Kluwe doesn't get all the blame on special teams

Vikings coach Brad Childress discussed his team's poor special-teams play in more measured tones Tuesday, but he said he has "a level of concern" after that phase crashed and burned in a 30-27 victory against the New Orleans Saints on Monday night.

Childress practically had steam coming out of his ears after the Vikings gave up 354 return yards, including two punt returns for touchdowns by Reggie Bush in the second half. Bush might have had a third touchdown return had he not tripped.

Childress forcefully noted that punter Chris Kluwe was instructed to kick the ball out of bounds on two of Bush's returns. Asked specifically about Kluwe's struggles as a directional punter, Childress said: "If he can't do that, I will find somebody who can kick the ball out of bounds."

Childress wasn't nearly as blunt Tuesday, but he talked about the importance of the punter placing the ball correctly on directional punts.

"You can help your guys that are covering the kick have an idea of where the football is going to be as opposed to just kick it and see where it goes, which is a little bit scattershot," he said. "We've got a ton of stuff that we can correct, and I expect us to correct it because the punt returners are pretty good in this league."

The Vikings rank last in the NFL in punt return coverage and are 30th in kickoff coverage. The Saints repeatedly exposed them, and it nearly cost the Vikings the game.

New Orleans averaged 35.2 yards on punt returns and 33.6 on kickoff returns. Bush's two punt returns for touchdowns tied an NFL record, and the Saints returners gave them excellent field position.

Kluwe received a lot of the criticism, but the Vikings still had opportunities to make tackles.

"Regardless of where the ball was kicked, if you're on the coverage unit you just have to tackle," said Robert Ferguson, who plays on several special teams units.

"Not to point the finger at anyone. You have to take onus on yourself. As a cover unit, we're paid to go down there and make tackles.

"Bush is obviously a special return man, but that definitely raised eyebrows throughout our team. We have to get that fixed. Whether that's putting starters out there or whatever, we definitely have to go out there and address those issues."

The Vikings alternately praised Bush's skills as a returner and lamented their own miscues. Ultimately, they know that area must make dramatic improvement.

"He's a great returner, but we've shown some areas that we need to improve on," said Eric Frampton, one of the team's top special teams players. "Next game is a statement game for special teams. We have to go out and cover. That's it in a nutshell."