I’m currently working my way through former New York Jets special teams coach Mike Westhoff’s new book “Figure It Out: My Thirty-Two-Year Journey While Revolutionizing Pro Football’s Special Teams” – which has got me thinking a lot about special teams over the last week.
Anyone who knows me knows I have a soft spot for special team players. Most don’t get the recognition they deserve, and a lot of people underappreciate the importance of a good special teams unit. We pay attention to the kickers and punters, but rarely to anyone else.
In Rick Gosselin’s end-of-year special teams rankings for the 2021 season (largely considered to be the last word on special teams) the Jets were placed 13th, which was a sizeable jump from the year prior when they were ranked 26th.