The House Of Heat

I can't believe I'm doing this but for the sake of conversation I'm actually going to defend ASU special teams coach Tom Osborne.

Yes, I'm fully aware of the punting “issues.” Several blocks –too many to count for most- and then the coaches blamed punter Chris MacDonald for his form and technique. It certainly wouldn’t be the coach’s fault that the player doesn’t know what he was doing or that he was offered a scholarship in the first place. Even when MacDonald got them off, he wasn't exactly immune to the occasional shank and the coverage was far from spectacular- something that could be the fault of the unit or a low-trajectory kick...I'd guess the latter based on ASU’s overall athleticism. Grade: F
Even the braniacs from the Farm look like world beaters against this wretched unit.




Can anyone really say anything bad about the Sun Devil kickoff unit? I'm not sure where Jesse Ainsworth stands in touchbacks, but he can't be far from Mason Crosby. If anyone feels like doing the legwork (get it, legwork) and actually researching this nugget, I'm a lot more interested in touchbacks per kick rather than a raw number...I'm pretty sure we scored a few more times than the Buffs last year. My only criticism would be that Ainsworth's kicks seem a bit low and line-drive-esque, which could be a factor with the new 1" tee. I can't recall anyone ripping off huge yards against us in return situations, either. Grade:A

I think the punt return unit speaks for itself, taking two back this past year. While I'd love to heap praise on to Terry Richardson, his comments in the Arizona Republic speak volumes about the strength of the unit, particularly when he notes that many of the skill players on the current roster could have had the same success at the return spot. Grade:A

The kickoff return unit hasn't taken one to the house since God knows when but this is a rarity in football, especially at the collegiate level for some reason. I don't recall being inside of the 20 too often to start drives, but I'd welcome others' observations here. My lasting memory of kickoff returns in the Oz era was having front row seats in the end zone at the Coliseum two years ago and watching Rudy B. drop the opening kick. Thank God they sell beer there, or that could have been an even longer day. Grade: B

So... A, A, B, F- a 2.75 GPA. I left ASU in good standing with a worse GPA than that. I don't think the punt unit has been as bad under Oz over the course of his time in Tempe as it was in 2005; here's to hoping the urgency is there and that strides are being made to improve our weakest areas.
Contrary to popular opinion, there were no defenders photoshopped out of this picture- the Arizona Wildcat coverage was just that bad.

Labels: anecdotal evidence, Dirk's a horse's ass, message board nonsense, rivalry rants, surrounded by morons