Block Party!

Sporting News, The, Nov 16, 1998 by Michael Bradley

Scouting for weaknesses and developing schemes help teams block kicks. But to excel at it, players need the right attitude. Just ask Virginia Tech.

To the uninitiated, the blocked punt comes as a complete surprise. It's a lightning bolt, transforming a mundane exercise into chaos. To Virginia Tech's Keion Carpenter, it's ordinary. Or at least it should be. "You have to line up every time and think you can block the kick," he says. "You have to tell yourself, `I have a chance to make a big play right now.'"

When the Hokies visited Boston College on a soggy Thursday evening last month, they did so at less than full strength. Because of injuries, Virginia Tech was down to its third-string quarterback, converted free safety Nick Sorensen, so the Hokies weren't expected to keep the statisticians busy. Tech turned to its special teams, which is nothing new. In the 1990s, the Hokies lead the nation with 58 blocks and have blocked nine this season, which is a single-season high in coach Frank Beamer's 11-plus seasons at Virginia Tech.

"We overemphasized our special teams in that game," Carpenter says. "We knew we would struggle on offense and that special teams would play a big part in the game. Coach Beamer (who coaches the Hokies' punt-block team) studied film and found a weakness on one side (of BC's punt protection). We overloaded that side.

"From there, it's just you and how much you want it."

Carpenter sure wanted it. In the first quarter, the senior free safety squeezed through a crack in the BC line and ambushed punter Jason Malecki. The blocked ball rolled out of bounds at the Eagles' 27. Although the Hokies fumbled on their first play after the block, the message had been sent. In the third period, Virginia Tech again blocked a Malecki punt, with Andre Davis creating the mayhem. That led to a 16-yard touchdown drive. The Hokies won, 17-0, with just 236 yards of offense but two huge plays by the special teams.

It's practically impossible to find a coach on the I-A level who doesn't assert that special teams are "every bit as important as offense and defense." Some coaches, however, go beyond the statements and create cultures in which blocking kicks and punts is more than just a desperation, save-the-day resort. Like Beamer, whose Tech teams have blocked 70 kicks in 134 games, they search for people who want to go after enemy specialists and then teach schemes and techniques that convert desire into results. That's why there are players such as Carpenter, who has blocked five kicks during his career, and Air Force cornerback Tim Curry, who has rejected a school-record nine, and Auburn nose tackle Charles Dorsey, who swatted away a pair of extra points in a game this year against LSU. For the most successful kick-blocking teams, it's not a sometime thing. It's an attitude, a way of life.

"You have to do it enough so that it's not one exceptional play in a game," says Beamer, whose team blocked a West Virginia extra point and punt-which was returned for a touchdown-in its last outing. "For us, somebody's going after every kick or punt."

Hungry heart

If Tom Miller was a baseball player, his .375 average would have him in the All-Star Game. But as coach of Air Force's punt-block and return units (he handles the Falcons' outside linebackers, too), batting 3-for-8 isn't good enough. "We've got some people who have the ability to block punts, but they don't believe they can do it yet," Miller says. "Right now, three of our guys really are there. The others have to pick it up."

Although schemes are important in blocking punts and kicks, most coaches and players say desire and hunger are the vital components. The fastest players aren't necessarily the best to send after punts or placements. Neither are the biggest, nor the best leapers, nor the guys with the longest arms. Special teams coaches demand arrogance and old-fashioned want-to.

"Usually, when somebody blocks a punt or a field goal, he has made an extraordinary effort," says Jim Gladden, Florida State's punt-block coach. "Not everybody will go in there, get airborne and lay their body out with a guy swinging his leg to kick a ball. You've got to find guys who are hungry enough to do it."

When Beamer begins practice each summer, he sets up a punt-blocking audition for the newcomers. The results are usually surprising. "The guys who should be getting to the ball, those who are fastest and have the longest arms, can't do it," Beamer says. "There's a knack to it."

Once teams find the right people, they must turn them loose. That may sound easy, but not every coach will commit to sending people every play-especially in punt situations. Everybody tries to swat away field-goal and extra-point attempts, but fear of penalties and the desire to set up a good punt return often prevent teams from attempting a block. At Tech, Beamer's involvement in special teams shows how important they are. "We consider special teams every bit as important as offense and defense," Hokies defensive end Corey Moore says. "The best athletes are on the special teams."