Why do we have Williams and CEH returning kickoffs?

They put Chark back there but he only caught about 75% of the kickoffs

I wish Chark or DJ were returning kicks only for selfish reasons. Part of the reason I try to make every home game is because I want to see the first kick off return in Tiger Stadium in the past 30 years.

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Neither of the two are great speedsters or have the capability of returning one to the house.

Seems like we should have a WR or DB with speed and agility returning kicks not down hill running backs.

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Speed isn't the only thing that matters when returning kicks. Jackson proved that when he kept running into other LSU players.

You still have to see the lane and be able to read and set up blocks.

Ikr

Seems silly

I'll just say that returning kicks and punts are two very different things. Kickoffs require being able to maneuver crowded running lanes, but there is a formation of blockers. I suppose it's more like a running play, so patience is necessary. It's also pretty low probability to take one all the way.

I'm sure that you are right that we have some more explosion at other positions but it is definitely logical having a backup RB out there.

I disagree about CEH, he has the goods to take one all the way.

Need to put Derek Dillon back there

As someone noted above, I think Donte has proven he doesn't have the vision and anticipation to be that effective.

I'd love to see how Dillon and Stevens would do. It's not natural for some players, if you can find a speedster that it seems natural to, there's your guy.

I love seeing CEH back there. Give him time, I think he is a natural and has the speed. He definitely seems comfortable with it. And yeah, we haven't had a ton of returns so far (6 of 12 KO's received), so not enough yet to see how good he can be at it.

Don't forget, that 2nd back is often strictly there for blocking. Has to be able to block in the open field, get into position fast enough, etc. So speed and footwork are required. He just lines up equal for protection, so there's not an obvious hole to kick towards. Unless it's a perfectly angled kick, the real returner ventures all over. The only way DW is going to return the ball is if it looks like CEH would be in a bad position just to catch it, e.g. on the opposite sideline moving towards the sideline (potentially going out of bounds just to prevent a live ball). On that note, DW only has 1 of the 6 returns (for 21yds). Also on that note, CEH has 5 returns for an avg of 22.4 yds; DW is at least avg with CEH (with too small of a sampling size).

DJ is Chark, Chark is DJ