- Sep 8, 2014
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Nord wouldn't have been happy about this!!
‘Hands on’ Florida coach Dan Mullen says he’ll attend every special teams meeting
https://www.seccountry.com/florida/dan-mullen-special-teams-florida-gators
TAMPA, Fla. — Dan Mullen seems to be a hands-on coach in just about every way.
While he has two co-offensive coordinators, they’ll be the first to clarify that Mullen is the true offensive coordinator and the ultimate play caller. And while he has a special teams coordinator, Mullen says he won’t miss a special teams meeting and feels he has to be the one to set the tone for that unit.
“I personally coach the special teams. I know Greg Knox, our special teams coordinator, he’s been with me quite a long time, a great special teams coach, but I’m hands on in every single special teams,” Mullen said Tuesday. “I run half the special teams meetings. He runs a couple, but I’m in there for every special teams meeting.”
Mullen, Florida’s new head coach, was speaking during an event with fans at the Tampa Yacht & Country Club.
While fans love his palpable energy, his history and attachment to the program, his commitment to bolstering the strength-and-conditioning program, his confidence in declaring he’s here to win national championships, you can add his attention to special teams to the list.
Florida had two star specialists in kicker Eddy Pineiro and punter Johnny Townsend the last couple years, but the Gators were deficient in other areas of specials teams, both in their coverage and return units.
Florida ranked 105th nationally last season in punt return defense, giving up an average of 10.9 yards per return. The Gators were worse on kickoff return defense, ranking 126th of 129 FBS teams while giving up a whopping 26.6 yards per return. Granted, that was only on nine returns as Pineiro usually negated the problem himself by kicking the ball out of the end zone.
Meanwhile, the Gators ranked 103rd on punt returns, getting only 5.1 yards per return. They were 64th in kickoff returns (averaging 21.3 yards on 11 returns).
So while the Florida offense remained stuck in the mud and the defense took a step back through some youthful growing pains, the Gators also were squandering advantages to the other team in the way of field position.
Add it all up and you get a 4-7 finish and a coaching change.
Mullen acknowledged that recruits don’t dream of coming to college to play on special teams units. That’s where it’s up to the coach to set the tone for the program and prioritize on that aspect of the game.
“The only person that signs to play special teams, there’s three — the punter, the kicker and the long-snapper. Those are the only three that even sign a scholarship to play special teams. Everybody else is there to do something else,” Mullen said.
“Within our team, when we go to dinner, you know who eats first? Punt team. Second is kickoff, third is kickoff return and fourth is punt block. And then either the offensive or defensive linemen can eat. If you start on the punt team … [and] you want to be jersey No. 1, go be jersey No. 1. Quarterbacks and all, they eat last. And kickers, too.”
Chad Bumphis, who was a star wide receiver on Mullen’s early Mississippi State teams, recalled that emphasis on special teams during the coach’s time in Starkville, Miss.
“He’s a huge special teams guy. For us, you couldn’t get on the field on offense or defense until you played some special teams, which created more competition, made our specials teams better and there’s a constant competition, a constant push every day,” Bumphis told SEC Country.
Said Knox, Florida’s new special teams coordinator: “Dan’s part of it is, special teams is going to win the game for you. That’s the hidden yardage that no one really calculates at the end of a game. They always ask, ‘How many yards did you pass for? How many yards did you rush for? How many yards did the defense hold you rushing? How many yards did the defense eliminate passing?’
“They never ask you, ‘What was your punting average? How many yards did you average when you kicked off?’ Every time special teams takes the field, there’s a change of about 40 yards in field position. Very key. Very key.”
If anything has become clear through Mullen’s first three months on the job, it’s that he runs his team and his program with great attention to detail and accountability.
“We’ll put that emphasis on special teams,” Mullen reiterated. “Part of it is what you put in as a head coach, the emphasis that you put on it. You’re going to see that production on the field because no kid signs to play special teams except for the three specialists.”
