Daily Archives: June 27, 2021

Photo credit: Luis Miguel Bugallo Snchez, CC BY-SA 3.0 , via Wikimedia Commons.

Because crustaceans have shells, we may tend to think of them as like machines. Yet crustaceans, along withoctopuses, show some surprising abilities and complexities.Take crabs,for example:

A new Swansea University study has revealed how common shore crabs can navigate their way around a complex maze and can even remember the route in order to find food

Spatial learning is quite complicated, so figuring out how it works in crustaceans gives us a better understanding of how widespread this ability, and learning in general, is in the animal kingdom.

The researchers tested 12 crabs over four weeks, placing food at the end of the maze each time. The route to the end of the maze required five changes in direction, and included three dead ends.

Over the four-week period, the team saw the crabs show a steady improvement in both the time taken to find the food at the end of the maze and, crucially, in the number of wrong turns taken.

Even more surprisingly, when returned to the maze two weeks later but without any food on offer at the end, they all reached the end of the maze in under eight minutes a clear sign that they had remembered the route.

New crabs which had had not been in the maze before took far longer to reach the end, and some did not make it to the end of the maze at all during the one-hour study period.

Another thing about crabs is that they suffer from stress. Noise from ships rattlesshore crabs:

when crabs were subjected to a simulated shore bird attack, those that heard ship noise didnt run and hide as they would normally. About half of the crabs exposed to ship noise did not respond to the attack at all, and the ones that did were slow to hide themselves, says Carter. Similar to how people have trouble concentrating when stressed, the nature of their response indicates that they couldnt process what was happening, as if that awareness and decision-making ability just wasnt there.

So some calculation is going on inside that shell, if only in the interests of finding the menu or not becoming the menu. But calculation goes on inside a computer too and we dont think of the computer as a being, in any sense.

What about shrimp? Their brains turn out to havememory and learning centers,which has triggered an evolution squabble.

Read the rest at Mind Matters News, published by Discovery Institutes Walter Bradley Center for Natural and Artificial Intelligence.

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Can Crabs Think? Can Lobsters Feel? - Discovery Institute

Kasper's Foxes story began in the summer of 2011 as former England manager Sven-Gran Eriksson constructed a squad he believed was capable of securing the Club's long-awaited return to the Premier League. Leicester's recent history had been arduous.

They were still recovering from a first campaign outside the top two tiers in England but, with the backing of King Power International, finally the Blue Army could look upwards. Although a sound piece of business at the time, few would have anticipated quite how successful Schmeichel's signing would be.

Today, as City's No.1 toasts 10 years on Filbert Way, Schmeichel stands among the Club's greatest-ever players a roll call which includes shot-stoppers such as the late Gordon Banks, Peter Shilton and Mark Wallington. Domestically, Kasper has achieved more than all of them at Leicester City Football Club.

Only five players across the Club's entire 137-year history have made more appearances than Schmeichel. Nobody has starred so frequently on the international scene while being a Leicester player. Not one won more Player of the Season honours either.

Ten years to the day since his transfer from Leeds United was confirmed, Kasper himself reflects on his historic decade as a Fox...

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Kasper was an integral member of Sven-Gran Eriksson's Leicester side - just as he's been for every Foxes manager since.

"I felt at home when I came here, Ive said that many times," Kasper recalls, looking back to the decision he made to swap Elland Road for King Power Stadium in 2011. "I was lucky to find somewhere where I stayed for a long time. There were big ambitions.

"The Chairman (Khun Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha) always spoke to me about the vision he had and where he wanted us to be. I can honestly say that everything he said, he delivered on."

Eriksson has been in charge for half a year, but the summer of 2011 was a big one for the Club. Leicester showcased their ambitions with a summer window which included the signings of David Nugent, Jermaine Beckford, Paul Konchesky, Glson Fernandes and Schmeichel himself.

Things didn't quite work out, though, and by November, Nigel Pearson was back at the helm after a brief spell away. The man who lifted the League 1 title on Filbert Way would eventually guide the Club back to the Premier League a decade after their last campaign in the top division.

Many of the staff at King Power Stadium or at the training ground today were at the Club back then. A spine of 'good people' as Schmeichel calls them experts in their respective fields runs through the Club's football operation. For Kasper, that consistency is part of Leicester City's incredible story.

