KO Returns

I find this difficult to believe (from the Jets NG). Shows you how inaccurate
personal recall can be vis-a-vis statistical fact...

Still wondering why the Jets fought so hard (but unsuccessfully) a few
months ago to keep restricted free agent Chad Morton from defecting to
the Washington Redskins? One of the league's premier return
specialists, Morton was key to the Jets leading the NFL in 2002 in
average field position following a kickoff. The average starting point
for New York was the 31.7-yard line. There were just five teams that
averaged better than the 30-yard line after a kickoff and here is a
look at them:

Team Average field position
N.Y. Jets 31.7
New England 31.4 (-p Patrick Friggin' Pass??? Must be Faulk's TD)
Philadelphia 31.1
Dallas 30.6
Kansas City 30.1

-p (flabbergasted)

Yeah, steady and reliable - but no brilliance. What's missed about Pass is
he just doesn't fumble. Want explosion - use Troy Brown when we're behind.
Otherwise, we could all live with a mistake free, boring but effective P.
Pass.

SLKCPA

It's funny. When I see Pass catch the KO, I think "oh no! Look how slow he's
going. He's not following the blocker. Hum de dum. Big open space. Oh,
look! He's on the 35!" My personal feeling is that he ****s and just gets
lucky somehow. But I can't explain it, so I'll accept that he's a good
returner. Not as good as Faulk, who can break one for a TD, but good.

is

behind.

P.

he's

How do these numbers stack up against his return average? Maybe he's
catching them all at the 15?

Faulk: 27.9 return average (2nd highest in league among KR with 20+
returns)
Branch: 24.0 return average (handled the most returns for Pats in
2002)
Pass: 17.6 return average (the 30th ranked returner in the AFC
averaged 20.8 - that's the 30th best KR among 16 teams (including the
Texans and Bengals), averaging 3.2 more yards than Pass)
Redmond: 1 return for 12 yards

Conclusion: Patrick Pass ****S HORRIBLY at kick returns. I will never
understand why Belichick went a season and a half putting Pass on the
field instead of Faulk. How ****ing stupid would you need to be not
to see that huge a difference? Even I don't think he's that blind.
It must have been more of an anti-Grier-pick/pro-Belichick-pick thing
that kept Faulk on the margins until a couple breakout performances
made him impossible to ignore.

-Lark

Conclusion 2: he's catching the short balls - Patrick Pass is the
lead blocker on KRs, right? Therefore, one could infer that his blocking
skills aren't bad. (No idea if this is true or not, but it's one spin
on the data.) Also, won't shorter kicks tend to be pooch kicks - so
therefore, higher hang time and longer for the cover team to get down
there and get the returner...

- Andrew

--
Andrew Walkingshaw | andrew-usenet@lexical.org.uk

Pass doesn't fumble. Faulk is/was a cross your fingers type (hopefully, that
feeling will go away, as Faulk continues to step up his play). I must say I
was somewhat surprised by those stats - I thought Pass had a better average.

SLKCPA

I was surprised as well......anyway we got lots of new return candidates this
year.

frank

I don't remember the Pats facing too many weak-legged kickers, but
it's possible. Incidentally, I was pleased to read that Vinatieri is
working on his distance in the offseason; it's the only weak part of
his game.

Perhaps, but those guys have more speed than Pass, the one to whom I
was referring in the preceding paragraph. Also, those guys evade
tacklers; Pass goes straight ahead regardless of whether his path is
obstructed.

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2 12th September 07:17 slkcpa3 External User Posts: 1	KO Returns Yeah, steady and reliable - but no brilliance. What's missed about Pass is he just doesn't fumble. Want explosion - use Troy Brown when we're behind. Otherwise, we could all live with a mistake free, boring but effective P. Pass. SLKCPA

3 12th September 07:17 flyingelvis External User Posts: 1	KO Returns It's funny. When I see Pass catch the KO, I think "oh no! Look how slow he's going. He's not following the blocker. Hum de dum. Big open space. Oh, look! He's on the 35!" My personal feeling is that he ****s and just gets lucky somehow. But I can't explain it, so I'll accept that he's a good returner. Not as good as Faulk, who can break one for a TD, but good.

4 14th September 05:11 mark zarella External User Posts: 1	KO Returns is behind. P. he's How do these numbers stack up against his return average? Maybe he's catching them all at the 15?

7 14th September 05:11 slkcpa3 External User Posts: 1	KO Returns Pass doesn't fumble. Faulk is/was a cross your fingers type (hopefully, that feeling will go away, as Faulk continues to step up his play). I must say I was somewhat surprised by those stats - I thought Pass had a better average. SLKCPA

8 16th September 05:23 fgssand@aol.com External User Posts: 1	KO Returns I was surprised as well......anyway we got lots of new return candidates this year. frank

9 16th September 05:23 bradtor External User Posts: 1	KO Returns I don't remember the Pats facing too many weak-legged kickers, but it's possible. Incidentally, I was pleased to read that Vinatieri is working on his distance in the offseason; it's the only weak part of his game.

10 17th September 19:26 bradtor External User Posts: 1	KO Returns Perhaps, but those guys have more speed than Pass, the one to whom I was referring in the preceding paragraph. Also, those guys evade tacklers; Pass goes straight ahead regardless of whether his path is obstructed.