The Dave Toub effect is what I’m thinking about this morning as I read Rick Gosselin’s annual special teams ranking. The Dallas Morning News reporter ranks each special teams unit in the league in 22 categories and tallies up the scores.
The Chiefs rank third in the NFL in special teams under his scoring system. That sounds about right as we all knew the Chiefs were one of the best special teams units in the NFL.
This was a good note on the Chiefs special teams impact:
Kansas City was the best example of the impact of the kicking game on a team's standing. The Chiefs finished 20th in the NFL in offense and 24th in defense but still won the AFC West with a 12-4 record thanks in large part to their special teams.
In Kansas City we know the value of special teams, especially a unit that scores more points than any other. That’s why the possibility of losing special teams coach Dave Toub this offseason was kind of a big deal. Maybe other teams wouldn’t consider it a major blow to lose a special teams coach but in Kansas City I would. Toub immediately made the Chiefs into one of the best special teams units in the league with his arrival in 2013. Now that he’s working with Tyreek Hill, who has Hester-like ability? It’s only right we keep them paired together for another year.
Read his piece for a list of some of the areas where the Chiefs excelled (first in punt returns, second in punts inside the 20, etc).