Just the other day, the Tennessee Titans and New England Patriots made important coaching decisions regarding their special teams units.

The Titans hired long-time NFL special teams coordinator John “Bones” Fassel, the son of the late Jim Fassel, an NFL Coach of the Year winner (1997) and former head coach of the New York Giants. Fassel replaces Colt Anderson, whose unit struggled greatly in 2024.

Anderson’s unit ranked near the bottom half of the league, and for the first two-thirds of the season, his unit made too many critical errors. There was significant improvement, but with now second-year head coach Brian Callahan hoping to turn around a team that went 3-14 in his first year as leader, it was ultimately the right move to part ways. Callahan admits, while indirectly, that he made an error with the hiring of a first-year full-time coordinator in Anderson and decided to hire arguably one of the best special teams coordinators in the entire NFL over the last decade-plus.

Tennessee is not the only franchise making moves this offseason. When Patriots owner Robert Kraft hired former player Mike Vrabel as their 16th head coach in franchise history, the first step for Vrabel was to assemble a strong staff. One of the first moves under Vrabel’s new leadership was retaining special teams coordinator Jeremy Springer, who impressed in his first year.

Springer’s unit not only brings stability to the franchise but it also brings back a unit which ranked number two in the NFL. This is an improvement from several years ago when the Patriots were in similar territory as the Titans with their special teams unit. Vrabel keeps a rising young coach who knows the players and is well-liked within the organization. Overall, these two moves make each franchise better on paper.

Fassel and Springer are two assistant coaches whose impact on the team should not go unnoticed. Even though it is special teams and not offense or defense, this unit is equally as important as the other two phases of the game. Many individuals, such as a fan base, do not realize this until they are watching their favorite team and something negative happens at an inopportune time.

Anderson did not work out, and Callahan made an adjustment; Springer showed promise, excitement, and results, and he was retained. Both of these situations will help build and improve their organizations, which will directly lead to more wins in 2025.