Evaluating special teams is interesting frustrating hard. First, the rosters churn at a faster-than-otherwise rate because they are the place that teams turn players over. It is true that beyond the kickers, punters, and long snappers there are a handful dedicated special teamers (players who while carrying designations like ‘wide receiver’ or ‘safety’ are actually return men and gunners and so on). However, the truth of the matter is that most special teamers are either depth guys for the rest of the team or players hoping to play and practice their way into starter positions.
Thus, when I am evaluating “special teams” for the NFC North, I have to ask myself—am I looking only at the typical “specialists,” or am I looking at the units as a whole?