All articles tagged with #special teams
The NFL approved a rule change to remove the incentive to kick out of bounds on kickoffs from the 50-yard line; if the ball lands in the end zone or goes out of bounds, the receiving team will take possession at its own 20, not at the 25, ending the previous vulnerability created by the 2024 kickoff alignment.
The Green Bay Packers named Cam Achord their new special teams coordinator. Achord brings a decade of NFL special-teams coaching, including senior roles with the Giants and Patriots, and a track record of productive kickoff returns and solid overall special-teams performance.
The Green Bay Packers are hiring Cam Achord as their new special teams coordinator, replacing Rich Bisaccia who stepped down after four seasons. Achord spent the last two seasons with the Giants as assistant special teams coach, after a four-year run as the Patriots’ special teams coordinator. The piece also notes the Packers will have a new defensive coordinator in 2026, with Jonathan Gannon filling that role following Jeff Hafley’s departure to become the Dolphins’ head coach.
Green Bay GM Brian Gutekunst said Rich Bisaccia left for other opportunities rather than retirement, giving the Packers time to thoroughly evaluate candidates as Matt LaFleur searches for a new special teams coordinator. The team has struggled to finish in the top half of the league in special teams and is weighing roster implications (including potential returner and kicker roles) while LaFleur interviews candidates such as Tom McMahon, Cameron Achord, Kyle Wilber, Devin Fitzsimmons, Matthew Smiley, and Sam Sewell. The decision comes amid the NFL coaching carousel, with the Packers aiming to stabilize a unit that finished 23rd in kickoff return and last in punt return, and with Brandon McManus and Lucas Havrisik in play for the kicker spot.
Cameron Achord, who once led the NFL’s top special-teams unit with New England and later coached for the Giants, is among Green Bay’s candidates to replace Rich Bisaccia as the Packers’ special-teams coordinator, with Matt LaFleur already lining up interviews and endorsements from Patriots legend Matthew Slater highlighting Achord’s strengths.
Packers assistant head coach and special teams coordinator Rich Bisaccia is stepping down after four seasons, following a tumultuous 2025 kicking game that included blocked kicks, missed attempts and poor punt returns. Green Bay confirmed the move, with coach Matt LaFleur praising Bisaccia’s contributions as the team prepares to appoint a new special-teams coordinator for 2026.
With Rich Bisaccia out, Green Bay’s search for a new special-teams coordinator faces a thin market: nine former NFL ST coordinators have already found new roles in 2025, and only two fresh faces exist (Byron Storer and Anthony Levine). Among the available 2024–25 candidates, Matthew Smiley has the strongest five-year DVOA track record (14.7), but he’s been out of the league since 2024; the rest range from middling to underwhelming. The Packers are likely stuck with veteran retreads late in the offseason, rather than finding a standout replacement.
Gutekunst described the season-ending slide as tough to swallow, stressing the need to finish seasons as well as games and to examine multiple angles behind the late collapse. He said injuries weren’t the sole reason for the skid and highlighted December–January performance as an area to improve. He praised Rich Bisaccia and the special teams staff, signaling stability there amidst coaching changes. Finally, he emphasized continuity with Matt LaFleur and Russ Ball, noting contract extensions will allow the organization to finish what they started and push toward the next step.
Indiana beat Miami 27–21 in the national championship, with Mendoza’s fourth-down TD and Sharpe’s late interception among the pivotal moments, and a standout punt-block TD that gave Indiana a 10-point edge; a Bear Bets analysis shows Miami nearly ran a tricky punt-play when Malachi Toney appeared to be a throwback target near the goal line, but the punter’s boot was too effective, preventing the trick from unfolding.
The Tennessee Titans will retain John Fassel as their special teams coach, a continuation of his 2025 arrival after coaching stints with Dallas, Baltimore, Raiders, and the Rams; Fassel is the son of former Giants coach Jim Fassel and has voiced ambitions to become a head coach.
Miami was inches from a blocked-punt TD turning point in the 3rd quarter. A designed trick play on Indiana’s punt would’ve yielded a 95-yard return and a 14-10 Miami lead, but the punt was perfectly placed, forcing Malachi Toney to field at the 4-yard line and preventing the play. Miami then went three-and-out, and Indiana recovered the punt for a touchdown, widening the gap to 17-7 and creating a pivotal 14-point swing in the CFP final.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have named veteran Danny Smith their new special teams coordinator, filling the role left by Thomas McGaughe. Smith, 72, brings decades of NFL experience—including stints as a special teams coordinator with the Eagles, Buffalo, Washington, Detroit, and most recently Pittsburgh since 2013—to Tampa Bay. The move comes as Pittsburgh allowed assistants to pursue other roles after Mike Tomlin stepped down as head coach.
Miami's national title bid ended 27-21 to Indiana after costly special-teams miscues—Carter Davis's 50-yard miss and a blocked punt for a touchdown—that swung the game and drew scrutiny toward Danny Kalter's unit. The piece argues coaching mattered on those plays, but suggests Cristobal is unlikely to fire Kalter, instead highlighting the contributions of coordinators Shannon Dawson and Corey Hetherman.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers conducted a virtual interview with longtime Steelers special teams coordinator Danny Smith for their open special teams coordinator position, a move noted amid ongoing Steelers staff turnover and reports of Mike Tomlin stepping down, as the Buccaneers had previously fired ST coach Thomas McGaughey.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers conducted a virtual interview with Philadelphia Eagles special teams coordinator Michael Clay for their own vacancy at the same post, aiming to replace Thomas McGaughey. Clay, who has guided the Eagles to top performance metrics and a Super Bowl title, is the latest in a list of candidates for the Bucs’ special teams coordinator job, joining Jett Modkins, Craig Aukerman, and Anthony Levine Sr. in the interview process.