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          NFL Nation

          Watch for shake-up on Jets' mistake-prone special teams

          • Rich Cimini, ESPN Staff WriterDec 12, 2015, 08:00 AM ET
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              Rich Cimini is a staff writer who covers the New York Jets and the NFL at ESPN. Rich has covered the Jets for over 30 years, joining ESPN in 2010. Rich also hosts the Flight Deck podcast. He previously was a beat writer for the New York Daily News and is a graduate of Syracuse University. You can follow him via Twitter @RichCimini.
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          Reaching into the Week 14 mailbag for a question on the New York Jets:

          @RichCimini: As a matter of fact, yes. Coordinator Bobby April said there could be personnel changes, saying, "We're prepared to play some different guys." Presumably, he meant on the punt-coverage team, which surrendered its second touchdown last week. In other words, you may see some starters/prominent players out there, maybe Calvin Pryor, Demario Davis, Buster Skrine, to name a few. It has to get better. In several games, the special teams have made costly mistakes. When you're in the playoff hunt, one mistake can mean the difference between making an early tee time or preparing for a Wild Card game.

          For the record, the players on the field during Dwayne Harris' 80-yard return were Devin Smith and Dexter McDougle (the gunners), Bilal Powell, Erin Henderson, Trevor Reilly, Kellen Davis, Jeff Cumberland, Jamari Lattimore, Tommy Bohanon, Tanner Purdum (snapper) and Ryan Quigley (punter).

          The punt "wasn't perfect, but it was coverable," April said. Smith could've made the tackle as soon as Harris caught it, but it was a tough play, April said. Using Odell Beckham Jr. as a decoy was a "good play" by the New York Giants, but "that's not why (the touchdown) happened," April said.

          So why did it happen?

          "It was a lapse with us not being prepared, and that's on me," said April, taking the bullet.

          The Jets also got flagged for three penalties on special teams -- a false start, offsides and running into the kicker. As a result, they spent more time in practice using hard counts. Believe it or not, penalties haven't been a huge issue this season. They have only 12 on special teams, tied for ninth in the league.

          Bottom line: The kicking units haven't been good enough. The Jets are ranked 30th in special-teams EPA (expected points added), with a -18.21 rating, per ESPN Stats & Information.