Morstead

[Roach]

Maybe our best player last year, Morstead has gotten bigger and better each year. Anyone know what his offseason has been like?

[Pony Soup]

Maybe our best player last year, Morstead has gotten bigger and better each year. Anyone know what his offseason has been like?

I heard that he is a Weapon.

[smu diamond m]

Talked to him a while back, he said he was excited about the special teams coach whose name he "couldn't remember". Don't be surprised if he's kicking off next year.

[LincolnHawk]

Maybe our best player last year, Morstead has gotten bigger and better each year. Anyone know what his offseason has been like?

No one has seen him since he has moved in to the weight room this offseason.

[OC Mustang]

When the new special teams coach, I betcha he will prove that Bennett's lack of attention to spec teams was a grave mistake. Oh yeah, that's already been proved. Morstead will just punctuate the point.

[mustangfan01]

Lack of attention to special teams? Idiot.



We had 2 meetings PER DAY, each giving 10-15 minutes a piece to one phase of the special teams. Each special teams was rotated during the week so that there were adequate meetings for punt, punt return, kickoff, kickoffreturn. Sundays we went through the game's tape as a team and went over every single phase of special teams (punt, punt return, kickoff, kickoff return, field goal, field goal block). Then to top it off, we had scoutign reports made up for every phase of special teams so that everyone knew who they were matching up with, probably formations/strategies for the game and lineups to expect from the other team.


On top of all that, we devoted about 40 minutes PER PRACTICE to special teams, including a pre-practice warmup with people catching punts, people catching kickoffs...then to start practice we always went through fied goals and field goal blocks for about 8-10 field goals. Immediately following field goals, we moved into Punt practice where we lined up in punt formations in full speed and worked on punting for about 10 minutes. Then at the middle of EVERY practice we had a 10-15 minute segment devoted solely to Kickoff/Punt return depending on the day, and on Thursday we devoted 10-15 minutes to Kickoff returns AFTER practice.

On top of ALL that, every Thursday we spent the first HOUR of practice doing, in order, field goal and fg block, punt, punt return, kickoff, kickoff return, punt after safety, onside kicks.


On top of ALL of that, we went through Field Goal every Friday at our day-before-the-game walkthrough.





So please, whine all you want about the fact that we didn't have a special teams coordinator or a solid special teams strategy....but please, don't ever make yourself look like a clueless clown and say that Bennett didn't devote time to special teams. People were just terrible at blocking for Morstead on punts...and everyone held all the time on kickoff/punt returns.

[jtstang]

Did y'all practice the swinging gate plays?

[mrydel]

but please, don't ever make yourself look like a clueless clown and say that Bennett didn't devote time to special teams. People were just terrible at blocking for Morstead on punts...and everyone held all the time on kickoff/punt returns.

Sorry, but I played also and my coaches taught us how to block and that included how to do it without holding. A dedicated coach taking his job seriously will show the players to take their jobs seriously rather than letting them think it is a segment that can be coached by committee. If that makes me a clown then so be it but I am willing to compare this past year with the upcoming year and see the special team results and let them speak for themselves.

[2112]

you know the old saying....you can practice a bad habit over and over....

[Pony Soup]

but please, don't ever make yourself look like a clueless clown and say that Bennett didn't devote time to special teams. People were just terrible at blocking for Morstead on punts...and everyone held all the time on kickoff/punt returns.

I don't believe Bennett devoted much time to coaching, sir.

[OC Mustang]

Lack of attention to special teams? Idiot.
... ... ...

So please, whine all you want about the fact that we didn't have a special teams coordinator or a solid special teams strategy....but please, don't ever make yourself look like a clueless clown and say that Bennett didn't devote time to special teams. People were just terrible at blocking for Morstead on punts...and everyone held all the time on kickoff/punt returns.

