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A lowly-ranked unit the past few years, a new coordinator should breathe new life into the Cowboys.
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By John Owning
9:00 AM on Jul 13, 2020
The Dallas Cowboys special teams have been abysmal lately, finishing 23rd in 2018 and 30th in 2019 in special teams DVOA.
Yet, it wasn’t always this way. In fact, under Rich Bisaccia’s watchful eye, who is now the Raiders’ special teams coordinator, the Cowboys were consistently one of the better special teams units in the league. In Bisaccia’s five years with the Cowboys (2013-17), they finished inside the top-15 each year with top-10 finishes in 2013 (8th), 2016 (9th) and 2017 (7th).
Unfortunately, after having success with a high-profile, experienced and well-respected special teams coordinator, the Cowboys opted to replace Bisaccia with the opposite, a new special teams coordinator -- Keith O’Quinn -- who didn’t start coaching the third phase until 2014. So after three years as a special teams assistant, the Cowboys felt like O’Quinn was ready to run the show.
They were wrong.
The Cowboys’ special teams took a nosedive almost immediately when O’Quinn took over, as the team went from an impressive seventh-place finish in DVOA in 2017 to a disappointing 23rd place finish in 2018, which was followed by an even worse 30th place the following year.
Obviously, changes needed to be made.
Luckily, new head coach Mike McCarthy was smart enough to not fall in the same trap, as he hired one of the most well-respected special teams coordinators in the entire league -- John Fassel -- while O’Quinn was removed from the coaching staff altogether, as he transitioned back into a scouting role.
The former Rams special teams coordinator has fared well throughout his career, finishing in the top 10 in special teams DVOA in six out of his 12 years as a coordinator, four of which were top-5 finishes. The last time the Cowboys finished top 5 in special teams DVOA was 1998 under famed special teams coordinator Joe Avezzano.
If only because there is nowhere to go but up, Dallas’ special teams should be much improved under Fassel’s tutelage moving forward.
To get an idea of how Fassel will be a catalyst for that improvement, let’s dive into a few of the changes we can expect to see on the Cowboys’ special teams under Fassel:
More trick plays
Fassel has earned the reputation as a trickster throughout his career, as he’s consistently schemed up creative fakes to pick up a new set of downs for the offense.
Fassel’s teams have consistently finished at the top of the league in fake field goals and punts. As the Raiders’ coordinator from 2008-11, Fassel’s special teams finished with the fourth-highest fake percentage as they attempted six total fakes (or 1.3% of their total field goals and punts). Once he became the Rams’ special teams coordinator (2012-19), Fassel stepped it up a notch as his unit ranked first in fake percentage, attempting 28 fakes in nine seasons (3.2% of their total field goals and punts attempts).
It probably won’t surprise you to find out the Cowboys rarely attempted fakes on special teams, even dating back to Biasaccia’s time as special teams coordinator, which coincided well with Jason Garrett’s conservative ethos during his time as Cowboys head coach. From 2011-2019, the Cowboys attempted just four fakes (24 fewer than Fassel’s units attempted during a shorter amount of time), which ranked 23rd over that time span.
While fakes are certainly risky in nature, they’ve actually been proven to be worth the gamble more times than not. Since 2006, teams have been successful on 54% of their fakes on special teams, which is a bit surprising but shows how the Cowboys were leaving opportunities on the board by not utilizing more fakes in the past.
Nevertheless, Fassel’s trickery isn’t only deployed on fakes, as he’ll scheme up big-play opportunities in the return game as well (above clip). Fassel is always looking for a way to gain an edge, so when he faces a team that has some lazy tendencies when covering kickoffs or punts, you can bet Fassel is going to scheme up a trick or a new wrinkle to take advantage -- something the Cowboys never did under O’Quinn.
