Super Bowl Match-ups: Who Has The Edge In Special Teams?
Thursday, February 02, 2012
It’s almost here. Super Bowl XLVI is just a couple of days away which means the paralysis of analysis will soon be coming to an end. But before it does, we will examine a part of the game that often gets overlooked yet could very well have a huge impact on which team gets to hoist the Lombardi Trophy – special teams.
As we try to determine who has the edge on Sunday, we naturally focus on things such as the two high-profile quarterbacks or how one team’s offense matches up with another team’s defense. But special teams should not be taken for granted.
Starting with the kicking game, both the Patriots and the Giants have fared well in this department. Neither team has yielded a kickoff return for a touchdown this season and their opponents average starting field position following a kickoff is inside their own 23-yard line.
GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLASTNeither team has excelled at returning kickoffs with the Patriots averaging 21.4 yards per KOR and the Giants 23.3. Neither has returned one to the house this season.
The Patriots could have Mathew Slater, Julian Edelman or Danny Woodhead returning kicks. While none of the three are considered game-breakers, Edelman is the biggest threat. However, the fact that he returns punts and will be needed on the defensive side of the football may dictate how much time, if any, he spends returning kicks.
Bishop Hendricken’s Will Blackmon returns kick and punts for the Giants. But the 27-year old is also not known as someone who is a game-breaker.
The punting game would seem to favor the Patriots as Zoltan Mesko continues to be one of the league’s best. Mesko’s net average of 41.5 yards per punt is third best in the league out of 32 teams. The Giants Steve Weatherford has also been solid and neither team has allowed an opponent to return a punt for a touchdown.
Punt returns rate a big edge for New England. With Edelman receiving a bulk of the work this season, the team has averages 10.2 yards per return and Edelman did return one 72 yards for a TD. Blackmon and the Giants are among the league’s worst averaging only 6.1 yards per return which is 29th in the NFL. And, unlike Edelman, he has not taken one the distance this year.
And then there’s the matter of field goals. Both Stephen Gostkowski and Lawrence Tynes are reliable kickers. While neither one has the reputation of Adam Vinatieri, who does? But, if the game is on the line late and it comes down to a clutch kick, what’s to say that either one can’t have a Vinatieri-like moment?
The bottom line is that both teams are solid when it comes to special team, but one team does rate the edge over the other.
Edge: New England Patriots
Tomorrow, in our final installment, we take a look at the coaching match-up and the intangibles.