‘Hands on’ Florida coach Dan Mullen says he’ll attend every special teams meeting
https://www.seccountry.com/florida/dan-mullen-special-teams-florida-gators
TAMPA, Fla. — Dan Mullen seems to be a hands-on coach in just about every way.
While he has two co-offensive coordinators, they’ll be the first to clarify that Mullen is the true offensive coordinator and the ultimate play caller. And while he has a special teams coordinator, Mullen says he won’t miss a special teams meeting and feels he has to be the one to set the tone for that unit.
“I personally coach the special teams. I know Greg Knox, our special teams coordinator, he’s been with me quite a long time, a great special teams coach, but I’m hands on in every single special teams,” Mullen said Tuesday. “I run half the special teams meetings. He runs a couple, but I’m in there for every special teams meeting.”
Mullen, Florida’s new head coach, was speaking during an event with fans at the Tampa Yacht & Country Club.
While fans love his palpable energy, his history and attachment to the program, his commitment to bolstering the strength-and-conditioning program, his confidence in declaring he’s here to win national championships, you can add his attention to special teams to the list.
Florida had two star specialists in kicker Eddy Pineiro and punter Johnny Townsend the last couple years, but the Gators were deficient in other areas of specials teams, both in their coverage and return units.
Florida ranked 105th nationally last season in punt return defense, giving up an average of 10.9 yards per return. The Gators were worse on kickoff return defense, ranking 126th of 129 FBS teams while giving up a whopping 26.6 yards per return. Granted, that was only on nine returns as Pineiro usually negated the problem himself by kicking the ball out of the end zone.
Meanwhile, the Gators ranked 103rd on punt returns, getting only 5.1 yards per return. They were 64th in kickoff returns (averaging 21.3 yards on 11 returns).
So while the Florida offense remained stuck in the mud and the defense took a step back through some youthful growing pains, the Gators also were squandering advantages to the other team in the way of field position.
Add it all up and you get a 4-7 finish and a coaching change.
Mullen acknowledged that recruits don’t dream of coming to college to play on special teams units. That’s where it’s up to the coach to set the tone for the program and prioritize on that aspect of the game.
“The only person that signs to play special teams, there’s three — the punter, the kicker and the long-snapper. Those are the only three that even sign a scholarship to play special teams. Everybody else is there to do something else,” Mullen said.
“Within our team, when we go to dinner, you know who eats first? Punt team. Second is kickoff, third is kickoff return and fourth is punt block. And then either the offensive or defensive linemen can eat. If you start on the punt team … [and] you want to be jersey No. 1, go be jersey No. 1. Quarterbacks and all, they eat last. And kickers, too.”
Chad Bumphis, who was a star wide receiver on Mullen’s early Mississippi State teams, recalled that emphasis on special teams during the coach’s time in Starkville, Miss.
“He’s a huge special teams guy. For us, you couldn’t get on the field on offense or defense until you played some special teams, which created more competition, made our specials teams better and there’s a constant competition, a constant push every day,” Bumphis told SEC Country.
Said Knox, Florida’s new special teams coordinator: “Dan’s part of it is, special teams is going to win the game for you. That’s the hidden yardage that no one really calculates at the end of a game. They always ask, ‘How many yards did you pass for? How many yards did you rush for? How many yards did the defense hold you rushing? How many yards did the defense eliminate passing?’
“They never ask you, ‘What was your punting average? How many yards did you average when you kicked off?’ Every time special teams takes the field, there’s a change of about 40 yards in field position. Very key. Very key.”
If anything has become clear through Mullen’s first three months on the job, it’s that he runs his team and his program with great attention to detail and accountability.
“We’ll put that emphasis on special teams,” Mullen reiterated. “Part of it is what you put in as a head coach, the emphasis that you put on it. You’re going to see that production on the field because no kid signs to play special teams except for the three specialists.”