It’s important to note that the uptick in trick plays on special teams won’t be all sunshine and daisies for the Cowboys, as there will be times when they fail (like in Week 17 last season) and put the Cowboys in a compromising position that could, if done at the wrong time, lead to a loss. The hope is that the trick plays work more times than not, and that hope is rooted in the fact Fassel’s teams have consistently done just that.
Lane changes on kickoff coverage
One of the more noticeable changes that Fassel will likely enact is the use of interior lane changes, or stunts, on kickoff coverage. Lane changes are effective for the same reason that defensive line stunts are effective -- they create chaos and miscommunications with the blocking scheme that leads to free runners at the ball carrier. While special teamers get coached up on how to block a particular player, they only moonlight as blockers; therefore, they’re not as effective adjusting assignments on the fly, thus creating missed blocks for the coverage team.
Here’s an example:
On this play, Los Angeles special teamers Troy Hill (No. 20) and Nick Scott (No. 33) are running a lane change aimed at getting Hill a free run at the return man while Scott occupies blocks and becomes a contain player, and it works perfectly. As Scott veers inside, he takes both the blocker who’s responsible for Hill, the blocker responsible for him and a third blocker inside, which leaves an open lane for Hill to get vertical and chase.
Even with all the attention on him, Scott somehow squirmed his way free and helped force the return man to cut back into the teeth of the coverage. The result is a return that couldn’t even make it back to the 15-yard line. A huge win for Fassel’s kickoff coverage unit.
It should be noted that lane changes do come with some risk if not run correctly, which ties into Fassel’s risk-tolerant approach to coaching special teams. At best, lane changes create opportunities to stop a coverage unit well short of the 25-yard line. If not done properly, it can create vertical and horizontal seams that can lead to big returns, as it did for San Francisco last year in Week 16 against Los Angeles.
The Cowboys rarely, if ever, utilized lane changes on kickoff coverage, as they primarily relied on their best special teamers to beat blocks and make plays. Here’s a good example:
The goal of kickoff coverage to stop the return short of the 25-yard line, as that’s where the ball would have been placed had there been a touchback. On this play, CJ Goodwin does a great job of tackling the Giants returner before he can reach that all-important 25-yard line. However, it had nothing to do with scheme and everything to do with Goodwin’s ability to beat his block before locating and taking down the ball carrier.
When Dallas’ kickoff coverage units couldn’t beat blocks individually, it led to some notable gains by opposing returners, which is another illustration of how little O’Quinn did to help Dallas’ struggling special teams.
This year, under Fassel, Dallas’ kickoff coverage units will have the added benefit of using scheme to their advantage, rather just relying on talent and skill, which could lead to Dallas’ kickoff coverage units improving under Fassel’s tutelage.
More touchbacks
During Fassel’s tenure with the Rams, they consistently ranked toward the top of the league in touchbacks. The Rams typically hovered around 75% of their kickoffs end up as touchbacks.
Under O’Quinn, the Cowboys had 55.4% of their kickoffs turn into touchbacks in 2019 while 67.5% led to touchbacks in 2018.
This is another reason why Greg Zuerlein has an advantage over Kai Forbath in the kicking competition this summer, as he has a bigger leg and can more reliably kick it through the end zone for touchbacks.
Final thoughts
Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coach Bruce Arians coined the phrase, “no risk it, no biscuit,” and that phrase perfectly personifies Fassel as a special teams coordinator.
He’s no coward, as he’s unafraid to make risky decisions even during pressure-packed moments, which is a complete 180-degree switch compared to how the Cowboys operated when Jason Garrett was the head coach. Nevertheless, Fassel doesn’t just make risky decisions for fun or just because he wants to, he works tirelessly to design schemes that are tethered to his players’ strengths and will be useful in certain situations.
Unlike last year, when Dallas relied mostly on talent to get the job done on special teams, Dallas’ special teamers will have the added benefit of cutting-edge schemes, which have a tangible benefit moving forward.
The days of Dallas’ special teams being a laughing stock in the NFL should now be over under Fassel’s watchful eye.
