A not-so-special performance
Coverage teams weren't a big hit against Ravens
Eight Patriots were closing on Ravens return man Yamon Figurs during a second-quarter runback. They moved in like water rushing downstream and Figurs, with water bug-like quickness, darted to the left, and then took a few steps back. He took a quick look at his blockers, who moved like an avalanche toward those nearby Patriots.
At that moment, Figurs exploded out of his stance at his 45-yard line and barreled down the sideline.
His teammates promptly blindsided one, then two, three, and four Patriots, sending them airborne while Figurs, a second-year receiver from Kansas State who ran a 4.30 40-yard dash at the 2007 NFL Combine, zipped toward the end zone.
Patriots linebacker Gary Guyton ran from the opposite side of the field and dove to knock Figurs out of bounds at the 2-yard line. Two plays later, the Ravens scored a touchdown.
"Obviously their blocking was [good], but there were mistakes we made," said fullback Heath Evans, a member of the punt team in Thursday night's 16-15 exhibition loss to the Ravens. "Whether it's containing the ball or whatever it is - just missing tackles - they outexecuted [us] on that play."
Overall, it was not a special teams performance the Patriots wanted to see. With questions abounding - Who will back up Tom Brady? How will the secondary fare? Who will be the third receiver? - special teams seemed an afterthought in the game.
After two long returns from Figurs, seven-time special teams captain Larry Izzo was blunt about the unit's performance.
"Not good," he said. "We didn't play physical enough. We didn't tackle well. We didn't do anything well in the kicking game and it definitely hurt our team, so we're going to have to get better."
The Ravens totaled 144 return yards, 58 on punts and 86 on kickoffs. The Patriots tallied 130 return yards, 3 on punts and 127 on kickoffs.
On the Patriots' side, rookie receiver Matthew Slater earned the bulk of those kickoff yards - 94 on four returns, a 23.5 average - and showed the speed he first displayed through training camp. Chris Hanson had a 42.5-yard average on four punts and kicker Stephen Gostkowski nailed all three of his field goal attempts, from 36, 44, and 40 yards.
So to the unit's credit, only one area seemed rusty: defending returns.
The particularly troubling kickoff return came from Figurs in the second quarter. He caught the ball 2 yards deep in his end zone and moved upfield, again darting left and right, before finding room down the right sideline. He was tackled at his 46-yard line and the ensuing drive resulted in a field goal.
"We just didn't make the plays. They played better than we did," Izzo said.
Baltimore deserves credit as it had a good special teams unit last year with Figurs earning more than 1,000 yards in kickoff returns as well as being in the top 10 in punt return yardage.
There are several other facts that should be considered before criticizing the unit.
Since this is the preseason, the team will use it to work out the kinks, so every facet of the game is in fine condition by the time the regular season starts.
Evans said the criticism that comes during this time is, in some cases, warranted.
"Obviously, [the Ravens] performed better [on special teams]," Evans said. "I think we had five turnovers and yet we're still in the game, so maybe we're onto something good. I don't know yet. This film is going to tell us a lot. Coach Belichick is going to tell us a lot."
Having not looked at the film, Evans wasn't able to go into the specifics of what went wrong on those two long returns.
But he summed it up.
"They won that area of football. I can tell you that. We've got to get better and I can tell you that, too."
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The Patriots' practice schedule for today has been altered. Instead of holding an 8:45 a.m. practice, the team will instead have a walkthrough session at 10:45 a.m. The walkthrough, which is open to the public, will last approximately 45 minutes.
