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Special Teams make Teams Special
Off season is a time of hope for football fans everywhere. (Yes….even in Dakota!)
Outlaws fans (All 4 of them) may have hoped that GM UKPatfan might add another offensive weapon to their emerging roster during the summer.
A feature running back was an obvious high priority, or another top receiving talent to play opposite Diedrich might have been high on the shopping list.
Or maybe defense was the way the team would go in a draft light on offensive playmakers?
Defensive End is a glaring hole in the roster. Anyone remember Antoine Nece?
Well, as the dust settles on the 2021 Training Camp, fans seem surprised that the Outlaws focus was squarely on Special Teams this off season.
Let’s check out some of the roster moves UKPatfan made in this area:
The big splash was made in the draft.
After moving up slightly in the 1st round, Wichita selected return specialist Lincoln Walters with the 1.24 pick.
Get used to seeing the back of this guy.
Walters has some receiving skills but there is no doubt that it was his punt and kick-off return abilities which propelled him into the 1st round.
Wichita clearly felt the need to replace the retired Kent Mulligan and a handful of respected GM’s congratulated Wichita on drafting such a dangerous special teams weapon.
Walters was the best dual return threat in college, taking 4 punts and 3 kick offs back to the house for Virginia Tech in his senior year.
He has very good size, speed and agility to go alongside the second best Broad Jump score amongst receivers in the last three IFL drafts.
Wichita hope he will live up to the hype and give QB Danny Ouellette great field position all year.
Wichita’s special teams renaissance continued into Free Agency.
In a low key acquisition, former 2nd round draft pick Cedric Porter was inked to a one year deal for the minimum salary.
Porter is a fourth year player originally drafted at 2.12 by the Reno Wolfpack in 2018.
Despite hauling in 8 picks in three seasons and posting a respectable career PDPct in Reno, his playing time had gradually lessened through his three year career with the Wolfpack - thanks largely to sub par coverage skills.
However, Wichita didn’t offer him a contract because of his talents at cornerback.
Porter is an excellent gunner with a special teams rating of 92. He made 21 special teams tackles and forced 3 fumbles last season and UKPatfan thinks he quietly added another special teams piece to the jigsaw.
And there was more.
In a trade move announced today, Wichita showed that they still hadn’t finished injecting talent into the often overlooked third phase of the game.
Sending their 2023 4th rd pick to Norfolk, Wichita acquired top punt returner Rickey Staigvil from the Vipers.
Staigvil was voted the Dogbytes Special Teams player of the year in 2020 after setting a single season record with 4 punt return TD’s and posting a league best 13.4 yards per return.
The 9 year vet went through the Viper’s Training Camp relatively unscathed and joins the Outlaws roster brimming with special teams talent.
In 2020, with Kent Mulligan on the field, Wichita were ninth in punt return average and second in KO return average.
They also put out great coverage units to limit opponents to the third lowest punt return average and fifth lowest KO return average.
Throw in the fact that the team saves a roster spot for kickoff specialist Alan Ballard (best kick off distance in the league) and it’s clear that UKPatfan puts a premium on quality special teams play.
The surprise retirement of Kent Mulligan this close season was a hiccup for the Outlaws.
UKPatfan has taken steps to fill the hole on punt and KO return duties.
It remains to be seen whether the three special teams additions will keep the Outlaws up there as one of the best special teams units in the league....Time will tell.
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