Ravens = leagues best special teams

**Shas** · 01-20-2022, 11:17 AM

SI's Rich Gosselin has ranked NFL special teams each year for over forty seasons.

He named the Ravens league-best this year. (second time since 2015).

Performances by Tucker and Duvernay obviously helped propel them. But credit Harbaugh's emphasis on special teams for the Ravens being consistently highly ranked.

Every year there are threads predicting the final 53-man roster, and every year most predictions are wrong, because people focus on who is the seventh best WR or ninth best OL. But decisions on the final spots always come down to special teams play, rather than the quality of undressed position players on game days. (more liberal practice squad rules have made Harbaugh's approach even smarter).

In fact, when Jerry Rosberg was Special Teams Coordinator, Harbaugh gave him three or four roster spots to pick players, no questions asked. I don't know if the tradition continues now that Rosberg is retired.

Congrats to Horton and Harbaugh.

LINK

**QtR Nevermore** · 01-20-2022, 11:42 AM

It's great that we're the best but honestly I'd rather be a bit worse and dedicate fewer roster spots to it, then we might have been able to keep Zach Seiler or Darious Williams etc.

With every team going for more 4th downs, punts and coverage are getting less valuable every year and football has been a game of possessions rather than field position for over a decade. 3 or 4 roster spots is too many.

**leachisabeast** · 01-20-2022, 11:48 AM

Very pleased with the progression of Duverney. He is looking more and more like the best pick of that draft from EDC.

**GOTA** · 01-20-2022, 12:07 PM

I heard an interesting discussion about Joe Judge that was related to this. The thought was that a head coach obviously manages the entire team but was also brought in to be an expert in a certain area. The Giants had poor special teams play under Judge. That was unacceptable for someone who had been a very well regarded special teams coordinator since 2015 and a top special teams assistant before that. It's great to see that.

John Harbaugh hasn't been a special teams coordinator since 2006. Even with that gap the Ravens special teams every year is near the top of the league and this year is at the top. It's obviously a focus and it's one of the reasons why John Harbaugh was hired to be the head coach. It's great to see and as Joe Judge proves, it's not so easy to accomplish

**Iamjacks** · 01-20-2022, 04:44 PM

Originally Posted by Shas

SI's Rich Gosselin has ranked NFL special teams each year for over forty seasons.

He named the Ravens league-best this year. (second time since 2015).

Performances by Tucker and Duvernay obviously helped propel them. But credit Harbaugh's emphasis on special teams for the Ravens being consistently highly ranked.

Every year there are threads predicting the final 53-man roster, and every year most predictions are wrong, because people focus on who is the seventh best WR or ninth best OL. But decisions on the final spots always come down to special teams play, rather than the quality of undressed position players on game days. (more liberal practice squad rules have made Harbaugh's approach even smarter).

In fact, when Jerry Rosberg was Special Teams Coordinator, Harbaugh gave him three or four roster spots to pick players, no questions asked. I don't know if the tradition continues now that Rosberg is retired.

Congrats to Horton and Harbaugh.

LINK

Second time since 2015, hmmm what did both those Ravens teams have in common? Could it be catastrophic injuries?

**AQKingRaven** · 01-20-2022, 09:02 PM

Originally Posted by GOTA

I heard an interesting discussion about Joe Judge that was related to this. The thought was that a head coach obviously manages the entire team but was also brought in to be an expert in a certain area. The Giants had poor special teams play under Judge. That was unacceptable for someone who had been a very well regarded special teams coordinator since 2015 and a top special teams assistant before that. It's great to see that.

John Harbaugh hasn't been a special teams coordinator since 2006. Even with that gap the Ravens special teams every year is near the top of the league and this year is at the top. It's obviously a focus and it's one of the reasons why John Harbaugh was hired to be the head coach. It's great to see and as Joe Judge proves, it's not so easy to accomplish

GOTA, as usual your insights are interesting and informative, however ! its emotion that keeps you from following your above thesis to its logical conclusion - The Baltimore Ravens deserve a HC who's back ground imrpoves the offense, it is a "better" competitive advanrage in comparison to a Special Teams resume !! No GM in the NFL would choose Harbs over McVay or Shanahan. Logic then says having a former Special Teams coach is in fact a disadvantage! It's ok to want the best at the HC position too; isn't it?

RSR needs to understand GOTA controls the spice. As long as GOTA thinks Harbs is our guy Steve B or EDC wont make a move.

**riprulz8** · 01-20-2022, 09:04 PM

Originally Posted by leachisabeast

Very pleased with the progression of Duverney. He is looking more and more like the best pick of that draft from EDC.

Even with being out with the ACL, I still think the best pick of that draft was Dobbins.

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**AQKingRaven** · 01-20-2022, 09:06 PM

Originally Posted by leachisabeast

Very pleased with the progression of Duverney. He is looking more and more like the best pick of that draft from EDC.

Duv would do serious damage playing for the Niners

**Ravenswintitle** · 01-20-2022, 09:11 PM

Originally Posted by AQKingRaven

GOTA, as usual your insights are interesting and informative, however ! its emotion that keeps you from following your above thesis to its logical conclusion - The Baltimore Ravens deserve a HC who's back ground imrpoves the offense, it is a "better" competitive advanrage in comparison to a Special Teams resume !! No GM in the NFL would choose Harbs over McVay or Shanahan. Logic then says having a former Special Teams coach is in fact a disadvantage! It's ok to want the best at the HC position too; isn't it?

RSR needs to understand GOTA controls the spice. As long as GOTA thinks Harbs is our guy Steve B or EDC wont make a move.

**WrongBaldy** · 01-20-2022, 09:42 PM

Bring in jay gruden!!

**mmi16** · 01-20-2022, 10:39 PM

Originally Posted by QtR Nevermore

It's great that we're the best but honestly I'd rather be a bit worse and dedicate fewer roster spots to it, then we might have been able to keep Zach Seiler or Darious Williams etc.

With every team going for more 4th downs, punts and coverage are getting less valuable every year and football has been a game of possessions rather than field position for over a decade. 3 or 4 roster spots is too many.

Nothing flips field position faster than Special Teams.

**mmi16** · 01-20-2022, 10:42 PM

Originally Posted by AQKingRaven

GOTA, as usual your insights are interesting and informative, however ! its emotion that keeps you from following your above thesis to its logical conclusion - The Baltimore Ravens deserve a HC who's back ground imrpoves the offense, it is a "better" competitive advanrage in comparison to a Special Teams resume !! No GM in the NFL would choose Harbs over McVay or Shanahan. Logic then says having a former Special Teams coach is in fact a disadvantage! It's ok to want the best at the HC position too; isn't it?

RSR needs to understand GOTA controls the spice. As long as GOTA thinks Harbs is our guy Steve B or EDC wont make a move.

Didn't realize that forum members had such power!