The New Orleans Saints’ special teams have secured an impressive second-place ranking in Rick Gosselin’s annual assessment for the 2023 NFL season, marking their fifth top-five finish in the last six seasons under coach Darren Rizzi. Gosselin highlighted the team’s excellence across various categories, with the Saints finishing in the top 10 in 13 different areas. Notably, they led or shared the lead in five categories and secured the second spot in two others.
Standout achievements include the Saints allowing an exceptional 5.6 yards in punt coverage, leading the league in this regard, and successfully blocking two punts. One of the key factors behind the team’s success was the decision to rely on rookie talent in the kicking positions. Kicker Blake Grupe set a rookie record with 30 field goals, amassing a team-leading 130 points for the season. Punter Lou Hedley played a crucial role in limiting opponents to a league-low 5.6 yards per punt return and ranked fifth in the NFL with 31 punts downed inside the opposing 20-yard line.
The special teams unit received an additional boost from wide receiver and return specialist Rashid Shaheed, who earned recognition as the Associated Press First Team All-Pro punt returner. Shaheed also secured a spot on the NFC Pro Bowl team in his second NFL season.
This remarkable turnaround follows the Saints’ disappointing 20th-place finish in Gosselin’s rankings for the 2022 season, a departure from their usual top-five standings. In the 2023 rankings, the Saints accumulated 252 points, trailing only the Houston Texans with 236 points. Gosselin’s rankings are based on 22 special-teams-related statistics, assigning numeric values for each team’s ranking in these categories, with the team with the lowest total emerging as the leader.
Rick Gosselin, boasting 50 years of NFL coverage and a role as a representative on the Pro Football Hall of Fame selection committee, provides a comprehensive and respected evaluation of special teams performance in the league.
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