Zolak & Bertrand: Can Jeremy Springer fix Chad Ryland?

On Wednesday's edition of Zolak & Bertrand, the crew questioned whether new special teams coordinator Jeremy Springer will be able to fix Chad Ryland.

Phil Perry: He also has a background with respected college special teams coach Jeff Banks, and I'm wondering if maybe that is the connection to (Jeremy) Springer. Now, obviously they have been looking and looking hard at the Sean McVay tree for the offensive coordinator.

Marc Bertrand: Jeff Banks was at Texas A&M.

Phil Perry: Texas A&M but also at Alabama under Nick Saban. It looks like for 3 or 4 years. And so I wonder if that maybe that helped Springer get his in with the Patriots.

Scott Zolak: It has to be. It has to be another route as opposed to just numbers because if you're looking at strictly just numbers and production, that's not a guy you would covet. It's through some sort of connection. Personal connection. Coaching trees. We know how this goes.

Phil Perry: Yeah, the recent special teams performance for the Rams would be a little bit concerning. Like when you when you look at the offensive coordinator hires and you look at the Rams assistants that are coming in or the Texans assistant who interviewed, like you can understand it because of what those teams have done of late. But when you look at the production from the special teams group in L.A., when you yourself were one of the worst special teams in football, it's fair to bring up.

Scott Zolak: With three coaches and with Joe Judge back and allocated to just strictly special teams.

Marc Bertrand: So much in here is about kickers and making kicks which, I don't know how you feel about kickers making kicks. The operation has to be good. You've got to be able to block it up. But when I look at a field goal kickers sort of rate, most of the time I think it reflects mostly on them, the individual. But former Rams kicker Matt Gay made 28 field goals with Springer, working with special teams, second most for a season in his career. His 93.3% field goal percentage was the second highest of his career, ranked fourth in the NFL among kickers with at least ten attempts. Last season, gay kicked a 55 yard field goal in week 15 against the Packers at Lambeau. This marked the third time in NFL history that a kicker converted a field goal of 50 or more yards at Lambeau, when it was colder than 25 degrees. This is all in his bio.

Phil Perry: He gets credit for that?

Scott Zolak: Like if he could mentally fix a kicker, that's a major issue here. Did Bill (Belichick) pressure the rookie so much to where Chad Ryland is just so wound tight to where now you can be loose. We're going to fix you because I mean look at special teams now, how many plays have become irrelevant? The kick return is pretty much nonexistent like balls are boomed through the endzone.

Phil Perry: Good point Zo.

Scott Zolak: Directional kicking on punts is big, right? Like, how many big plays have you had in the kicking game other than the design Brandon Schooler block that you're all giddy over because you practiced it and you saw something. You get one of those a year. Fix the damn kicker and maybe we got more points and we win some more games.

Washington quarterback Michael Penix will be one of the most polarizing players in this year's draft. He's flashed immense upside as a passer but his performance in the National Championship against Michigan was not a great final showing, and he'll have to overcome questions about his durability and age as well.

College: Washington

Age: 23

Height: 6'3

Weight: 213

Awards: Maxwell Award (2023), AP Comeback Player of the Year (2022), All-American First Team (2023), All-Pac-12 Second Team (2022, 2023), All-Big Ten Second Team (2020)

A three-star recruit out of Tampa Bay Technical High School, Penix was a three-star recruit in the Class of 2018, in which he was the 66th-ranked quarterback. He began his career at Indiana, where he brought the program rare success when he was on the field. Penix went 12-5 as a starter for the Hoosiers but never played more than six games in a season his whole time there - he tore his right ACL in 2018 and 2020, and was limited injuries in his left (throwing) shoulder in 2019 and 2021.

Penix didn't play his first full season until 2022 when he transferred to Washington. He threw for 4,641 yards that season as the Huskies went 11-2. He took another step in 2023, setting career-high numbers almost across the board as he led Washington to a Pac-12 title and the College Football Playoff. In the playoff he had an outstanding performance against Texas in the semifinal, but struggled against Michigan in the National Championship. While both performances brought strong reactions, the reality is who he is as a player is somewhere between those two games - as film from his full 2023 season indicates.

For more player breakdowns, scouting reports, and all things 2024 NFL Draft, check out the 98.5 The Sports Hub Draft Hub page. 

-- Pure arm talent is among the best in this class - the ball explodes out of his hand

-- Elite downfield thrower

-- Sees the field well pre- and post-snap

-- Tremendous understanding of where to place the ball on throws, can throw receivers open

-- Moves well in the pocket

-- Leadership and toughness traits you want in a franchise leader

-- Effectiveness drops off against pressure more than the average quarterback

-- Unconventional mechanics

-- Not a quarterback a team will design runs for

-- Injury history will be a red flag for some teams - medical testing at the NFL Combine will be big for him

-- Older prospect (turns 24 in May)

Ceiling: Philip Rivers

Middle: Geno Smith

Floor: Carson Wentz

Penix stacks up against any quarterback in this class as a pure passer. But concerns about his injury history and a lack of ceiling due to his age will push him down the board. The question is, how much?

Alex Barth is a writer and digital producer for 985TheSportsHub.com. Any opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect those of 98.5 The Sports Hub, Beasley Media Group, or any subsidiaries. Thoughts? Comments? Questions? Looking for a podcast guest? Let him know on Twitter @RealAlexBarth or via email at abarth@985TheSportsHub.com.