52-yard punt return

Monday, November 10, 2003

By Gerry Dulac, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

There is no special formula for what Antwaan Randle El does best. Sometimes, he follows the design of the play and looks for a wall on punt returns.

	Antwaan Randle El scores the third Steelers touchdown of the third quarter with a 52-yard punt return. (Peter Diana, Post-Gazette) Click photo for larger image.

Other times, as was the case against the Arizona Cardinals, he sets up the return by running one way, stopping, and cutting back to the vacated area.

But, if the Steelers get to the point in the final seven games where they desperately need a big punt return, they should consider following the strange yet successful pattern that has seemingly emerged the past three games.

Get someone hurt.

Just so long as it isn't Randle El.

"We're trying to get him caught up with that dude in Kansas City," said special teams captain Clark Haggans.

The reference was to Dante Hall, the Chiefs' kick and punt return specialist who set an NFL record earlier this season by returning a kick for touchdown in four consecutive games. Yesterday, Randle El returned another punt for touchdown, this one from 52 yards in the third quarter, to put the finishing touches on the Steelers' 28-15 victory against the Arizona Cardinals, a game that ended a five-game losing streak. Not only was it the second punt return for touchdown in three games for the quarterback-turned-wide receiver, but it ties him with Hall for the most punt-return touchdowns in the NFL.

It also ties him with Louis Lipps (1985) and Ray Matthews (1952) for the most in a single season in team history.

"We got an exciting guy back there," said safety Mike Logan, who threw one of the final blocks for Randle El. "You never know which way he's going to go. He might not go to the return, but he gets it done."

Randle El's return was not the play that turned around what was looking like another moribund performance by the Steelers. That came after two touchdown passes from Tommy Maddox to Hines Ward in the third quarter that broke open what was a 7-3 halftime advantage.

Nonetheless, the moment energized the players, energized the crowd, and even energized the coach, Bill Cowher, who came down the sideline to meet Randle El with a bear hug.

It also was the highlight for the special teams on a day when the kick-coverage unit held Arizona rookie Josh Scobey, who leads the NFL in kick return yards, to 75 yards on five returns.

"It got the team going," Randle El said. "We just kind of took off."

"Antwaan is a great returner," Cowher said. "Right now, you go back to the Rams game, when you get a return like that, it keeps everybody up. He is a special returner and he has a good group surrounding him right now."

To be sure, Randle El got some help along the way. He picked up an early block from linebacker Larry Foote on tight end Larry Bush, got another from Clint Kriewaldt, and later from demoted cornerback Dewayne Washington, who got just enough of cornerback Coby Rhinehart to keep him from touching Randle El.

But the final block came from Logan, whose initial responsibility was to rush the punter. Logan peeled back, saw Randle El coming toward him and blocked the closest player to him, which happened to be punter Scott Player.

"I said, look, if I don't block this punter, they'll really be on my back," Logan said. "I was able to get a block for him."

It did not help Arizona that Player, who leads the NFC in punting, had poor hang time -- 3.4 seconds -- on the 42-yard punt.

"We knew that guy was dangerous," said Arizona coach Dave McGinnis. "We just didn't have enough hang [time]."

But, Randle El helped make the play on his own, too, catching the ball near the left sideline, running to his right, and then cutting back up the middle of the field - the area the return was designed to go.

"I set it up better this time," Randle El said. "[Player] tried to pin it on the sideline and there were a lot of guys in front of me and that, basically, helped to set it up on its own. I had guys coming from the back side coming to help out. Anytime you get the ball in the corner and you're able to get back to the wall ... that was it. I basically split everybody."

As he did, Randle El flashed back to the St. Louis game, when he returned a punt 84 yards for a touchdown, longest in Steelers history. During the game, Randle El was caught from behind on a 32-yard run from center by Rams defensive end Leonard Little.

"I've been kind of getting ragged since the St. Louis game since Leonard Little tackled me," Randle El said. "So I have to make sure I'm not looking around and just run. Sometimes, that's what gets you."

In the end, though, what seems to be working for the Steelers is more than just the dazzling running style of Randle El. Perhaps there is a little magic at work, too.

Consider:

Against the Rams, when Randle El returned the first-quarter punt for touchdown, he got a thunderous block from safety Chris Hope, who came in for that one return only because Logan was injured a couple plays earlier.

Yesterday, Logan came in for Randle El's scoring return only because Lee Mays sustained a mild concussion on an earlier kickoff in the third quarter. And it was Logan who delivered the final block.

"Maybe we have to keep that up," Logan said. "The starting end will have to go down for a play and El will be able to return one."

Just like it was designed in the meeting room.

Gerry Dulac can be reached at gdulac@post-gazette.com or 412-263-1466.

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