"Theres so many good people at the Club," the Danish Footballer of the Year adds. "That was something that the Chairman thought was really important. He knew it was important to have good people. When you look at the players, think about how many of them have stayed here for a long, long time.

"The staff here now, so many of them were here when I joined. Theyre still here. The Club is a unified club, its woven into the fabric that everyone looks after each other and respects each other. Theres so many great moments that weve shared together.

"I joined in the Championship and it was a side that had just been taken over and I think the world had seen so many takeovers by rich owners. They might not have known what wed be getting here.

"Obviously, the Chairman did everything for us and has brought us to this day where we sit here, 10 years later, and weve won the Premier League, won the FA Cup and we have great opportunities in every single competition we enter. Were sitting in this amazing training ground which was built as well.

"The Club just keeps progressing and thats part of the appeal of Leicester City. Why I love being here is because we're a club which is in constant evolution. Were always trying to get better.

"The perception from the outside world, I think, is that were a club going in the right direction and one that has been for a long time. Its important that its not just a rich owner coming in for a couple of years its sustained. Theres been investment but money is being invested into the future of the Club."

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Schmeichel played all 46 matches of the Club's Sky Bet Championship-winning campaign in 2013/14.

The pinnacle of Schmeichel's time at Leicester City and indeed the Club's existence came in the summer of 2016 when, just two years after winning promotion, the Foxes were confirmed as Premier League champions for the first time. It was arguably the greatest achievement in football history.

A side who had narrowly avoided relegation 12 months earlier had transformed itself into the most in-form outfit in Europe, losing just three league games all season, eclipsing some of the largest clubs in world football. Schmeichel played every single minute of every league match for Claudio Ranieri in 2015/16.

"Obviously, winning the Premier League would be my favourite moment," the 34-year-old continues. "Thats on the pitch, its one you get to share with the fans. The favourite moments are being in the dressing room after the games, being with the lads, with the staff, everybody we have at the Club.

"We like to celebrate things together, we had dinners and times away from football with each other. Theyre the kind of things Ill look back on one day when I do finish my career. Im sure Ill look back and really miss those days. Its been an amazing time. Theres so many unbelievable memories.

"So many ups and downs. Its just the best time of my career and Im still loving it."

Kasper has been a virtual ever-present throughout his entire time with the Foxes. His current run of consecutive Premier League starts spans back to 19 April, 2018 and covers three whole campaigns. He's played behind a variety of defensive collectives, both domestically and in Europe.

Whenever Leicester have been successful, the triumphs have been defined by rock-solid defences. Wes Morgan, Marcin Wasilewski, Robert Huth and Jonny Evans have been warriors for City over recent seasons and that solidity at the back is essential for a goalkeeper to thrive, Schmeichel believes.

"I think, for any team, stability is really important, particularly in the defensive positions," he explains. "Were lucky because weve had that a lot over the years. Obviously, Wes has been here for so many years and provided such great service, such stability.

"Huthy was the same. Now, with Jonny, being able to be stable and have that running through for long periods is really important because that gives you a platform to build on for creative players to go on and express themselves and go and win the games.

"If youre on the outside looking in on Leicester, we have probably the best training ground in the country now. We have one of the best managers in the world. We have an exciting squad too. We have everything going for us to be successful. Its a great place to be. Its somewhere I really enjoy being.

"Brendan [Rodgers]coming in, I think, has lifted it to a level itd never been before. He brought a level of playing and professionalism which demands everything. Its all brought us to a place where we can compete. I think thats always going to be really, really difficult in this league, with the money and resources at the disposal of other teams, but for us to be consistently competing is really, really important."

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Hoisting the FA Cup trophy to the skies alongside Club captain Wes Morgan.

Kasper's Leicester City journey has not been a straight line. In the early days, promotion bids faltered, most famously at Watford in 2013. Relegation was averted in dramatic fashion two years later. The summer of 2016 was an unforgettable period of happiness and glory.

European runs followed. Dips down the division too. But now, as the Club prepares for an eighth consecutive campaign in the Premier League, the Foxes are in fine health as newly-crowned FA Cup winners and regular competitors at the top of the league table.

