Factoid
While the Steelers have been one of the league’s best teams, showing up in the playoffs almost every year, I notice that they’re usually near the bottom in kickoff returns.
Pittsburgh, oddly, has finished below-average in kickoff returns 11 years in a row. During the same time period, every other team in the league has ranked in the top 10 at least three times with the exceptions of the Browns and Texans. Just one top-10 appearance for the Browns (who led the league in 2007) and 49ers, and only two such appearances for the Texans (who’ve ranked 2nd twice). The 49ers ranked 5th in kickoffs once and have at least been above-average on three other occassions.
Anyway, Pittsburgh has either been unlucky on kickoffs or just doesn’t work too hard on that part of its game.
Below are the averaged numbers for kickoff returns for the last four years. The Patriots have been in the top 4 three years in a row, while the Chargers have ranked in the top 10 a league-leading five times in a row.
KICKOFF RETURN AVERAGES, 2005-2008
With rank for each of the past four years, plus the overall average for those four seasons.
'08 '07 '06 '05 4-Yr
Rk Rk Rk Rk Avg.
3 4 1 14 24.7 New England
9 3 3 5 24.5 San Diego
26 2 16 2 24.2 Houston
7 28 6 1 23.9 Buffalo
19 1 13 18 23.8 Cleveland
15 14 4 4 23.6 NY Jets
1 27 12 6 23.5 Tennessee
4 8 20 11 23.5 Washington
2 20 18 17 23.1 Seattle
10 6 15 24 23.1 Atlanta
18 16 11 7 23.1 Jacksonville
17 25 2 12 23.0 Oakland
21 19 9 8 22.9 Dallas
20 5 17 19 22.8 Minnesota
12 7 30 3 22.8 NY Giants
14 13 29 9 22.6 Cincinnati
13 11 5 31 22.4 San Francisco
25 15 21 13 22.3 Arizona
6 12 25 30 22.2 Tampa Bay
22 9 26 23 22.1 St. Louis
31 10 10 22 22.1 Baltimore
24 17 19 20 22.0 Detroit
11 24 28 15 22.0 Philadelphia
8 26 14 27 22.0 New Orleans
5 32 8 29 21.8 Chicago
23 18 23 25 21.8 Denver
28 22 7 28 21.6 Indianapolis
29 21 22 21 21.5 Pittsburgh
27 30 24 10 21.5 Kansas City
30 29 27 16 20.8 Miami
16 31 32 26 20.4 Carolina
32 23 31 32 20.0 Green Bay
—Ian Allan
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