Rams News

Gansz tries fix special teams
08/31 09:26 PM

By Jim Thomas
Of the Post-Dispatch


"Special teams is like driving a nitroglycerine truck. You hit a little bump, and you're liable to blow sky high."
-- Frank ``Crash'' Gansz.

If that's the case, Gansz still might be removing shrapnel from last season. In the first six games alone, the Rams:
> Yielded a 102-yard kickoff return and a 94-yard punt return for touchdowns.
> Had a punt blocked.
> Fumbled away two kickoff returns in one game.
Other than that, things were just dandy.
``In some form or the other, we had problems everywhere throughout the season,'' said Gansz, the Rams' special teams coach. ``Some of them we handled and solved. Some of them we didn't.''
Punter Will Brice was cut and replaced by Mike Horan, who stopped the bleeding. David Thompson breathed life into the kickoff-return unit, particularly over the final four games when he averaged 26.6 yards a return. The kickoff-coverage and punt-coverage units improved noticeably.
But the punt return unit, with Eddie Kennison usually handling returns, never got untracked, finishing 29th in the NFL. Place-kicker Jeff Wilkins endured a nasty late-season slump in which he missed nine of 16 field-goal attempts over a six-game stretch.
No wonder Gansz almost short-circuited his trademark loudspeaker ``backpack'' with some blistering remarks to the players during the recently completed training camp. The ``highlight'' came Aug. 3, during a particularly sluggish special-teams session in Macomb, Ill.
``I'm not going to go through what I went through with you guys last year!'' Gansz screamed, through his portable microphone. ``I'll be coaching in hell!''
Gansz doesn't want another year like 1997.
``I feel a sense of urgency,'' Gansz said. ``I enjoyed the last part of the year. . . . But the first six games, I didn't feel good about what was going on.''
Based on the preseason, there is some reason for optimism. The new punter, Rick Tuten, punished the ball more often than not. In exhibition play, he averaged 45.3 yards a kick with a 38.6 net average (minus return yards). Both figures would have placed Tuten among the top four in the NFL last season.
Wilkins, meanwhile, made all four of his preseason field-goal tries, including a 52- and 54-yarder. He showed improved distance on his kickoffs.
The Rams were average to below average in their return and coverage units, but they didn't allow any big plays. They blocked an extra point against Kansas City and a field goal against San Diego.
But there were glitches. Tuten had a punt snap sail through his hands, setting up a San Diego touchdown. Wilkins missed an extra point. Kennison fumbled a punt against Kansas City, although the play was negated by a Chiefs penalty. The Rams were victimized on an on-sides kick by the Chiefs.
The release of Thompson means Tony Horne will be the team's primary kickoff-return man, accompanied by either June Henley, Az-Zahir Hakim or Robert Holcombe. The exact combination will depend on who's active for a particular game.
No matter, they're all as green as AstroTurf. None of those four players -- Horne, Henley, Hakim or Holcombe -- has played in an NFL regular-season game.
``We're going to be out there with some first-year players that are really good young athletes,'' Gansz said. ``I think we do have better speed, and I think we have better athleticism in the open field than we had to begin the season last year.
``It's a matter of can they now play at the level they need to play. And that's a giant question mark. I'll be honest with you -- you just don't know.''
Besides his young return men, Gansz also will be relying on rookies such as Grant Wistrom, London Fletcher and Leonard Little to flesh out his return and coverage units.
But Gansz took some hits Sunday on the final cutdown day, with the release of Thompson, Mitch Jacoby and Jeff Zgonina. Jacoby participated in more special-teams plays than any Ram last season. Zgonina was among the team's top 10 special-teams players, according to coach Dick Vermeil.

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