re: Will improvement on Special Teams be lost in the shuffle this offseason?

Coverage teams weren’t as bad this year, but they definitely need to continue to improve.

Punt returns need a lot of work. We need to develop a reliable returner who can make defenses pay, whether that’s Anderson or someone else. And our coverage guys need to know how to block without drawing penalties. That’s been an issue all year, even on some fair catches.

Kickoff returns are more about restraint today. They are rarely worth attempting unless the kick is very short. Jackson had a few this year that were stupid decisions and his fumble against UF could have cost us that game. Now that you get the ball at the 25 for any catch, a fair catch is the right odds call probably 80% of the time. That needs to be drilled into the players.

We need better punting, but that’s usually addressed with kickers in camps or with consultants in the offseason. I doubt we have anyone on staff who does anything beyond monitor basic mechanics.