Central Michigan University Athletics
Special Treatment
4/14/2015 12:00:00 AM | Football
Andy Sneddon, CMUChippewas.com
MOUNT PLEASANT, Mich. -- Sometimes, special teams gets lost in the shuffle or is treated like the red-headed stepchild on a football team.
Not so with Central Michigan under first-year coach John Bonamego.
Considering that Bonamego, a former Chippewa player, spent almost his entire 16 years as an NFL assistant working directly with special teams, the fact that that aspect of the game would be a priority for a Bonamego-coached squad ought not even questioned.
"The number one thing that determines whether or not (special teams) is a priority is how much the head coach is in involved," said Mike Dietzel, who is in his first year as CMU's special teams coordinator.
Bonamego is certainly hands-on when it comes to special teams, Dietzel said, which lends credibility to his assertion that the more the head man is involved, the more top-to-bottom emphasis there is on that aspect of the game.
"That's how the kids know it's important because it has one-third of the emphasis in your meeting time, your practice time, and your preparation," said Dietzel, who also coaches the safeties. "When the head coach is up there and he is explaining it then the players know that it is important and we better make sure we are on our P's and Q's."
The Chippewa special teams unit returns its three most important elements in placekicker Brian Eavey, punter Ron Coluzzi and long-snapper Mike Zenk.
Eavey, a junior, made eight of his nine field goal attempts last season with a long of 43 yards, and was good on 40-of-42 extra point tries.
Coluzzi averaged 37.6 yards per punt with 18 inside the opponent's 20-yard line. He kicked off 60 times for a 60.4-yard average with 20 touchbacks.
All three of those players fit the mold of the Chippewa player that Dietzel, who was named to Bonamego's staff in February, has come to know since his arrival in Mount Pleasant.
"I have been very impressed with the talent level here and the skill set level here," Dietzel said. "And more than anything, I think we have great kids and they have a really great work ethic.
"When I watched them in (conditioning), what I was really impressed with is how hard they worked and the team camaraderie and how they support each other.
"There is a lot of great leadership. When you heard comments toward one another it was in a positive direction and supportive, and you could tell that they like each other. To me there is just a good bond here -- good players and good kids."
There is a deep familiarity between Dietzel and Bonamego. They coached together for six years -- a relative lifetime in the coaching business -- at Army and both were part of the Black Knights' staff in 1996 when Army posted a program-best 10-2 record.
"I think it is a great opportunity here," said Dietzel, who was an assistant at Mid-American Conference rival Buffalo for the past five seasons, and also counts a stop at Kent State and a graduate assistant post at Michigan among his many coaching stops. "I am very much aware of the tradition of Central Michigan, the championships, the coaching, and all the people who have been here and been successful."
