Special teams get special attention in the offseason

MANKATO - As would be expected for a team coming off a 6-10 finish, the Vikings' offseason to-do list included plenty of projects. Some, such as attempting to make a starting quarterback out of Tarvaris Jackson, were of a high-profile nature. Others stayed well below the radar.

One item that fell into the latter category was a retooling of the coverage units on kickoffs and punts. Neither lived up to expectations in 2006, and special teams coordinator Paul Ferraro remains succinct in addressing the matter. "The bottom line is we need to get better in both of those areas," he said Wednesday.

The Vikings surrendered an average of 23.2 yards per kick return last season, ranking 24th out of the 32 NFL teams. The league average was 22.5 yards.

On punts, the Vikings tied for 22nd by giving up an average of 9.7 yards per return. That was a yard more than the league average. Both units allowed one touchdown.

The ugliest stats: The punt coverage tied for last in the NFL with three other teams by allowing seven returns of 20-plus yards. The kickoff unit, meanwhile, left the field with opponents starting at the 30.7-yard line. Only Oakland (32.6-yard line) gave foes better starting position.

Vikings linebacker Heath Farwell, who plays on all the special teams, said the problems were "a mixture of everything."It was lane discipline, missed tackles," he said. "But I'm concerned about this year. I've kind of taken what we've got and moved on and am more focused on what we're going to do this year."

One thing the Vikings plan to do with their coverage units is utilize more starters -- safeties Darren Sharper and Dwight Smith are both slated to play on kickoffs -- in large part to increase the amount of speed that is on the field. And it's not just guys from the secondary. Defensive end Ray Edwards is expected to be in the mix, too.

"Coach [Brad] Childress has been outstanding in terms of making that a priority," Ferraro said of having starters on special teams. "Everybody has got to be able to give us one phase. There are exceptions to that. ... But I think there will be improvement on our punt and kickoff coverage because you're going to see some other starters in there that maybe weren't there a year ago."

Personnel moves also were made with an eye toward improving this area. The big one was signing Carolina Panthers free agent Vinny Ciurciu to a three-year, $3 million contract. Ciurciu can play linebacker, but much like Farwell, has made a living by being a reliable presence on special teams. Ferraro, a former Carolina assistant who coached Ciurciu for one season, also is expecting significant contributions from younger players.

"We did a good job through the draft, through free agency to improve our speed," Ferraro said. "I think that's where you are going to see the improvement initially. And then being able to work off of each other. There were times last year in our lane discipline where we didn't play off of each other the way you need to. So the first thing is getting down the field. But once you're down the field, or as you work your way down the field, know how to play off of each other."

Ferraro will get his first real opportunity to assess whether the Vikings are making progress during Friday's preseason opener against the St. Louis Rams. Although special teams work is a daily part of training camp, the coverage units must wait until the exhibition games to go full speed. Kicker Ryan Longwell also will get a chance to show that some offseason adjustments -- not to mention work to improve his leg strength -- help him get more distance on kickoffs. Longwell's 59.1-yard average last season ranked last in the league.

"I'm really excited about it," Ferraro said of the game. "We've had a lot of time to practice drills. Guys have done a great job in meetings asking questions. You've seen great effort on the field. But for special teams, until you put the pads on and it's full speed, you just don't know where it's going to go. I know we're going to come out of Friday feeling good about what we see and then we need to improve on it. But I'm excited to get into a live situation and see where we are at right now."

Judd Zulgad • jzulgad@startribune.com