You might’ve already seen this report that Rick Gosselin, one of the most respected football writers out there, had the Patriots ranked number one in the NFL for special teams.
Meanwhile Football Outsiders had them eighth. To be honest I think the Pats had a great start to 2010 from a Special Teams perspective but they were pretty average the rest of the way.
There are definitely some memorable moments… from Tate’s two kick returns for TDs, to the Miami game, Mesko’s punt in overtime against the Ravens, and Edelman’s punt return TD against the Dolphins, just to name a few.
Also making this more impressive is how much yardage they lost when Gostkowski went on IR. Shayne Graham was great replacing him at field goals, but his kick off distance was considerably shorter that Gostkowski’s.
Clearly their solid special teams play was a big part in going 14-2.