The season is slowly drawing closer and while we wait through the dog days of summer, we will begin breaking down the units on the team to see the strengths, weaknesses, and who rounds out each position. While we continue to look at each player to see what they will do, the collective unit will yield to results on the field. First up, special teams.
Depth chart coming out of the spring:
Punter - Mattias Ciabatti (6-0 183-pounds)
Kick-offs - Marvin Kloss (6-0 198-pounds)
Kicker - Maikon Bonani (5-10 175-pounds)
Long snapper - David Burdetsky (6-1 215-pounds)
Who else is on the roster: The Bulls have a few other legs on the roster. Veteran punter Justin Brockhaus-Kann and Chris Veron (6-3 216-pounds) are on the roster and will push for kicking duties this season.
What the team lost after the season: The Bulls lost Michael Walsh, the long snapper, from last season.
Incoming 2012 recruits: The Bulls did not add any special teams players (kickers, punters) in the 2012 recruiting class.
Strength of the unit: The Bulls have a senior kicker in Maikon Bonani who has become one of the most consistent kickers over the seasons and owns the most field goals made record in program history. He will have another strong season for the Bulls. Also, the team has Marvin Kloss at kick-off duties once more after he emerged last season, using his strong leg to help the Bulls set up solid field position against opponents.
Weakness of the unit: The first weakness is at long snapper with Burdetsky taking over the job from Walsh. He is new to the job and will have to work hard this fall to make sure he is on the same page with the punter and not make any bad snaps. The other question is once again at punter. JBK was did not do a solid job last season (for the second straight year) and former walk-on Ciabatti won the job coming out of the spring. According to Auman and others, he is the man to beat at punter, but he is still young and has never punted in a live game before, leaving some questions before the season starts. JBK and Veron, who missed the spring with a foot injury, will battle him this fall, leaving the position open.
Overall assessment: B. Overall, the unit is solid, but the punting situation continues to be an issue. The coverage teams are great due to the team speed and the Bulls were among the best in the nation at covering punts and lowering the return yards opponents gained, but the Bulls need someone who can consistently pin opponents deep. They are hoping Ciabatti is that guy, but we will have to wait and see.
Special teams has literally killed this team in the past. All it takes is one dead leg if you will to drag this whole team into the ground. Remember there was a time when this guy used to be on the team: http://delbertalvarado.com/
ReplyDeleteI try not to remember that guy. Sadly, he wasn't the worst punter, but just terrible at field goals, just look at that Auburn game for a prime example. I think the specialists we have now should be able to get the job done, but punter still worries me.
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