The Dawgs and Special Teams.

The Boss Bailey get-airborne-and-look-like-Superman-taking-flight-in-still-photos method of blocking field goals essentially was outlawed when they came up with the silly rule about not being able to leap up and land on a teammate. (Recall how much that rule mattered in the 2004 Auburn-L.S.U. game.) Protecting kickers and quarterbacks is one thing, but protecting teammates who assuredly wouldn’t mind being landed on makes no sense.

That’s far from a complete explanation, but that’s a small part of it.

You’re right, though. The momentum shifts that come from all aspects of special teams play, from 50-yard field goals to blocked kicks and punts to runbacks to downing the ball inside the five, are enormous. (Bear in mind that, without a block against South Carolina in 2006, the Gators wouldn’t have won a national championship that year.)

Urban Meyer emphasizes special teams. Frank Beamer emphasizes special teams. During some of the best years of Georgia football, the Bulldogs emphasized special teams. Until Florida State began to emphasize special teams, missed field goals repeatedly cost the Seminoles shots at the national championship. Had Scott Sisson gone to school in Tallahassee instead of Atlanta, F.S.U. would have one or two more national titles and Georgia Tech would have been a marginal bowl team in the early 1990s.

The importance of special teams speaks for itself. It’s a former strength that has become a weakness and must be stressed this offseason.