For most, offense and defense are the only aspects of football that get much fanfare. Special teams tends to take a backseat. To an extent, it’s understandable; outside of a few flashy return men, this group is made up of unsung heroes that barely register on the stat sheet.
But don’t take them for granted. If you’re a fan, a bad day here can cost your team a victory (Steelers’ fans can certainly attest). If you’re Vince Williams or Terry Hawthorne trying to make a roster or keep your hat on Sunday, this is the place to do it. Chris Rainey did just that in Week 16.
Just a quick pre-snap aerial look. Rainey lined up as the “gunner” at the bottom of the screen.
Off Butler’s punt, Rainey runs down and ends up getting pushed to the 25 yard line when Pacman Jones catches the ball.
Jones returns it 62 yards before Rainey makes the tackle. The play was called back on a hold so it’s one that is easy to forget. But still an impressive one from the speedy rookie. Let’s let the film do the talking as we show Rainey running Jones down.
So how far did Rainey actually run? The Pythagorean Theorem gives us the answer.
Making some adjustments (the tackle made at the 20 and not the 35 as the picture shows among other obvious ones) and from when Jones caught the ball with Rainey at the 25, the rookie ran 66 yards.
Factor him running downfield on the punt itself, another 50, and Rainey ran 116 yards on one play. To make one tackle. On a play called back.
Even though Rainey was released, those are the kinds of plays that coaches love you for. From your special teams coach wanting you out there to keep providing that type of effort to the head coach who sees a guy willing to do anything to get a helmet on Sunday.
Hines Ward didn’t start his career with 1000 catches. It began with throwing his body around on punts and kicks.
Any newcomer who wants to follow in those footsteps will be required to do the same.
