10	Atlanta	294.5
11	Carolina	322
12	Seattle	324.5
13	Houston	336
14	Chicago	342.5
15	Green Bay	353
16	Denver	357
17	Miami	359.5
18	Tennessee	361
19	Dallas	365.5
20	San Diego	372.5
21	NY Giants	376
22	Baltimore	386.5
23	Indianapolis	387
24	St. Louis	397
25	Oakland	400.5
26	San Francisco	401.5
27	Pittsburgh	403
28	Buffalo	407.5
29	Arizona	415
30	Minnesota	427
31	Washington	468
32	Cincinnati	499.5

Here’s a breakdown of the 21 categories:

KICKOFF RETURNS

Best: Philadelphia      24.94 yards

Worst: Jacksonville     18.8 yards

PUNT RETURNS

Best: NY Jets           16.0 yards

Worst: Green Bay         4.0 yards

 

KICKOFF COVERAGE

Best: Carolina          18.5 yards

Worst: Oakland          24.67 yards

 

PUNT COVERAGE

Best: Detroit            4.5 yards

Worst: Cincinnati       14.9 yards

 

GROSS PUNT

Best: Carolina          45.5 yards

Worst: Kansas City      37.3 yards

 

NET PUNT

Best: Atlanta           38.7 yards

Worst: Cincinnati       28.7 yards

 

OPPONENT GROSS PUNT

Best: Cleveland         38.65 yards

Worst: Tampa Bay        44.4 yards

 

OPPONENT NET PUNT

Best: NY Jets           30.56 yards

Worst: Green Bay        38.2 yards

 

INSIDE the 20s

Best: Houston           36

Worst: Cincinnati       12

 

KICKOFF STARTING POINT

Best: NY Jets           31.7-yard line

Worst: Tennessee        26.6-yard line

 

OPPONENT KICKOFF STARTING POINT

Best: Tennessee         24.8-yard line

Worst: Cincinnati       33.2-yard line

 

FIELD GOALS

Best: Atlanta, Tampa Bay     32

Worst: Dallas           12

 

FIELD GOAL PERCENTAGE

Best: New England       90.0 percent

Worst: Carolina         60.0 percent

 

OPPONENT FIELD GOAL PERCENTAGE

Best: New England       58.8 percent

Worst: Miami            93.3 percent

 

EXTRA POINT PERCENTAGE

Best: 21 teams tied at 100 percent

Worst: Minnesota         93.2 percent

 

POINTS SCORED

Best: Baltimore, New Orleans, NY Jets tied with 24 points

Worst: Five teams tied with 0 points

 

POINTS ALLOWED

Best: 10 teams tied with 0 points

Worst: Cincinnati    30 points

 

TAKEAWAYS

Best: Indianapolis, Pittsburgh  5 apiece

Worst: 6 teams tied with 0

 

GIVEAWAYS

Best: 6 teams tied with 0

Worst: Houston      5

 

BLOCKED KICKS

Best: Cleveland, New Orleans    5 apiece

Worst: 7 teams tied with 0      

 

KICK PROTECTION

Best: 16 teams tied with 0

Worst: NY Jets, San Diego   6 apiece