Under the Dimitroff era, special teams has received a much-needed facelift. With the Falcons hopefully establishing some stability with the emergence of Eric Weems, lets take a look at Atlanta's special teams unit.
Projected Depth Chart:
KICKER:
Matt Bryant
PUNTER:
Matt Bosher
KICK RETURN/PUNT RETURN:
1. Eric Weems
2. Harry Douglas
LONG SNAPPER:
Joe Zelenka
Departures:
As I've said before, there really isn't much of a chance that the Falcons re-sign Michael Koenen. Though he was good at keeping his punts inside the 20, his yards-per-punt average has been on the decline in recent years. Koenen's punts aren't getting the distance the Falcons need, and that's essentially half of his job.
Arrivals:
Matt Bosher, the sixth round pick out of Miami. He has experience handling both placekicking a punting duties, but my guess is that he takes over for Koenen and also on kickoff squad duties. As far as his ability, he seems to be the opposite of Koenen in that he has a strong leg, but lacks in accuracy. Fortunately, the latter is more coachable.
Outlook:
Beyond the likelihood of a new punter, the special teams unit looks to be the same. Special teams extraordinaire Eric Weems proved himself to a be great as a return man and on kickoff coverage, earning his first career Pro Bowl selection in 2010. A healthy Harry Douglas will most likely be the teams second-string return specialist.
Matt Bryant was great for the Falcons last year, nailing 28 of 31 FG attempts, and should definitely be back next season assuming the team resigns him. Joe Zelenka should also be back as the team's long-snapper.
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