In the game of football, special teams are oft-overlooked third phase. Although, for most, they take a back seat to offensive and defensive units, Detroit Lions special teams coordinator Joe Marciano takes pride in his line of business.
"My thrill in coaching special teams is the other 10 guys," Marciano said, via the Lions' official website. "The who's nuts guys, the guys that are coming in from college. Mold those guys into a unit. Those are the guys I like to coach. They can be all minimum wage guys, I don't care.
"That's the beauty of coaching special teams. You work with the entire team. You get them to play hard. Keep it simple. Play fast, furious and finish, and that's what we're going to do."
Detroit's marquee special-teamers are kicker Matt Prater, punter Sam Martin and long-snapper Don Mulbach heading into the 2015 season. Jeremy Ross has been the team's return specialist, but Ameer Abdullah, Golden Tate, Ryan Broyles, Lance Moore and TJ Jones are all in the mix for the job this summer, according to the team's website.
Beyond those specialists, a lot of young guys will try to make the team by gunning and blocking on the coverage and return teams. Those guys, in particular, make coaching special teams fun for Marciano.
(h/t Detroit Lions)
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