How to Fix the Baltimore Ravens' Special Teams

The Baltimore Ravens struggled with their special teams last season, especially when it came to  kick coverage and returns. The offseason was none-too-kind to this area of their game, which means they'll need to put in a great deal of work in the coming months to make major improvements.

Last season, the Ravens gave up just over 1,000 yards in kick returns and nearly 400 yards in punt returns. Their 29.2 average yards allowed on kick returns and 11.9 allowed on punts were the worst in franchise history. Furthermore, the three special team touchdowns they allowed (one on a kickoff and two on a punt) were among the worst numbers in the league.

In the offseason, the Ravens lost two of the biggest contributors to their coverage team—safeties Haruki Nakamura and Tom Zbikowski. They mitigated these losses by adding two free agents, cornerback Corey Graham and safety Sean Considine, who are proven special teams contributors. 

The Ravens also brought on another safety and corner in the draft, Christian Thompson and Asa Jackson. The hope is that both of these players can help out on special teams as they learn the ropes of their positions.

Either way, the Ravens cannot afford to give up the kind of return yardage they did last season, let alone three touchdowns. With the coverage team thinned, the team needs to get the newly-added free agents and rookies up to speed or else Baltimore could have a second consecutive season struggling to contain returners.

The other issue Baltimore has is with their own return game. David Reed has generally been the team's kick returner, but he tore his ACL last season and his ability to pick up where he left off is still questionable. Cornerback Lardarius Webb has been responsible for punt return duties in the past, but now that he's so valuable, they need someone else to take up those duties.

That could very well be Jacoby Jones, the veteran wide receiver who also performed return duties for the Houston Texans. Jones has issues with ball security, and drops by returners were a problem for the Ravens last season—they lost a total of seven.

The Ravens also didn't have impressive return numbers when it came to yardage. They averaged 24.9 yards per kick return and 9.6 yards per punt return. So not only do they need someone more reliable returning kicks and punts, they also need someone more explosive.

Speedy rookie receiver Tommy Streeter, picked up in the sixth round, could join Jones in return duties. Second-year receiver LaQuan Williams may also be used as a returner this season.

The key to improved special teams for the Ravens this season comes down to their ability to rebound from their losses on coverage, improve special teams tackling and have more reliability and speed in their own return game. Otherwise, 2012 will probably be the last year in Baltimore for special teams coach Jerry Rosburg.

(Stats courtesy ESPN)

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