There's more to come, too, says Schmeichel, whose own game has evolved with the times. Not only he is such an authoritative shot-stopper, but he's also a vital component of City's possession-based game plan. It's a philosophy inspired by Rodgers and embraced by Leicester's squad, including Kasper himself.

"No matter what, every time you have a new manager, or youre in a different league, you have to adapt," he adds. "Playing in the Championship, we played in a specific way, and then under different managers, you play in all sorts of different ways.

"In terms of the way we play now, its a style Ive always played for my national team and its a style I like playing. When youre put into a team like Leicester with a manager like Brendan with this kind of structure, it makes it so much more enjoyable.

"Theres so many options for you. As a keeper, you have to be creative with your style of play. My style of play has to evolve and it is evolving. When we had fans in the stadium, I think you could hear the nervousness and the trepidation when we started playing out from the back.

"It wasnt something that Leicester fans were used to seeing, so you could feel that nervousness. But its something which is a process.

"Its an education for the players, its an education for the Club and for the fans, but were seeing that its a way of playing which also works. It gives us great rewards, which the results show. For me, having that style of play is fantastic.

"I have to be creative with my feet now, which means you cant be perfect all the time. Youre being asked to be creative. As a goalkeeper now, it's highlighted a lot more, but its something I really enjoy doing and its something weve really seen the rewards you can reap from it."

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Sharing a vintage moment with the Blue Army at Wembley.

There's little Schmeichel hasn't achieved at the Football Club. A Premier League and Championship champion, domestic cup success did, however, evade City's No.1 at King Power Stadium until 15 May, 2021. With a 1-0 success over Chelsea at Wembley, a 137-year-old wait finally came to an end.

After Youri Tielemans' stunning opener, a decisive touch onto a Ben Chilwell header kept Leicester in front. Then, with seconds remaining, Kasper flung himself across his goal to divert Mason Mount's emphatic volley behind for a corner. Just as he'd always done, Schmeichel stepped up for the big occasion.

"Its a dream come true," the Copenhagen-born 'keeper continues. "Its something I dreamed of when I was a child, so to realise it and to realise it in the way we did, its amazing. I was just happy for the final whistle at the end. Were all there to do our jobs and, this time, it came off for us.

"What a goal to win it with as well, so its a great day and an absolutely amazing experience, the whole thing. You can see that in the celebrations, how together people are, and how much it means to us. It was amazing to be able to have fans there and to share that moment.

"After 137 years of trying, to be able to write our names in history as the first Leicester City team to do it, its amazing, and to share it with the fans and with each other on the pitch and in the dressing room was fantastic. Having won the Premier League, that feeling just gets amplified.

"When you experience these highs, you want more. This should be a taster of what we want to be doing every season we want to be competing in every season. Weve showed the youngsters what is possible. When you work together as a team, you might not be favourites, but you can come out on top.

"Its all a bit of blur right now. Ive held that trophy before when my father won it, so to be able to lift it ourselves was an amazing feeling."

Ten years into his magical association with Leicester City, Schmeichel is still lifting trophies for the Foxes. As the Club looks boldly into the future, there is genuine reason for optimism at King Power Stadium and Kasper is likely to be a central figure yet again in 2021/22.

As the Dane enters his second decade with the Foxes, he is keen to address the Blue Army directly. Although opportunities to be together have been limited over recent months due to COVID-19, Schmeichel says their backing never goes unnoticed.

"Thank you for amazing support through all these years," he concludes. "Its been amazing to see and feel the backing we have always. From the first moment I joined the Club, I felt at home. Weve missed you. Its been far too long without fans.

"King Power Stadium is a lovely stadium, but its not the same when its empty. I hope we can get them back and start having that interaction again, but Im just so very grateful for all the support Ive received over these years. Thank you."

More here:

'A Club In Constant Evolution, Always Trying To Get Better' Schmeichel On 10 Years As A Fox - Leicester City

In the two decades since Linda Hasenfratz took the helm of Linamar Corporation from her father, Frank, the Guelph-based auto-parts manufacturer has grown into a global giant with a market cap of almost $5 billion. The company recently struck a strategic alliance with Ballard Power Systems to develop fuel-cell electric powertrains and components in a big bet on hydrogen fuel. We asked the one-time factory machine operator how she feels about the dramatic evolution the automotive industry is going through.

