Arizona Cardinals Question Of The Day: Will Special Teams Improve In 2010?
by Andrew602 on Jun 11, 2010 4:17 PM MDT
in 2010 Offseason
10 comments
With the losses of Kurt Warner, Anquan Boldin, Karlos Dansby, and Antrel Rolle, one offseason move that has gone unnoticed has been the changes with the Cardinals special teams unit.
Long-time kicker and former Pro Bowl-er Neil Rackers became a free agent this offseason and, with Rackers allegedly turning down an offer from the Cardinals because it was too low, the team signed former Jets kicker Jay Feely. Subsequently, Rackers left to battle for the starting spot with the Houston Texans. Rackers led the league last season, making 94.7% of his field goals. Feely only made 83.3%, but made twelve more field goals than Rackers.
The second major change to the Cardinals special teams unit was the removal of Steve Breaston. No, Breaston wasn't lost through free agency, but he was affected by the trade of Boldin. Breaston will play the number two role at wide receiver now and will no longer handle punt return duties. In his place will likely be rookie wideout Andre Roberts. Roberts stands atop the pecking order to return punts after averaging 17.3 yards per punt his last two seasons of college. Breaston averaged just 6.8 last season.
The two players that remain starters are punter Ben Graham and kick returner LaRod Stephens-Howling. Graham was robbed a Pro Bowl berth last season after he landed 42 punts in the opponent's 20-yard line, only had three touch backs, and had a 47-yard punt average. LSH should have a better handle on kick returns next season after averaging 23.8 yards a return and scoring one touchdown his rookie year. The Cardinals bread and butter last season was their success on special teams. With two major changes, can they expect more success or will they falter?
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I voted for
better than last year, based on the idea that Feely (in spite of the averages you quoted) is a more accurate and better clutch kicker than what Rackers was. Feely has had to kick in far worse conditions than Rackers, so moving to AZ should equate to a much better % for him. I remember the Whiz alluding to that, as he was thinking that they could be in a lot of games decided at the wire this year.
Looking forward to what LSH does in his second year, I thought he and Graham were our two best ST players last year. Finally, I think allowing Breaston to focus solely on being a WR will make him even more productive (even though I know he strongly disagrees with that). The strength of our recent drafts will inevitably make our STs stronger as well.
I should get me a Ben Graham jersey
to replace my now obsolete “Q” jersey
Frame the Q jersey!
I don’t care where he goes, I still love and appreciate what he did for us. He will still be one of my favorites. I’m sure everyone agrees!
They are who we thought they were!
i will miss rackers. I loved the speed, hustle and intensity that he played with. maybe the only kicker in the league not afraid of contact. he was a refreshing change from the days of “i blew my knee out celebrating gramatica”. feeley is a good pick up, maybe even a better kicker. feels similiar to the rhodes replacing rolle situation. lose a good player, find a proven replacement for less money. good job cards.
Anxious
to see how Roberts does with returns. Maybe his NFL production will be close to what he did in college.
half of that
50% of his college average would be an improvement.
Hard call. Special teams was pretty good last season.
I agree with Long Beach that Feely should improve in AZ. Conditions in Meadowlands are terrible for kickers. His numbers in the clutch are superior to Rackers. With a potentially less potent scoring offense that could be of critical importance. Rackers, for all his skills, was still a choke artist.
Looking forward to seeing what Andre Roberts brings to the return game. I’d say punt returns is the area in which the Cardinals stand to improve the most. If Roberts does well then they should improve over last season, all else remaining equal.
Graham will break that record he tied last season.
Lifelong Arizona Cardinals/Chicago Bears fan [I have always lived in Arizona, dad is from Chicago].
I can't stand fair-weather/bandwagon fans, stick with your team, throughout the good and the bad. And don't switch to whichever team wins the Super Bowl each year.
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