The board does not lie.
Just outside the main entrance to the Seahawks’ locker room hangs Brian Schneider’s impossible-to-miss performance board for his special teams units. Each week, the special teams coordinator grades his group in 12 categories, with a Seahawks logo being placed in the box if the goal has been achieved.
For the just-completed 2011 season, the logos run from a high of 11 (three times) to a low of three.
Is there a better indication of just how inconsistent Schneider’s units were? When they were good, as against the Atlanta Falcons, New York Giants and St. Louis Rams with those 11-logo performances, they were very good. But when they weren’t so good, as in the three-logo outing in the season opener against the 49ers in San Francisco and a four-logo game against the Cincinnati Bengals, well, the special teams’ efforts were not special enough to help the Seahawks win.
“We really started off shaky,” Schneider said. “We were young and then we had a bunch of injuries in those first couple games, so it just took us three or four games to find our rhythm. But we kept doing what we believe in and we kept talking about playing with 100 percent effort.
| FIST-BUMPS AND FOREHEAD SLAPS | ||||||||||
| Here’s a look at five things that went right for the Seahawks’ special teams during the 2011 season and three things that need work as they head into the 2012 offseason:
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“So I was pleased with how we just kept fighting throughout the season.”
Regardless of who was in there doing the fighting. The best special teams in the NFL each season seem to be those units that change the least. Case in point: In Week 1 and Week 16, the 49ers came at the Seahawks with the same punt team.
The Seahawks, meanwhile, used 35 players on their 11-man punt team this season.
The most obvious constant was punter Jon Ryan, who broke the franchise records for average (46.6), net average (38.3) and longest punt (77 yards), as well as leading the NFL with 34 punts inside the 20 to tie another club mark.
“He’s by far the best in the NFL at doing that,” Schneider said of Ryan’s ability to drop the ball inside the 20-yard line. “Not only just the sheer numbers of it, but with his touch he’s able to do that.”
It was Ryan’s inability to consistently place the ball inside the opponents’ 20 that led to the Green Bay Packers releasing him in 2008, when the Seahawks signed him.
“That’s the type of guy he is,” Schneider said. “Jon works on it until it’s a strength for him. That’s why I love him.”
But the inconsistencies were apparent even in Ryan’s exemplary efforts. In the season opener against the 49ers, Ryan got off his 77-yarder, but also had a punt returned 56 yards for a touchdown late in the fourth quarter by Ted Ginn – less than a minute after he had scored on a 102-yard kickoff return – to turn a 19-17 bout into a 33-17 rout.
Back to the board, and the really-good/not-so-good performances. Schneider never has had his units register a 12, so the trio of 11’s was about as good as it gets – and there also were three games that warranted a 10 and another with a 9. But those lofty logo efforts also made the 3, 4 and 5 stick out that much more.
“Our whole goal is just to support offense and defense,” Schneider said. “So most of that board is dealing with field position, and putting the offense and defense in good position to have a chance to win the game.”
Sometimes, however, the special teams took matters into their own hands.
Like in Week 14, when rookie free agent 
Like in Week 7, when Red Bryant – 330-pound Red Bryant – blocked not one but two field-goal attempts in an effort that should have been more than enough to get the Seahawks a victory and Bryant player of the week honors. Instead, the Browns won 6-3.
Like in Week 12, when Bryant was at it again, blocking a field goal and a PAT, but in a 23-17 loss to the Redskins.
Like in Week 4, when Leon Washington had a 36-yard kickoff return and a 33-yard punt return to set up touchdowns against the Falcons; as well as his 32- and 54-yard kickoff returns to set up TDs against the Cowboys and Rams and his 36-yard punt return to set up a TD against the Bears.
Like in Week 16, when Heath Farwell blocked a punt that helped
Speaking of Farwell, all he did after being signed mid-October because of those injuries Schneider mentioned was lead the league with 21 coverage tackles.
But the coverage units also were burned for a 56-yard punt return for a touchdown by the Bengals and, in the overtime loss to the Arizona Cardinals in the season finale, Patrick Peterson had a 42-yard punt return to set up a field goal. The Cardinals also blocked a field goal in that game.
Up, and down. You win some, you lose some. That’s why Schneider is desperately seeking consistency from his units in 2012.
“We just need to improve the continuity of everything,” he said. “We really like our team. We’re really young. So a lot of the same guys will be coming back next season. So we just want to continue to work on that stuff.”
All that stuff. From committing fewer penalties, to breaking even longer returns. From limiting the opponents’ long returns to blocking even more kicks.
“The more consistent we can be, in all aspects,” Schneider said, “that’s just going to help our team win.”
