Welcome to Dallas - Cowboys Special Teams Coach Joe DeCamillis
by Jim Vance on Apr 19, 2009 5:34 PM CDT
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PrintOur special teams play last year was exciting - for opposing fans! Most of us were terrified when our special teams were on the field. Can anyone forget that awful feeling during the Cardinals game when Mat McBriar was stuffed in the end zone, breaking his ankle and ending his season?
Bruce Read is gone and Joe DeCamillis is now in charge of Cowboys special teams. Just who is this Joe D?
He has been likened to a younger Joe Avezzano. Coach Joe D was offered a contract extension by the Jags but turned it down, wanting to try his luck on the open market. It paid off when Jerry Jones came calling.
When DeCamillis was hired by the Jaguars two years ago he spoke out on his philosophy regarding special teams.
Your punt team is your most important team. You have to worry about protection first and then you have to cover. It's the only special teams that is an offensive team first and then becomes a special teams. When we had our best special teams in Atlanta, that was our best teams.
As far as the punting game, we're a directional team. We'll always have a directional call made. The best punt to me is a 40-yard fair catch. If you get that every time, you're going to lead the league in net and you'll never have a punt returned for a touchdown,"
On kickoff coverage, you want to pin the returner against the sideline and eliminate big returns. Forget about return average. If we're last in that, I don't care. The thing I'm concerned about is the starting point.
DeCamillis started his coaching career in 1988 with the Broncos as a defensive QC coach and then moved up to assistant special teams coach before his final Bronco's season in 1992.
He followed his father-in-law Dan Reeves to the Giants and served as their special teams coach from 1993- 1996.
From 1997 to 2006 he was with the Falcons as special teams coach, and promoted to special teams coordinator in 2004. It just so happens that Wade Phillips was coaching in Atlanta for part of that time.
In 2007 he joined the Jacksonville Jaguars as their special teams coordinator until Jerry Jones lured him here to begin the 2009 season as a Cowboy.
Joe D is a hard charger and has shown positive results every place he has been. He worked with a fellow named Wade Philips in Denver as well as Atlanta. Joe knows special teams - he has 17 years of successful NFL special teams coaching experience but never played a down of college or pro ball.
- His 1996 Giants team led the league in punts downed inside the 20
- His 2002 Falcons squad set the franchise season record for most field goals and most points (32 and 138 respectively). His punter Chris Mohr led the league in net punting average. (38.7 yards)
- His 1999 Falcons team allowed only 26 punts returned for a total of 119 yards. The leagues best that year.
- His 1998 unit allowed only 112 punt return yards
- The 2003 Falcons ranked 2nd in the league in kickoff and punt returns
Comparing the Jags and Cowboys special teams from last year -
| 2008 Special teams | K.O. Coverage | K.O. Returns | Net Punt Avg. |
| Cowboys | 6th | 21st | 22nd |
| Jags |
3rd |
18th |
18th |
Is hiring a new coach going to turn around our special teams play overnight? That's unlikely - but Coach DeCamillis' history suggests that it will improve this year. He has the coaching experience and he understands how the ST game is played. Based on some of the reports we read last year Bruce Read seemed to struggle even in training camp. DeCamillis won't have that problem.
Nick Folk will be back, McBriar will be back and our special teams play will benefit from having Coach Joe D calling the shots.
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In 2007 he joined the Jacksonville Jaguars as their special teams coordinator?
Is that not the year Wade was hired here? Why was he not brought over then? Never mind, the gaffes this HC has committed since being hired is too hard to keep up with any longer.
last season
i was really expecting our ST to excel, what with Felix on KR, Pac on PR, pro-bowl punter and kicker… but aside from Felix’s TD KO return in week 2, it was generally meh and occasionally bleh like at AZ… I have to think at least a good portion of the blame was with Read. So after last year’s let down, I will temper my expectations, but I certainly hope that Coach Joe D can get the most out of the personnel and make ST once again an area where this team can excel and win games instead of lose them.