When I evaluate results on cursory observation, I don't parse them.
No special teams coach & no real strategy = no real focus (synonym of "attention"). You can parse my comments and invoke the condescending "I'm a player and fans ought to shut up because they aren't out there and don't know anything" if it makes you feel better.
The short version was that special teams sucked. The more diplomatic version was that there was a lack of attention to it. Take your pick. You seem a little grumpy, so take the less diplomatic option if it gets your dander up.

[smu diamond m]

but please, don't ever make yourself look like a clueless clown and say that Bennett didn't devote time to special teams. People were just terrible at blocking for Morstead on punts...and everyone held all the time on kickoff/punt returns.

I don't believe Bennett devoted much time to coaching, sir.

lol

[Junior]

you know the old saying....you can practice a bad habit over and over....

Exactly. Practice doesn't make perfect. Perfect practice makes perfect. Having a coach dedicated to that facet of the game is a move in the rigtht direction. OC wasn't saying that special teams wasn't practiced, but he was saying that they weren't the coach's main focus.

[jimmieho]

Mustangfan01 is spot on about practice and preparation. He presented a good summation as to how practice included a focus on Special Teams each week.
SMU the past six years may have coached Special Teams by committee, but saying they "sucked" does not totally describe them. There was room for improvement, but . .

Last year the punt and kick-off coverages were in the top five throughout the 2007 season. SMU punt coverage remained in the top five all year. Kick-off coverage dropped after game nine because of a major change in personnel. Even after injuries and replacing six people on the kick-off team, they finished in the top 24 in the nation. You don't have to make those changes, they finish at least in the top 10.

The return teams took a hit last season, but two seasons ago they were among the top in the nation.

Granted, a part of "coaching" has a lot to do with having the right personnel on the field at the right time, but, the person bloggin that's calling them out saying they sucked is way out of line. Even if he "played".

Mustangfan01, thanks for the specifics of Special Teams practice, and thank you for your contribution to Mustang Football.

[mustangfan01]

Calling out who? I called out noone. I have nothing but respect for every single teammate I had at SMU, but the fact of the matter is that some people just can't hack it on special teams for one reason or another. We had like 9 or 10 games, out of 12, last year with a penalty on our kickoff return team. I'm not spitting opinions, I'm spitting facts. I think that we legitimately had one block in the past 5 years due to the punter being too slow -- the rest were all people getting out-classed and getting run over or blocking the wrong guy somehow.


Sorry if I hurt your feelings, but unfortunately there are some people in the world, like me, who will tell you the truth. You know nothing of Coach Bennett's dedication to special teams and you know zero about his coaching beyond watching him from the stands. I spent 1300 days of my life watching him coach and sitting in his meetings and you are flat out wrong. Don't like it? It's simple, don't be wrong and don't talk out of your [deleted]. Certainly don't whine to me about it, like I care if you think I was wrong to call you an idiot -- if I felt bad, I would've edited my post.


Since I will forever be a fan of Bennett, I'll just let you guys know one thing...

Let me preface with the fact that I certainly agree that the all-in thing was SO stupid. Wow. The swinging gate was also ridiculous... We also had lots of punt fakes that were SO ridiculously bad.

But, I've never in my life ever seen anyone stand on the sidelines when the defense is on the field and be right 90% of the time when they yelled what play to watch for. I swear Bennett would get a good look at the formation and personel and would literally scream "It's a draw" or "Watch the boot"... then the linebackers would cheat and the play would be exactly what Phil yelled, over and over and over. We just never made the plays. I'm telling you, some games Bennett was like Miss Cleo with a stache. He will have Pitt's D in the top 10 in no time because they have some beasts on defense who will CRUSH offenses when Bennett's sitting over there yelling what the offense is going to run. I think the Big East offenses would be smart to start audibling after they line up and hear what Phil yells, haha.

Say what you want about the man, but he sure looked like a psychic from the sidelines when we weren't screaming ALL IN ALL IN.


/end respectPhilBennettcampaign