Jonathan Rutledge maps out plans for special teams

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Huskers map out plans for the "most pure part of football"
ByBRIAN CHRISTOPHERSON 105 minutes ago

Not only do you need to want to play on special teams, you better want to play great on special teams.

Those are not the words of the pencil-necked scribe. That's from the longtime coach with the booming voice. Mike Dawson was speaking of that want-to last week, as he discussed the Husker special teams operation going forward. It's an operation which will have a leading mapmaker at the desk upstairs in special teams senior analyst Jonathan Rutledge, but also a lot of helping hands to make sure that map is followed.

"Rut's kind of in the command center ... and giving us the vision and stuff," said Dawson, Nebraska's outside linebackers coach. "For me, as a guy that grew up as a 1-AA coach, or going back to my Maine or New Hampshire days, if you're coaching, you're coaching every single special teams."  LINK

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Well, there's plenty of room for improvement in STs.  Just the kicking game alone might have cost us a game or two last year.    

The article mentions true frosh Blaise Gunnerson vying to get of the field on STs.  Love it!  

 
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This new focus on ST will, no doubt, lead to more wins.  Maybe not in 2020, but 2021 and beyond.  Props to HCSF for making this a priority. 

 
Decoy73 said:
This new focus on ST will, no doubt, lead to more wins.  Maybe not in 2020, but 2021 and beyond.  Props to HCSF for making this a priority. 
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I'm not convinced having an analyst alone, who can only gameplan, while relying on coaches focused on other positions to teach in practice and make in game adjustments qualifies as a new focus on ST.  A new focus would have been hiring Rutledge, or Snyder, as a FT ST coordinator allowing that person to actually coach. 

Here's hoping it helps none the less.

 
runningblind said:
I'm not convinced having an analyst alone, who can only gameplan, while relying on coaches focused on other positions to teach in practice and make in game adjustments qualifies as a new focus on ST.  A new focus would have been hiring Rutledge, or Snyder, as a FT ST coordinator allowing that person to actually coach. 

Here's hoping it helps none the less.
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Okay.  Who do we fire then?  

OC [SIZE=12pt]—[/SIZE] Matt Lubbick (and WRs)

TEs [SIZE=12pt]— Sean Beckton [/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]DBs — Travis Fisher [/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]ILBs — Barrett Ruud [/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]OLBs — Mike Dawson[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]QBs — Mario Verduzco [/SIZE]

DC [SIZE=12pt]— Erik Chinnander[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]OL — Greg Austin (and Assist. HC)[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]RBs — Ryan Held [/SIZE]

DL [SIZE=12pt]—[/SIZE] Tony Tuioti  

btw,  Are we limited to nine assistants?  Did they change the limit?  I count ten.  

 
I don't think there is a whole lot of individual coaching and individual drills that goes into special teams as compared to positions.   There's some for the kicker/punter/long snappers/fielders but beyond that I can't think of any individual work to be done.  I think it would be group work?    Special teams wouldn't have a lot of plays to learn and techniques to apply as compared to positions.      I am guessing that would be a possible reason why some coaches don't have a dedicated ST coach?   

 
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