The Dallas Cowboys special teams have been abysmal lately, finishing 23rd in 2018 and 30th in 2019 in special teams DVOA.
Yet, it wasn't always this way. In fact, under Rich Bisaccia's watchful eye, who is now the Raiders' special teams coordinator, the Cowboys were consistently one of the better special teams units in the league. In Bisaccia's five years with the Cowboys (2013-17), they finished inside the top-15 each year with top-10 finishes in 2013 (8th), 2016 (9th) and 2017 (7th).
Unfortunately, after having success with a high-profile, experienced and well-respected special teams coordinator, the Cowboys opted to replace Bisaccia with the opposite, a new special teams coordinator _ Keith O'Quinn _ who didn't start coaching the third phase until 2014. So after three years as a special teams assistant, the Cowboys felt like O'Quinn was ready to run the show.
They were wrong.
The Cowboys' special teams took a nosedive almost immediately when O'Quinn took over, as the team went from an impressive seventh-place finish in DVOA in 2017 to a disappointing 23rd place finish in 2018, which was followed by an even worse 30th place the following year.
Obviously, changes needed to be made.
Luckily, new head coach Mike McCarthy was smart enough to not fall in the same trap, as he hired one of the most well-respected special teams coordinators in the entire league _ John Fassel _ while O'Quinn was removed from the coaching staff altogether, as he transitioned back into a scouting role.
The former Rams special teams coordinator has fared well throughout his career, finishing in the top 10 in special teams DVOA in six out of his 12 years as a coordinator, four of which were top-5 finishes. The last time the Cowboys finished top 5 in special teams DVOA was 1998 under famed special teams coordinator Joe Avezzano.
If only because there is nowhere to go but up, Dallas' special teams should be much improved under Fassel's tutelage moving forward.
To get an idea of how Fassel will be a catalyst for that improvement, let's dive into a few of the changes we can expect to see on the Cowboys' special teams under Fassel:
