Falcons kickoff coverage unit needs a makeover, will be on hot seat Sunday
FLOWERY BRANCH — The Falcons (4-7) need to tighten their kickoff coverage unit before facing the Jets (2-9) at 1 p.m. Sunday at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey.
The unit will be on the hot seat in this game against Jets returners Isaiah Williams and Kene Nwangwu.
The Saints became the latest team to exploit the right side of the Falcons’ kickoff coverage team.
Saints returner Mason Tipton found a hole between DeMarcco Hellams and Tyler Allgeier and rambled for 75 yards. Hellams got on his horse and tracked down the speedy Tipton.
The Colts attacked in the same area and had big returns of 50 and 49 yards.
Williams had four kickoff returns for 122 yards in the Jets’ most recent outing, against the Ravens. Nwangwu had one return for 34 yards.
“You can keep it simple,” Falcons special-teams coordinator Marquice Williams said. “Like if you’re lined up on the right side, you want to stay to the right. You want to line up on the left side, you stay to the left.”
The Falcons are losing containment too often.
“So, if I’m on the left side, I should keep that ball on my inside shoulder, keep my outside shoulder free, keep the football on my inside shoulder,” Williams added. “That’s like what we define as leverage. So, making sure we continue to do that. We (must) finish at the ball with leverage. Whether you’re talking about defense or coverage units, they all go hand in hand.”
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Honored by the Pro Football Hall of Fame in recognition of his "long and distinguished reporting in the field of pro football," D. Orlando Ledbetter, Esq. has covered the NFL 28 seasons. A graduate of Howard University, he's a winner of Georgia Sportswriter of the Year and three Associated Press Sports Editor awards.