By John Owning
9:00 AM on Jul 13, 2020
The Dallas Cowboys special teams have been abysmal lately, finishing 23rd in 2018 and 30th in 2019 in special teams DVOA.
Yet, it wasn’t always this way. In fact, under Rich Bisaccia’s watchful eye, who is now the Raiders’ special teams coordinator, the Cowboys were consistently one of the better special teams units in the league. In Bisaccia’s five years with the Cowboys (2013-17), they finished inside the top-15 each year with top-10 finishes in 2013 (8th), 2016 (9th) and 2017 (7th).
Unfortunately, after having success with a high-profile, experienced and well-respected special teams coordinator, the Cowboys opted to replace Bisaccia with the opposite, a new special teams coordinator -- Keith O’Quinn -- who didn’t start coaching the third phase until 2014. So after three years as a special teams assistant, the Cowboys felt like O’Quinn was ready to run the show.
They were wrong.
The Cowboys’ special teams took a nosedive almost immediately when O’Quinn took over, as the team went from an impressive seventh-place finish in DVOA in 2017 to a disappointing 23rd place finish in 2018, which was followed by an even worse 30th place the following year.
Obviously, changes needed to be made.
Luckily, new head coach Mike McCarthy was smart enough to not fall in the same trap, as he hired one of the most well-respected special teams coordinators in the entire league -- John Fassel -- while O’Quinn was removed from the coaching staff altogether, as he transitioned back into a scouting role.
The former Rams special teams coordinator has fared well throughout his career, finishing in the top 10 in special teams DVOA in six out of his 12 years as a coordinator, four of which were top-5 finishes. The last time the Cowboys finished top 5 in special teams DVOA was 1998 under famed special teams coordinator Joe Avezzano.
If only because there is nowhere to go but up, Dallas’ special teams should be much improved under Fassel’s tutelage moving forward.
To get an idea of how Fassel will be a catalyst for that improvement, let’s dive into a few of the changes we can expect to see on the Cowboys’ special teams under Fassel:
More trick plays
Fassel has earned the reputation as a trickster throughout his career, as he’s consistently schemed up creative fakes to pick up a new set of downs for the offense.
Fassel’s teams have consistently finished at the top of the league in fake field goals and punts. As the Raiders’ coordinator from 2008-11, Fassel’s special teams finished with the fourth-highest fake percentage as they attempted six total fakes (or 1.3% of their total field goals and punts). Once he became the Rams’ special teams coordinator (2012-19), Fassel stepped it up a notch as his unit ranked first in fake percentage, attempting 28 fakes in nine seasons (3.2% of their total field goals and punts attempts).
It probably won’t surprise you to find out the Cowboys rarely attempted fakes on special teams, even dating back to Biasaccia’s time as special teams coordinator, which coincided well with Jason Garrett’s conservative ethos during his time as Cowboys head coach. From 2011-2019, the Cowboys attempted just four fakes (24 fewer than Fassel’s units attempted during a shorter amount of time), which ranked 23rd over that time span.
While fakes are certainly risky in nature, they’ve actually been proven to be worth the gamble more times than not. Since 2006, teams have been successful on 54% of their fakes on special teams, which is a bit surprising but shows how the Cowboys were leaving opportunities on the board by not utilizing more fakes in the past.
Nevertheless, Fassel’s trickery isn’t only deployed on fakes, as he’ll scheme up big-play opportunities in the return game as well (above clip). Fassel is always looking for a way to gain an edge, so when he faces a team that has some lazy tendencies when covering kickoffs or punts, you can bet Fassel is going to scheme up a trick or a new wrinkle to take advantage -- something the Cowboys never did under O’Quinn.
