johnnyzip84 Posted September 4, 2007 Report Share Posted September 4, 2007 Of course it was very hard to sit in Browns Stadium and watch the punt being blocked with 38 seconds left, giving Army about the only chance it had of pulling out what could have been a sickening comeback. After listening to numerous fans calling out things like "that'sa pee-wee formation" etc., I thought it might be time to bring up our punting strategy. The "roll-out" Stec was doing on some of those punts is the so-called "rugby style" of punting that Louisville and others have been using, with mixed results, in recent years. I believe the idea is to give coverage teams more time and sometimes you can get the big roll. While I don't mind JD (now in charge of special teams) trying some new things (since last year we had so much trouble i this area) I'm not sure that I like the idea of switching back and forth (rugby-style vs. conventional). In fact, the only time that Stec was able to get off a conventional punt, he hit it very well and pinned Army deep. I say, let's scrap the rugby-style (except for certain conditions.....weather related or a "surprise") and focus on the fundamentals. The good news, as I see it, is that Stec's leg looks pretty lively to me. Any thoughts, ZipsNation? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
timsum1283 Posted September 4, 2007 Report Share Posted September 4, 2007 i like the idea of that spread punt formation but i agree with you that it should only be used under certain situations as a trick play or under specific weather conditions.I wouldn't mind seeing it against OSU if it will work and catch them off guard but i think in the long run JD might have to change it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zipmeister Posted September 4, 2007 Report Share Posted September 4, 2007 I think you saw the spread for a reason that will become clear soon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Captain Kangaroo Posted September 4, 2007 Report Share Posted September 4, 2007 I think you saw the spread for a reason that will become clear soon. All I know is I saw Army's punter bombing away, and our guy was like-driving directional punts right to the receiver and getting punts blocked. OSU might block 4 punts this week if we don't shore things up. And run a few back for TD's too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
UADavid Posted September 4, 2007 Report Share Posted September 4, 2007 If I were to give the special teams a grade it would be a C- only because of the return teams. Both kickoff and punting leave a lot to be desired. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnnyzip84 Posted September 4, 2007 Author Report Share Posted September 4, 2007 I think you saw the spread for a reason that will become clear soon.Ahhh, the suspense is killing me! Maybe JD has a few trick plays up his sleeves based on this alignment? Or are we simply paranoid about the big return (albeit for good reason)? I might be in the minority, but I actually think Stec has the potential to be a very good punter. Last year, as someone here pointed out, it seemed like he was positioned a few yards too close to the line of scrimmage. The block last week just looked like a breakdown in protection to me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
uafan Posted September 4, 2007 Report Share Posted September 4, 2007 I know I'll get blasted for saying this, but our punting game sucked last year and it sucked against Army! Is it time for a change? I think so, but obviously many of you are waiting for "potential" to come through. How long will we wait? We have another guy on scholarship, why not give him a try? Rasor said he has a longer kick! Hey, can't hurt! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
74ZIP Posted September 5, 2007 Report Share Posted September 5, 2007 THANK YOU! STEC can't get it right...of course neither have the coaches...what the HELL is this sprint punt? looks like a junior high gimmick...just another thing that makes me wonder about Brookhart and his COACHING ability! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
liljc Posted September 5, 2007 Report Share Posted September 5, 2007 I honestly think the problems with the punting game are NOT related to the punter. Stec does a nice job, imo. He just needs a little bit of time to get the punt off. I don't think that is too much to ask. What punter in the world could have gotten that last one off on Saturday night? Give him a split second to get the punts off, and then we can all go back to complaining about how bad the coverage is , once again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skip-zip Posted September 5, 2007 Report Share Posted September 5, 2007 Folks. I have coaching in my blood, but I am not going to say I know what JD knows. I'm sure that, in his opinion, he is using the resources, and strategies he has at his disposal, to the best of his ability, to make our kicking game as good as it can be.With that said, I'm just dissappointed that we have not recruited well in this area as of late. Akron has seemed to always be fairly solid at punter and kicker over my 25+ years as a student and fan. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ZachTheZip Posted September 5, 2007 Report Share Posted September 5, 2007 With that said, I'm just dissappointed that we have not recruited well in this area as of late. Akron has seemed to always be fairly solid at punter and kicker over my 25+ years as a student and fan.Not recruited well? Igor was one of the best 20 kickers available coming out of high school. He was money and could always be counted on to get the job done, and he always did it. That was a major recruiting coup according to the recruiting people. The year off and the whole student-fight debacle has hurt his confidence. Kicking is more mental than any other position in all of football. UA's sports psycologist had better find a way to get him back in form soon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beanie 4 Heisman Posted September 5, 2007 Report Share Posted September 5, 2007 Id like to see Andy Hildreth get a chance back there punting he gets great hang time and is more consistent. I dont know why stec is the only one punting. If you watched any college games this year you will see the spread punt used a lot. OSU has made a change to the spread punt as well. I know i saw a couple teams use it as well. There are many more options a team has while using the spread punt. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zipsdad Posted September 5, 2007 Report Share Posted September 5, 2007 No one can question that the punting game is not where we would like to see it, however they recruited Stec for a reason.....they had no confidence in Hildreth's hang time, get off, and consistency....watch warm ups and you decide...coaches chart the entire fall camp and felt Stec won the job... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
uafan Posted September 5, 2007 Report Share Posted September 5, 2007 Here's something not commonly known...we have a former D-1 all-Ohio punter on the roster. Andy Hildreth was second team all state his senior year! For perspective, AJ Trepasso was second team D-2. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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