Special teams - Some good reading.

[Inetpub]

http://msn.foxsports.com/nfl/story/5862990

Bills Ranked 1st is ST

[Meathead]

interesting question: why arent there guys that both punt and kick? im assuming the answer has something to do with a) leg getting tired, and/or b) you cant build the muscle groups for each skill as perfectly as when you do both

i wouldnt say its a problem with practice and specialization because kickers generally have tons of time in camp and mostly lay around to keep their leg fresh. i would think a guy that can do place kicks well could learn the punting job so there must be something else, perhaps the reasons i mentioned

still, you would think more than one team besides atlanta in the last twenty years would have found somebody that could do both and save a roster spot

but if some kicking specialist can answer this more definitively id like to hear it

[John Doe]

I am more than a little shocked that they would rank the Patriots so low. I realize that they lost a great kicker, but 27th overall?!

[Goobylal]

I am more than a little shocked that they would rank the Patriots so low. I realize that they lost a great kicker, but 27th overall?!
It's a combination of things. They lost the best kicker in the NFL and replaced him with a has-been or a rookie. Also their coverage units were weak last year, and the 2 guys they were counting on to be gunners, Mel Mitchell and Tebucky Jones, are going to either be gone for the season or miss extensive time, respectively. Also they have no proven returnmen since they all pretty much left in FA.