In-Depth Analysis: Special Teams (Week 2 - Raiders)
Special teams had a major impact on yesterday's game with one play in particular without which the Jets might have been level or even ahead towards the end of the third quarter.
Return game - Make like a tree and Kalif
Having already muffed two punts in week one, it was mildly surprising that Kalif Raymond kept his job. However, his inexcusable muff right before halftime gifted the Raiders a touchdown after the Jets had been giving them some problems.
Charone Peake perhaps deserves some blame on the play because he let the gunner beat him which seemed to spook Raymond into his error. You have to catch that though ... and if you don't you have to fall on it or at least knock it out of bounds:
Raymond actually had a couple of nice returns prior to his mistake, picking up 40 on a kick-off return, thanks largely to a good block by Brent Qvale, and beating the first man to pick up 11 on a punt return.
You need someone to catch the ball back there though. Get Jeremy Kerley back there. Jordan Jenkins fielded a kick-off cleanly - maybe it should be him.
Kicking game - Big leg, small impact
Punter Lachlan Edwards had a pretty uneventful game, only punting three times with disappointing numbers. One went out of bounds at the 19, where he probably hoped to get it much closer to the pylon, and another, from the 43, was fair caught at the 15. His longest punt was 52 yards, but that was returned 13 yards.
Chandler Catanzaro once again nailed both of his field goals impressively, but only had one touchback on five kick-offs. However, two of the returns were stopped at the 16 yard line.
Catanzaro tried an onside kick which bounced nice and high up into the air and, although the Raiders got to it first, ArDarius Stewart almost knocked it loose.
Kick coverage - Wall Mart
There was some good production this week from Josh Martin who was in on three special teams tackles. Darryl Roberts was credited with two as well, including a good hit at the 16 on the opening kick-off.
Peake and Julian Stanford were the only other players credited with a special teams tackle with Peake doing some good work again from the gunner position to force a fair catch. Stewart was also in on one though.