Rick Gosselin’s 2013 NFL Special Teams Rankings
A third crown for New England special teams coach Scott O'Brien
(Published February 2014)
Jerry Jones didn’t get his money’s worth out of Monte Kiffin this season. He didn’t get his money’s worth out of DeMarcus Ware and Jay Ratliff. He didn’t get his money’s worth out of Miles Austin and Gavin Escobar.
But Jones recouped every penny of his 2013 investment in Rich Bisaccia.
The Cowboys were average on offense and way below average on defense but Bisaccia gave Jones one of the top special-teams units in the NFL. The Cowboys finished fourth in the 2013 NFL special-teams rankings compiled annually by Rick Gosselin.
The league’s 32 teams are ranked in 22 categories and assigned points according to their standing – one for best, 32 for worst. The Cowboys wound up with 294.5 points to finish behind three playoff teams: New England, San Francisco and Kansas City.
Jones knew exactly what he was getting when he lured Bisaccia away from Auburn. Bisaccia had been one of the NFL’s premier special-teams coaches for a decade before leaving the San Diego Chargers last offseason to become the assistant head coach at Auburn.
But Bisaccia was on the job for less a month when Jones, who was overhauling his coaching staff, came calling in late January.
Bisaccia posted four Top 10 special-teams finishes during the 2000 decade with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. They finished as the NFL runnerup in 2009 and also seventh in 2002 when the Bucs won their only Super Bowl. Bisaccia then spent two seasons in San Diego (2011-12), finishing sixth in special teams in 2012.
Bisaccia inherited special teams in Dallas that finished 17th in 2012. But the emergence of Dwayne Harris as an elite player in the kicking game powered the rise of the Cowboys’ special teams in 2013.
Harris finished third in the NFL in punt returns with an average of 12.8 yards and second in kickoff returns with an average of 30.6 yards. The Cowboys and Baltimore Ravens were the only teams in the NFL to finish in the Top 5 in both kickoff and punt returns.
In addition, Harris was the top coverage player on the Cowboys with a team-leading 13 tackles and a fumble recovery. The Cowboys finished seventh in the NFL in kickoff coverage.
Dan Bailey was again his reliable self for the Cowboys. He finished as one of the NFL’s most accurate kickers by converting all 47 of his extra-point kicks and 28 of his 30 field goal tries. He also finished fourth in the NFL with 52 touchbacks.
It’s no surprise that the Patriots finished No. 1. Bill Belichick spent his first four seasons in the NFL as a special teams coach with Detroit, Denver and the Giants from 1976-79. So he knows and appreciates a quality kicking game.
Belichick’s Cleveland Browns finished first in the NFL in special teams in 1994, as did his 2010 Patriots. Scott O’Brien was the special-teams coach in all three of the seasons Belichick teams finished No. 1 in the kicking game.
Former Patriots special-teams coach Brad Seely finished No. 2 this season with the 49ers. Like O’Brien, Seely’s special teams have finished first on three occasions. Kansas City finished third in special teams after hiring Dave Toub away from the Bears. His Chicago teams twice led the NFL in special teams. With Toub, the Chiefs vaulted 20 spots in the rankings.
| Rank | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | New England | 229 |
| 2 | San Francisco | 250 |
| 3 | Kansas City | 274.5 |
| 4 | Dallas | 294.5 |
| 5 | Baltimore | 298 |
| 6 | St. Louis | 300.5 |
| 7 | Jacksonville | 302 |
| 8 | Miami | 321.5 |
| 8 | NY Jets | 321.5 |
| 10 | Seattle | 349 |
| 11 | Pittsburgh | 350 |
| 12 | Arizona | 353.5 |
| 13 | Carolina | 360.5 |
| 14 | Indianapolis | 361 |
| 15 | Cincinnati | 363.5 |
| 16 | Oakland | 366.5 |
| 17 | Minnesota | 367.5 |
| 18 | Philadelphia | 374 |
| 19 | Green Bay | 375.5 |
| 20 | San Diego | 378.5 |
| 21 | Tennessee | 380.5 |
| 22 | Tampa Bay | 382 |
| 23 | Chicago | 386 |
| 24 | Houston | 387 |
| 25 | Cleveland | 391 |
| 26 | Atlanta | 408.5 |
| 27 | Detroit | 409 |
| 28 | NY Giants | 410.5 |
| 29 | Denver | 420.5 |
| 30 | New Orleans | 427 |
| 31 | Buffalo | 463.5 |
| 32 | Washington | 559.5 |
Here’s a breakdown of the 22 categories:
KICKOFF RETURNS
Best: Kansas City, 29.9 yards
Worst: Washington, 19.9 yards
PUNT RETURNS
Best: Minnesota, 15.2 yards
Worst: Jacksonville, 4.7 yards
KICKOFF COVERAGE
Best: Chicago, 18.7 yards
Worst: Denver, 29.3 yards
PUNT COVERAGE
Best: St. Louis, 2.6 yards
Worst: Washington, 16.8 yards
KICKOFF STARTING POINT
Best: Minnesota, 27.2 yard line
Worst: Arizona, 20.3 yard line
OPPONENT STARTING POINT
Best: Tampa Bay, 19.4 yard line
Worst: Green Bay, 25.6 yard line
PUNTING
Best: Miami, 48.8 yards
Worst: Chicago, 40.0 yards
NET PUNTING
Best: St. Louis, 44.2 yards
Worst: Washington, 33.8 yards
INSIDE THE 20 PUNTS
Best: Arizona, Kansas City, 35 apiece
Worst: Pittsburgh, 17
OPPONENT PUNTING
Best: Oakland, 41.7 yards
Worst: St. Louis, 48.6 yards
OPPONENT NET PUNTING
Best: Green Bay, 35.6 yards
Worst: New Orleans, 43.4 yards
FIELD GOALS
Best: Baltimore, New England, 38 apiece
Worst: Cincinnati, 18
FIELD GOAL PERCENTAGE
Best: Denver, 96.1 percent
Worst: Oakland, 70 percent
OPPONENT FIELD GOAL PERCENTAGE
Best: St. Louis, 69.2 percent
Worst: Atlanta, 97.1 percent
EXTRA POINT PERCENTAGE
Best: 27 teams tied with 100 %
Worst: Jacksonville, 95.6 percent
POINTS SCORED
Best: Kansas City, 30
Worst: 10 teams tied with 0
POINTS ALLOWED
Best: 14 teams tied with 0
Worst: Washington, 32
BLOCKED KICKS
Best: Oakland, 4
Worst: 10 teams tied with 0
BLOCKED KICKS ALLOWED
Best: 9 teams tied with 0
Worst: Detroit, 4
TAKEAWAYS
Best: 3 teams tied with 4
Worst: 10 teams tied with 0
GIVEAWAYS
Best: 11 teams tied with 0
Worst: Denver, Tennessee with 4 apiece
PENALTIES
Best: San Diego, 10 for 82 yards
Worst: St. Louis, 29 for 254 yards
