The last time the 49ers returned a punt or kickoff for a touchdown, Johnny Drama was still doing Viking Quest. OK, so it was really 2005, in Mike Nolan's first game as coach. But that was 31 games ago, and as this promising 49ers team gets ready to begin training camp, their return game once again appears to be in question.Rookies and unproven entities Jason Hill and Thomas Clayton might get tries on the return teams, and Brandon Williams returns on punt duty. Last year Williams averaged 6.7 yards per return as part of a punt unit that ranked 17th in the league. It makes you wonder, in an era where teams are drafting players who specialize in nothing but returning the ball and an offseason which saw the 49ers improve at all levels of their defense and a few on offense, why the team didn't make a more concerted effort to address the position.
The truth is, they don't need to. I think the return game is being overemphasized and overrated because of the recent success of guys like Devin Hester. But the truth is, in the grand scheme of things, Hester only scored five touchdowns last season, and those supplemented a sterile offense. It's always helpful to have a reliable guy who can get every last yard possible in the return game, but a playmaker like Hester is unnecessary if you've got the pieces on offense. With an emerging monster in Frank Gore and a much-improved group of pass-catchers this season, the 49ers will be fine.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
7-10-2007 @ 10:21AM
Ben McKnight said...
Do you even watch football?
For our columnist, who is clearly a little slow, I'll spell it out:
Football is a lot like chess. Yes, clearly, there is a much more physical requirement, and as a result, the strategic element is sometimes overlooked.
Field position is probably the most important thing to winning a football game. It's a lot easier to go 60 yards than 80. It's a lot easier to win football games if your offense stays rested by getting a surprise TD.
Am I saying special teams is more important than a high powered offense? No, but it is a key to a ring. Sure, Hester only scored 5 TDs last year, but where did the Bears usually start with the ball? How many extra TDs and FGs did the offense score because of the short field?
The bears wouldn't have even sniffed a super bowl without Hester.
Reply
7-10-2007 @ 11:10AM
Tom Mantzouranis said...
Well, Ben, I clearly pointed out that it's important for a returner to get every yard possible in the return game. My point is that there's lot of steady yet unremarkable guys that can do that, guys that don't require high draft picks and salaries, and guys who can do that while also playing a position on offense or defense.
Field position is crucial, I don't think anyone who watches football would doubt that. But there are other ways of getting field position -- creating turnovers and a strong running game come to mind as well. I say it again: the return game is being way overvalued right now. Is it valuable? Of course. Is it this valuable? No.
Reply
7-10-2007 @ 1:50PM
Devin said...
Is this for real? Realfootball365 did this article over a day ago, be a little more original next time.
Reply
7-10-2007 @ 7:49PM
Brian said...
I think what Tom is saying is that out of all the very very very important positions in football, punt returner is not at the top of the list. I would rather have a Pro-Bowl player at 22 other positions before punt returner.
Reply