Rick Gosselin’s 2014 NFL Special Teams Rankings
First crown for Philadelphia special teams coach Dave Fipp
(Published February 2015)
It took Chip Kelly a year to figure out the NFL.
Kelly had never spent a day in the league before becoming the head coach of the Philadelphia Eagles in 2013, bringing his offensive expertise to the pro ranks from the University of Oregon.
Kelly won the NFC East and presided over the NFC’s best offense in his debut season. But that first year was a learning experience and one of the lessons Kelly learned was that he needed better special teams.
Philadelphia finished 18th in the NFL in special teams in 2013, so Kelly undertook a sweeping upgrade last offseason.
Kelly traded for returner Darren Sproles and kicker Cody Parkey and signed a pair of special-teams coverage aces in free agency, Bryan Braman from the Texans and Chris Maragos from the Seahawks. Kelly also hit on undrafted college free-agent Trey Burton and street free-agent Chris Prosinski for his coverage units.
The changes were dramatic. The Eagles vaulted all the way to the top of the league in special teams, finishing first in the 2014 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 Eagles wound up at 201.5 points, 26 better than runnerup Buffalo.
Sproles returned punts for touchdowns against San Francisco (82 yards) and Carolina (65 yards) and was named to the Pro Bowl team. Parkey led the NFC in scoring with 150 points, converting 32 of his 36 field-goal tries and all 54 of his extra-point attempts.
The Eagles tied an NFL record with seven special-teams touchdowns and also blocked a league-high six kicks, including two apiece by Brandon Bair and James Casey. Three blocked punts by coach Dave Fipp’s units were returned for Philadelphia touchdowns by Maragos, Burton and Brad Smith.
Maragos led the Eagles with 14 tackles in coverage, followed by Casey with 13, Nolan Carroll with 11 and Braman with eight. Carroll also chipped in a fumble recovery.
The AFC champion New England Patriots finished third in special teams this season and the NFC champion Seattle Seahawks 17th. The Bills made the greatest leap in the rankings, moving from 31st in 2013 to second in 2014. Buffalo ranked in the Top 5 in both kickoff and punt coverage.
| Rank | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Philadelphia | 201.5 |
| 2 | Buffalo | 227.5 |
| 3 | New England | 233.5 |
| 4 | Atlanta | 239.5 |
| 5 | Baltimore | 264 |
| 6 | Cincinnati | 272.5 |
| 7 | Indianapolis | 273.5 |
| 8 | Kansas City | 293.5 |
| 9 | St. Louis | 308.5 |
| 10 | Minnesota | 320.5 |
| 11 | Arizona | 327 |
| 12 | Miami | 363.5 |
| 13 | Dallas | 389.5 |
| 14 | New Orleans | 392.5 |
| 15 | Detroit | 393 |
| 15 | Houston | 393 |
| 17 | Cleveland | 393.5 |
| 17 | Seattle | 393.5 |
| 19 | Denver | 401 |
| 20 | NY Jets | 404 |
| 21 | Pittsburgh | 410 |
| 22 | Oakland | 411 |
| 23 | San Francisco | 414 |
| 24 | Tampa Bay | 419 |
| 25 | NY Giants | 423 |
| 26 | Chicago | 423.5 |
| 27 | Jacksonville | 428 |
| 28 | Tennessee | 430 |
| 29 | San Diego | 433 |
| 30 | Washington | 444 |
| 31 | Carolina | 445.5 |
| 32 | Green Bay | 450 |
Here’s a breakdown of the 22 categories:
KICKOFF RETURNS
Best: 28.3 yards, Baltimore
Worst: 19.0 yards, Arizona
PUNT RETURNS
Best: 13.3 yards, Atlanta
Worst: 5.2 yards, Chicago
KICKOFF COVERAGE
Best: 17.5 yards, Chicago
Worst: 32.5 yards, Oakland
PUNT COVERAGE
Best: 4.1 yards, New Orleans
Worst: 15.5 yards, Carolina
KICKOFF STARTING POINT
Best: 25.9-yard line, Kansas City
Worst: 19.0-yard line, Arizona
OPPONENT STARTING POINT
Best: 20.1-yard line, Baltimore
Worst: Two teams tied at 24.7-yard line
PUNTING
Best: 47.4 yards, Baltimore
Worst: 39.9 yards, Tampa Bay
NET PUNTING
Best: 43.3 yards, Baltimore
Worst: 36.5 yards, Carolina
INSIDE THE 20 PUNTS
Best: 35, Arizona
Worst: 14, Green Bay
OPPONENT PUNTING
Best: 42.5 yards, Miami
Worst: 47.4, Indianapolis
OPPONENT NET PUNTING
Best: 35.9 yards, St. Louis
Worst: 42.4 yards, Indianapolis
FIELD GOALS
Best: 35, New England
Worst: 12, Chicago
FIELD GOAL PERCENTAGE
Best: 96.7 percent, Indianapolis
Worst: 65.7 percent, Detroit
OPPONENT FIELD GOAL PERCENTAGE
Best: 74.3 percent, Tampa Bay
Worst: 100 percent, SF 49ers
EXTRA POINT PERCENTAGE
Best: 100 percent by 26 teams
Worst: 94.2 percent, Chicago
POINTS SCORED
Best: 42, Philadelphia
Worst: 13 teams tied with 0
POINTS ALLOWED
Best: 12 teams tied with 0
Worst: 24, Carolina
BLOCKED KICKS
Best: 6, Philadelphia
Worst: 0 by 7 teams
BLOCKED KICKS ALLOWED
Best: 0 by 5 teams
Worst: Green Bay, 7
TAKEAWAYS
Best: 3 by 3 teams
Worst: 0 by 4 teams
GIVEAWAYS
Best: 0 by 6 teams
Worst: 4, Miami
PENALTIES
Best: New Orleans, 8 for 66 yards
Worst: Chicago, 27 for 224 yards
