{"id":296651,"date":"2026-06-05T02:05:12","date_gmt":"2026-06-05T02:05:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/296651\/"},"modified":"2026-06-05T02:05:12","modified_gmt":"2026-06-05T02:05:12","slug":"special-teams-special-players-the-orlando-storms-drive-to-be-great","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/296651\/","title":{"rendered":"Special Teams, Special Players: The Orlando Storm\u2019s Drive To Be Great"},"content":{"rendered":"

In football, special teams oftentimes get overlooked. Now, kickers get plenty of the glory these days, especially those in the UFL<\/a> who have been stellar this year.<\/p>\n

However, special teams play as a whole can tend to be overlooked in the public eye. To the NFL, though, these reps may end up being some of the most important. For players in the UFL, if their goal is to make it to the next level \u2013 performing on special teams might be their only path to take that leap.<\/p>\n

\u201cSpecial teams, for a lot of us, is going to be the key to get to the next level. If you can show your worth on special teams as a core player, and also play your position\u2026you gotta make it hard for them to not want you. The more you bring to the table, playing multiple positions \u2013 hanging your hat on every single thing you can do \u2013 that\u2019ll get you back in the door. That\u2019s the goal, to get back to the NFL.\u201d \u2013 Storm WR Jerome Kapp<\/p>\n

For a fourth straight season, a team coached by Anthony Becht has looked the part when it comes to special teams play. Over the past two years, a couple of Battlehawks have gone to the NFL (K Andre Szmyt, RB Jacob Saylors). That trend will likely carry over into the 2026 season here in Orlando, as the Storm have several pieces all worthy of a look at the next level.<\/p>\n

The key? Quality coaching. Special teams units need to have a purpose, and that\u2019s what Becht\u2019s staffs have accomplished. This year, Martin Bayless was named Special Teams Coordinator, replacing Kyle Caskey who took a job with the Minnesota Vikings. Both Caskey and Bayless have spent time with Scott O\u2019Brien \u2013 a legendary special teams coach in the NFL who is a three time Super Bowl Champion.<\/p>\n

\u201cI got the call from Coach Becht right after Christmas. He gave me the Christmas present of being named his special teams coordinator. I was so excited. Losing Caskey isn\u2019t an easy pill to swallow, but I\u2019m grateful for this opportunity.\u201d \u2013 Martin Bayless<\/p>\n

Martin Bayless\u2019 coaching resume dates back further than most of his players have been alive. He played in the NFL for over a decade, as a cornerback and safety. Since becoming a coach in 2000, he has transitioned into working primarily on the defensive side of the football, alongside special teams.<\/p>\n

Martin found himself in the spring football scene the last few years, and he hasn\u2019t left. In 2022 and 2023, he was on Bart Andrus\u2019 staff with the Philadelphia Stars, and then proceeded to land with Anthony Becht\u2019s Battlehawks during the USFL-XFL merger process.<\/p>\n

\u201cI take my job very seriously. At the end of the day, everyone\u2019s just trying to get results. We want to flip the field. The main thing we look at is production. It\u2019s a big chunk of yardage that we\u2019re always exchanging, and you need talented players who understand that. You need specialists who are good, and people who are focused.\u201d \u2013 Martin Bayless<\/p>\n

During Martin\u2019s first year as the lead STC for Becht, the operations have looked smooth. The explosives have been there all season long. Chris Rowland is a leading kick returner in the league, and their coverage on kickoffs and punts have been stellar since snap number one, literally. Orlando\u2019s first play in franchise history was a fumble they forced against the Columbus Aviators on a kickoff.<\/p>\n

Back in week five, the Storm blocked a punt against St. Louis, which sparked the comeback they needed to give themselves a chance late in the game.<\/p>\n

