After a kickoff, the Colts starting field position of the 22.7-yard line was the NFL’s worst last season. Defending kickoffs they put the opposition at the 26.5, 15th in the league.
But we all remember how the Jets crushed them with a 47-yard kickoff return by Antonio Cromartie that helped set up a winning field goal at the end of a first-round playoff game in January. (A failed kick return play doomed them in the Super Bowl the season before, though these changes won’t help them do better recovering a surprise onsides kick.)
Philosophically, the Colts just don’t put a lot into special teams. They don’t carry a lot of veteran backups, the core of most franchise’s special teams, because their roster is constructed to be top-heavy with star salaries and kid-reliant at the bottom of the 53. Those kids play a lot of special teams, so there isn’t a lot of experience and there is a lot of turnover.
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