Special Teams
haven’t been special for some time. Even if we only strive for mediocre it will be a vast improvement. I think this coach can do better.
It would of been better
If felix, austin, and stanback werent all hurt.
I thank God everyday i wasnt born a Eagles fan!!!!!!
The Jags were also in the bottom half
of league in two of the three categories you listed. Even if the cowboys match what the Jag’s Special teams did last year under DeCamillis it will result in result in very modest gains.
Remember that ranking by Dallas was not achieved by Bruce all by himself, he needed
several coaches to help make “improvements” to the Special Teams. Bruce needed help to avoid sucking more and maybe that is why he was able to look comperable to DeCamillis.
Ignore the Mainstream Media, EMBRACE THE HATE!!!!
Dan Reeves is his father-in-law?
Let’s hope he’s not disgruntled from the whole Reeves hiring debacle…
Special Teams
Nothing can be as bad as last year if we get Kieth Davis back and keep our special teamers fit!
As long as there are
no theatrics on special teams, I would be ok. Maybe we return one now and again, but I would like to see “Boring” special teams for a while at least. I’m sick of the “Exciting” special teams we have been exposed to. I really don’t care about winning the special teams battle, I’m just so sick of losing it is such a spectacular fashion.
When did I become a Cowboy fan? When my mom told me I was.
Questions to be asked...
Do we put Felix Jones back at KR or is the risk to injury too much? El Gato could sure help the unit, but special teams are violent plays, more than most because of the long, running head start the defense gets and there’s a lot of open space. What about Miles Austin? If he can grab the #2 WR starter role, do we continue to use him back there?
Do we turn to Isiah Stanback as the primary KR? Or is it a rookie we haven’t seen yet?
Are we looking to replace Patrick Crayton as PR? Can we go another season with the Human Fair Catch?
Does Jon Kitna hold for FGs and PKs? Bad Brad is no longer here to do it.
I'm hoping for Stanback full-time, and Felix every once in a while.
Gotta draft some more options at PR and KR either way.
"I see the door, I just get off on running through the wall." - Young Tripp
by Carl Shelton (GloryDayz88) on Apr 20, 2009 2:03 PM CDT up reply actions
same debate we had last year
on one hand, Felix is such a dynamic returner, he needs to be on the field to make a difference where he excels. on the other hand, he’s too valuable as a RB to hazard the increased risk of injury on KRs. Wade was initially reluctant to use him on kick returns, then gave in and broke the big one vs. Philly. Ironically he ended up getting his hammy injured on a non-ST play, and then his toe during the recovery process for that, so it wasn’t ST that did him in. I would go for Stanback as the KR or when we have a comfortable lead, Felix when we really need a spark.
I
think the McBriar injury was HUGE last year. Hopefully he comes back strong.
They've done studies, you know. 60% of the time it works, every time.
Last year
Mat McBriar played in 6 games
24 punts
38.8 net avg
5 downed inside the 20
Sam Paulescu played in 10 games
53 punts
35.2 net avg
14 downed inside the 20
When McBriar went down we lost 3.6 yards per punt – I’m not sure we should consider that HUGE, but it is a loss.
It really averages a loss of 19.8 yards total per game
maybe
HUGE was overstating, but I think it cost the team a lot. I remember wishing we had him for the Steelers game.
They've done studies, you know. 60% of the time it works, every time.
Special Teams Problems
To me the greatest Special Team concern is:
The Kick Off Coverage Team
I’ve counted at least 6 big returns against them last year:
PIT had a 31 yard return and set up 1st down on the 40
SF had a 35 yard return and set up on the 43
PHI had a 45 yard return and set up on the DAL 47
CIN had a 46 yard return and set up on the DAL 48
CIN also had a 60 yard return and set up ont DAL 37
ARI had a return for 93 yards that resulted in a TD
Also on Kick Offs – Folk 4 times kicked out of bounds and the opponents set up at the 40
P.Watkins, S.Octavien, and J.Ratliff all had penalties on the Kick Off Team totaling 35 yards
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