Poll: Should our top athletes be special teams returners?

[QueenCityGator]

Looks like Coach decided on Powell, Hargreaves III, and Robinson will be our special teams returners.
Pros: they are our best athletes and most likely to gain more yards per return.
Cons: risk of injury and/or fatigue

I'm against having them as our returners. Any good special teams coach should be able to mold most good athletes into returners; therefore, can't we find other players who may be a little bit slower but can still do really well in this role?

Name and town if you wish to opine.

 

[GatorJB]

I don't like that the best player on the team and the two best WRs are returning kicks/punts, especially since there is so little depth at WR. I'm honestly not sure what the injury rate is for return men. It's probably low which is why Coach Mac is doing this. Still makes me nervous because losing one of those three would suck big time. Hopefully the risk will pay off and we'll get a lot of big returns and TDs.

 

[Ray Finkle]

Yes they should. A guy like VH3 has a reaction time that we can't comprehend. He is perfect for punt returning. I wouldn't mind seeing both Powell and D Rob as the split kick returners. Those guys go across the middle all the time and sure, they could get hurt, but it would be a freak accident. Physics has a good way of sorting out the winners and losers of this collision.

 

[NavetG8r]

You can't always have an all-SEC special team specialist like Andre Debose.

 

[MJMGator]

You want to win? Then put the ball in the hands of your playmakers as often as possible.

 

[GatorStud]

Starters are born running back kicks.

 

[NVGator]

No way. Returners are a specific position and should be treated as such. We've got 80, 90, 100 players on a team and we can't find a person or two just for returning kicks? Keeps the WRs and DBs playing their positions.

 

[Swamp Queen]

This is common practice and he's not the first coach to do this.

 

[divits]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but you're allowed to score touchdowns on kick returns, right? I don't think you have any higher chance o being injured returning a kick than you do running across the middle for a pass or trying to tackle a tight end with a full head of steam. It's all football. Put your best players on the field and play to score on every down possible, for crying out loud.

 

[Captain Sasquatch]

Has a return man here ever really gotten seriously injured returning a kick other than Bubba Caldwell and Jacquez Green? I'm fairly certain that was the reason Urban didn't use Percy to return kicks, but at least he had Brandon James.

 

[Swamp Donkey]

If you are deep on talented guys and there isn't much dropoff from one to another, maybe you keep your best WR or RBs off the field. It works real well if you have some shifty guys who maybe don't run routes or whatever, ie Debose, or smurfy guys who are better in the open field than running w the offense (Rainey, Demps, Brandon James). If you have a less than gifted offense and maybe you need every break and put your 5 star guys on the returns.

I think DBs make great punt returners because they are also the deep safety if the punt team pulls a fake, and since 1/3 of our roster are DBs, I'd be happy to see them on KR and PRs.

 

[Gatorphan]

Think of some great starters that made a difference in the return game like Gurley, Desean Jackson, and Charles Woodson. They all made sense.

 

[TheBigClaw]

I'm against Robinson and Hargreaves, not Powell since he's one of the fastest players on the team. Either way, it runs a risk and I wouldn't have Hargreaves or Robinson out there.

 

[TLB]

I think DBs make great punt returners because they are also the deep safety if the punt team pulls a fake, and since 1/3 of our roster are DBs, I'd be happy to see them on KR and PRs.

This relates to another ST article i read listing WRs as gunners. My thought was - how much tackling do these guys practice? Their whole week is spent learning and refining routes and technique for catching the ball and running. Sometimes, they learn blocking. But when would they ever learn tackling? Fast? Ok. But as a gunner to get downfield and tackle a guy? I don't see it.


This year, I'm thinking you put your best players in a position to help you win. You aren't sending your 3rd string halfback in to return, you want someone that can make something positive happen for your team. I'd put my best players in. Traditionally, I'd have preferred to let second string WRs return things - mostly in line with what law indicated about having someone not great at routes or whatever but still shifty and good in the open field - this is their chance to shine and make magic. But this season, I'm desperate to see improvement, so I'm moving up the roster for talent to return kicks. That said, I still need some depth on offense and defense, so I'm with Claw in wanting Powell back there over VH3 or D-Rob. Maybe a few games in, if Powell has become another top target in our passing game, I'll pick someone a step down the roster, but for now I want someone really good that won't cripple us if he does get hurt.

 

[MidwestChomp]

I don't like VH3 back there for punts, but for kickoffs I'm fine with Powell and Robinson. I hope Mac can recruit a guy like Brandon James who can handle both and be great at both.

 

[chferg]

No way. Returners are a specific position and should be treated as such. We've got 80, 90, 100 players on a team and we can't find a person or two just for returning kicks? Keeps the WRs and DBs playing their positions.

Yeah and the first time they muff a punt or fumble a kickoff and lose us a game, you will understand why they aren't on the field at all.

Get your best players the ball...

 

[CGgater]

I'm not a fan of the idea. Too risky.


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[Himey]

Maybe if we were loaded with skill players we could afford to use back ups on kick returns. We aren't loaded however and need all the help we can get....especially in field position.

 

[GatorJ]

If you have an overabundance of skill players than no. We don't have that so use them when you can.

 

[WobbleGator]

Put the ball into your best players' hands as much as possible.