The unit ended the year on a high note, with a blocked punt against DC that led to a double digit lead in the fourth quarter. Later in the period, Darien Butler forced a fumble on a kickoff, allowing the Storm to keep control late.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s a lot of different schemes you can do. Whether it\u2019s twisting guys on kickoff, switching off of guys on kickoff returns, etc. \u2013 it\u2019s a lot more than just lines on a paper. It\u2019s all about \u201cwant to\u201d. The team that wants it more, they\u2019re going to benefit on the backend from that. There\u2019s a reason why we are in the playoffs for a third straight year under Becht \u2013 it just means more to us.\u201d \u2013 WR Jerome Kapp<\/p>\n

Standouts In Orlando<\/p>\n

Jerome Kapp has carved out a role for himself on special teams. He spent the last two years with the St. Louis Battlehawks, and was brought over to Orlando with Becht during the merger. He currently leads the UFL in special teams tackles with 13, showing up in a myriad of ways.<\/p>\n

Just last week, Kapp downed a punt at the one yard line in the fourth quarter against DC, and then proceeded to block DC\u2019s punt a few plays later to score two points for Orlando. He\u2019s been nothing but a pillar for Martin Bayless\u2019 group in Orlando, which is no surprise.<\/p>\n

\u201cSpecial teams has come naturally to me over the years. The first year I came in here, it was my first time playing professional football in the regular season. Just carved out that special teams role, and it\u2019s something I\u2019ve been building on. I take a lot of pride in it. I\u2019ve played for some amazing coaches, like Caskey and Bayless. They\u2019ve given me confidence to carve out this niche role, as a special teams leader on the team. I want to make an impact each and every game, something I can hang my hat on.\u201d<\/p>\n

On the other hand, Chris Rowland earned All-UFL honors as a kick returner. For years, Rowland has served the Philadelphia Stars, DC Defenders, and now the Orlando Storm with elite play. When they need a spark, #12 is who they call upon more often than not. Rowland had 377 kick return yards this year, on 13 touches.<\/p>\n

\u201cChris is one of my favorite guys. I had him with the Stars, he played extremely well for us there. I hated playing against him the last couple of years. We were fortunate enough to get him back this year, which is a blessing. He\u2019s a great leader, he\u2019s a guy who is going to do things the right way. Turn the film on, watch his tape. It\u2019s self-explanatory. He\u2019s not a dime-a-dozen kind of guy. I\u2019m thankful we have him.\u201d \u2013 Martin Bayless<\/p>\n

Punter Jack Browning has been a pleasant surprise in the UFL this year. He\u2019s quietly been one of the league\u2019s top punters, averaging 48.6 yards per punt. 12 of his punts (43%) have ended up inside opponent\u2019s 20 yard lines.<\/p>\n

Final Thoughts<\/p>\n

Orlando is a team that is stacked from top to bottom. Offensively and defensively, they\u2019ve got all kinds of weapons who are capable of making big plays.<\/p>\n

However, the special teams pieces cannot go unnoticed. As Martin Bayless told us, there\u2019s \u201ca reason we\u2019re 8-2, it isn\u2019t by accident\u201d. Every single group on this team is dialed in, focused on doing their \u201c1\/11\u201d, as he preaches day in and day out.<\/p>\n

After an 8-2 record in the regular season, it\u2019s now time for the Orlando Storm to prove it in the playoffs. They\u2019ll host the DC Defenders for a third straight week, at 3pm ET on ABC. The game will be played at Daytona Stadium, tickets can be secured here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

What are your thoughts on the Orlando Storm and their special teams unit? Let us know down in the comments below, or join the conversation on Discord!<\/a><\/p>\n

\"XFL,\"XFL,<\/a>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"In football, special teams oftentimes get overlooked. Now, kickers get plenty of the glory these days, especially those…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":296652,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[11],"tags":[124965,50490,75519,124966,123090,77639,139,141,140,30210,50491,50496,124964],"class_list":["post-296651","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-orlando","tag-all-ufl","tag-anthony-becht","tag-chris-rowland","tag-jack-browning","tag-jerome-kapp","tag-martin-bayless","tag-orlando","tag-orlando-headlines","tag-orlando-news","tag-orlando-storm","tag-ufl","tag-ufl-2026","tag-ufl-special-teams"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/296651","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=296651"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/296651\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/296652"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=296651"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=296651"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=296651"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}