Boot camp: so you want to win a football game? The place to start is the most important play in the game: the punt

Oklahoma special teams coach Kevin Sumlin is in his office in the Barry Switzer Center watching video of the Sooners covering a punt against Kansas State last season.

"We had several guys blocked on this one," says Sumlin. "This is bow you have returns. Guys were off their feet. It was a good punt. Decent hang time. A little short but not bad. (Mark) Bradley was hustling. That's OK--he just overran the ball. That's an aggressive mistake. The guys on the line are why we gave up 12 yards. They got blocked and continued to get blocked."

The punt strikes to the core of the game--the battle for field position. You could argue it's the single biggest key to winning: Every time the ball is booted, the field is turned over like a hamburger at a tailgate party, setting the tone for how an offense will call plays and a defense will defend.

Unique personnel requirements add intrigue to punts--players are asked to play offense before the snap and defense after it.

Impressive, eh? Come along for a ride inside the punt--from snap to coverage.

RECOGNITION: The up-man, the quarterback of the unit, must determine the return team's alignment and scheme. He has to process this data in seconds and decide what protection-zone or man-to call and then communicate it to the linemen. Some teams think of the up-man as a searchlight, scanning the scene for clues and communicating assignments to other players.

OPERATION: This is the time it takes for the center-punter exchange. The snap shouldn't take more than 2.1 seconds. If the exchange is too slow, the punter will have to speed up his process, and that can result in a punting Waterloo: the block. Second, the punt must hang for 4.5 to 5.0 seconds. If big air isn't achieved, the coverage unit won't have time to envelop the field, and a big runback could result.

PROTECTION: The punt team always is told to expect a full-bore rush. The initial goal of the linemen is to stop momentum-after that, they must recognize if the opponent is coming for the block or setting up for a return. The punt team tries to form a cup around the punter and protect the "block point," the spot where the punter's foot meets the ball.

COVERAGE: Think of it as controlled helter-skelter. The gunners leave with the snap, unlike everyone else, and have to be able to release, play with leverage and outrun their defender. Once in line with the return man, the gunners are taught to shoot for the leg opposite their angle of pursuit to prevent the returner from bringing the bait straight up the field. Everyone else releases when the ball is punted. The wings-thought of as inside gunners-are the last men down the field because they are the deepest in protection. Players are instructed to fan out and maintain proper lane width-ideally 8 yards apart-so the field is blanketed. If breakdowns occur, the punter is the last line of defense. If he is needed, it's the coaching staff's cue to pray.

Punts and kickoffs are apples and oranges

Punts and kickoffs are the only plays that consistently move the ball 40-plus yards. But the dynamics and results of punts are much more varied.

1. The punt involves a snap, and a lot of things can go wrong with it. On a kickoff, it is just a man and his lee

2. A Bunt can be blocked. A kickoff can't.

3. Punts can happen from anywhere on the field. A kickoff almost always takes place from the same yard line.

4. A punt returner might have to cover fewer than 50 yards to score. A kickoff returner typically has to cover 90 yarns or more.

5. Teams can fake a punt, then try for a first down or a touchdown. They can't do that on a kickoff. (Then again, there's no such thing as an onside punt.)

6. Punts occur more often than kickoffs in most games.--T.D.

Linemen

Lumbering 300-pounders are good on third-and-short but not here. Instead, coaches like tight ends, linebackers and fullbacks-guys with enough girth to withstand a rush but also enough athletic ability to cover.

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Center

Size doesn't matter because no one can line up on the center's nose and bull rush him. He has two goals: snap fast and snap accurately.

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Wings

Teams look for wings who combine quick feet and strength; that makes running backs good candidates. The wings flank each end of the line and protect the pressure points, staying tight to the line to prevent a defender from swooping inside but guarding against an outside loop to the punter.

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Punter

Go ahead, mock punters for not being real football players. But to manage bad snaps, they must have good hands and be quick enough to slide their feet and still get off kicks.

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Gunners

Teams usually use cornerbacks or receivers. Corners are better tacklers, which is key because gunners typically are in position to make stops. But corners aren't as adept at breaking coverage as receivers.

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Up-man

Coaches want an up-man with size and athletic ability, which means linebackers often fill this role. The up-man also has to have a good football; IQ and make quick decisions because his ability to analyze a return team's alignment is key.