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On the morning of last Dec. 12, the day after the Cardinals’ not-so-special teams again played a large role in a loss, this one to the Dolphins, coach Bruce Arians came close to summing up the troubles:

“It’s been a snap and hold and a kick or punt all year.”

After the season, Arians added injuries to that mix, pointing to the number of special-teams players on injured reserve, and he refused to blame coordinator Amos Jones for the woes.

“When you take away your five best cover guys and your kicker doesn’t have his best year and your punter doesn’t have the year he is capable of having, it ain’t got a damn thing to do with coaching,” Arians said.

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The latter part of that sentence can, and has, been debated. But Jones is back for another season, and so are five core special-teamers who finished the season on injured reserve.

Four of the five – linebackers Alani Fua and Gabe Martin, receiver Jaron Brown and tight end Ifeanyi Momah – were out by midseason. Another, safety Tyvon Branch, was placed on injured reserve in mid-December.

Justin Bethel, a Pro Bowl special-teams selection from 2013-15, suffered through foot injuries for parts of the past two years and wasn’t as effective.

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All five players on injured reserve return this season and are participating in at least portions of offseason practices. Bethel also is healthy.

“I expect all those guys who were hurt last year who are still here to be very effective,” Arians said.

The Cardinals didn’t stand pat on special teams, however. The punters on the roster, Matt Wile and Richie Leone, weren’t with the team at the start of last season. Neither was long snapper Aaron Brewer. And the biggest change on the units came this offseason when Phil Dawson was signed to replace Chandler Catanzaro at kicker.

Statistics didn’t suggest, they screamed, for the changes. The Cardinals were last in punting last season. Catanzaro’s field-goal success rate of .750 was next-to-last among regular kickers.

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Overall, the Cardinals’ special teams were 31st in annual rankings compiled by Dallas columnist Rick Gosselin, and 29th in 2015.

That is a big drop from the previous two years under Arians and Jones: 12th in 2013 and 11th in 2014.

The Cardinals also drafted with special teams in mind this season. Safety Budda Baker (second round), receiver Chad Williams (third) and cornerback Rudy Ford (fifth) could contribute on coverage teams. Running back T.J. Logan (fifth) is the leading contender to return kicks.

The biggest improvements in the coverage and return units could come from the players who spent time on injured reserve last season.

“It was the first season-ending injury I’ve had,” Fua said, “so it was kind of a bummer seeing that side of football.”

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Fua, Brown and Martin entered the NFL as undrafted free agents, and earned roster spots by excelling on special teams. The Cardinals are counting on them to reprise those roles this season.

Brown laughed when he was asked if he expected to play special teams this season.

“I don’t think that’s a choice for me,” he said. “I came in as undrafted guy so that’s expected. I don’t mind.”

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