It’s important to note that the uptick in trick plays on special teams won’t be all sunshine and daisies for the Cowboys, as there will be times when they fail (like in Week 17 last season) and put the Cowboys in a compromising position that could, if done at the wrong time, lead to a loss. The hope is that the trick plays work more times than not, and that hope is rooted in the fact Fassel’s teams have consistently done just that.
Lane changes on kickoff coverage
One of the more noticeable changes that Fassel will likely enact is the use of interior lane changes, or stunts, on kickoff coverage. Lane changes are effective for the same reason that defensive line stunts are effective -- they create chaos and miscommunications with the blocking scheme that leads to free runners at the ball carrier. While special teamers get coached up on how to block a particular player, they only moonlight as blockers; therefore, they’re not as effective adjusting assignments on the fly, thus creating missed blocks for the coverage team.
Here’s an example:
On this play, Los Angeles special teamers Troy Hill (No. 20) and Nick Scott (No. 33) are running a lane change aimed at getting Hill a free run at the return man while Scott occupies blocks and becomes a contain player, and it works perfectly. As Scott veers inside, he takes both the blocker who’s responsible for Hill, the blocker responsible for him and a third blocker inside, which leaves an open lane for Hill to get vertical and chase.
Even with all the attention on him, Scott somehow squirmed his way free and helped force the return man to cut back into the teeth of the coverage. The result is a return that couldn’t even make it back to the 15-yard line. A huge win for Fassel’s kickoff coverage unit.
It should be noted that lane changes do come with some risk if not run correctly, which ties into Fassel’s risk-tolerant approach to coaching special teams. At best, lane changes create opportunities to stop a coverage unit well short of the 25-yard line. If not done properly, it can create vertical and horizontal seams that can lead to big returns, as it did for San Francisco last year in Week 16 against Los Angeles.
The Cowboys rarely, if ever, utilized lane changes on kickoff coverage, as they primarily relied on their best special teamers to beat blocks and make plays. Here’s a good example:
The goal of kickoff coverage to stop the return short of the 25-yard line, as that’s where the ball would have been placed had there been a touchback. On this play, CJ Goodwin does a great job of tackling the Giants returner before he can reach that all-important 25-yard line. However, it had nothing to do with scheme and everything to do with Goodwin’s ability to beat his block before locating and taking down the ball carrier.
When Dallas’ kickoff coverage units couldn’t beat blocks individually, it led to some notable gains by opposing returners, which is another illustration of how little O’Quinn did to help Dallas’ struggling special teams.
This year, under Fassel, Dallas’ kickoff coverage units will have the added benefit of using scheme to their advantage, rather just relying on talent and skill, which could lead to Dallas’ kickoff coverage units improving under Fassel’s tutelage.
More touchbacks
During Fassel’s tenure with the Rams, they consistently ranked toward the top of the league in touchbacks. The Rams typically hovered around 75% of their kickoffs end up as touchbacks.
Under O’Quinn, the Cowboys had 55.4% of their kickoffs turn into touchbacks in 2019 while 67.5% led to touchbacks in 2018.
This is another reason why Greg Zuerlein has an advantage over Kai Forbath in the kicking competition this summer, as he has a bigger leg and can more reliably kick it through the end zone for touchbacks.
Final thoughts
Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coach Bruce Arians coined the phrase, “no risk it, no biscuit,” and that phrase perfectly personifies Fassel as a special teams coordinator.
He’s no coward, as he’s unafraid to make risky decisions even during pressure-packed moments, which is a complete 180-degree switch compared to how the Cowboys operated when Jason Garrett was the head coach. Nevertheless, Fassel doesn’t just make risky decisions for fun or just because he wants to, he works tirelessly to design schemes that are tethered to his players’ strengths and will be useful in certain situations.
Unlike last year, when Dallas relied mostly on talent to get the job done on special teams, Dallas’ special teamers will have the added benefit of cutting-edge schemes, which have a tangible benefit moving forward.
The days of Dallas’ special teams being a laughing stock in the NFL should now be over under Fassel’s watchful eye.