You largely manufacture auto parts but the pandemic brought you into a new niche: ventilators.

Jumping into production of ventilators when there was a global shortage was probably the most meaningful thing we did in the early days. We made ventilator parts and full ventilators for five different customers. We made nearly one million parts or full assemblies for ventilators last year and that business is continuing.

Will you stay in that business?

Interestingly, we had already identified medical devices as a market we wanted to expand into, given the aging global population. We were not looking at ventilators specifically, but the work last year helped us get more connected with the industry and refine our strategy.

Automotive sector remains your primary focus and the industry has weathered this downturn much better than the financial crisis. How has that affected Linamar?

Well, we were fully shut down for two months last year, which was painful. But when our customers started coming back online, they came back quickly, particularly in North America and Asia. Then, at the beginning of this year, the brakes got put on again as we started to feel supply chain issues. The notable one is semiconductor chips. The auto industry tends to work on just-in-time inventory; if manufacturers dont need the parts, they shut suppliers off. For the chip guys, automakers only represent six per cent or seven per cent of the global market, and with the surge in demand for consumer electronics and computers, they had plenty of other places to allocate those chips. When the automakers wanted that supply again, it wasnt there for them. Back in 2010, the exact same thing happened, so unfortunately we didnt learn from that.

What about other commodities that have also soared in price?

The steel prices would be where were feeling the most impact. On the automotive side, most of our contracts have metal market pass-through adjustments so every quarter we change our pricing based on the metal market index and that makes us reasonably well insulated. In our industrial businesses Skyjack and MacDon, were more exposed so we have to negotiate the best we can.

Youve partnered with Ballard to produce automotive fuel-cell components. Do you expect that technology to take over from battery electric cars?

Just to clarify the terminology, a fuel-cell vehicle is still an electric vehicle but instead of a battery pack, its powered by fuel cells. Were big believers that fuel-cell technology is the future of mobility, from passenger cars to commercial vehicles and heavy trucks, because its superior to battery-electric for four reasons. The first and possibly most important one is that its a clean technology end to end from fuel sourcing right through to the tailpipe because its not reliant on electricity grids, which are pretty dirty. A battery pack itself is heavy, 800 kilograms or more, which is not very efficient for vehicle performance and produces heavy emissions: making one battery pack for a large sedan releases 17 tons of CO2. A car with an internal combustion engine generates between six and eight tons of CO2 a year, so making that one battery pack produces as much pollution as more than two years of driving an internal-combustion car. Hydrogen is made from water using solar or wind power. In a way, youre temporarily storing the solar and wind power in the hydrogen, because when you run the fuel cell, the byproduct is water.

Number two, fuel-cell vehicles can be refilled in minutes, the same as what were used to. Thirdly, hydrogen is a highly efficient fuel with high energy density. Lastly, fuel-cell vehicles dont rely on regionally concentrated sources of so-called conflict minerals used in battery packs. More than half of the worlds cobalt comes from the Congo, and a third of it is mined artisanally, which sounds nice but it means by hand, which isnt very sustainable. Eighty per cent of the worlds cobalt is then refined in China, which concentrates the supply chain risk. You never want to have to buy 80 per cent of something from a single place.

Do auto-parts suppliers and automakers have to choose between committing to hydrogen fuel cells or batteries the way one might choose Windows versus Apples iOS as a computing platform?

Its not about making a big decision because the vehicle architecture is similar; you can pull out the battery pack, put in the fuel-cell system and use the same propulsion system. Thats part of our strategy with Ballard: we want to develop a plug-and-play technology so we can supply either vehicle type. We dont want to bet the farm on one technology because there is much uncertainty around which technology will be adopted.

Which parts of the automotive markets do you envision embracing fuel cells first?

It will be commercial vehicles: heavy trucks that have to worry about the payload. When youre paid by the pound of freight you deliver, the last thing you want is to fill up your truck with batteries. The passenger-car side, many automakers are working on fuel-cell vehicles but we wont see significant volumes for at least 10 years.

Thats OK because were in the middle of a transition from internal combustion to hybrid, and then to battery electric, and then ultimately to fuel cells, and that takes a long time. Even the shift to hybrid and battery is slower than people estimated. We always overestimate technology adoption in the short term and underestimate it in the long term, and the more complex the products youre transitioning, the longer the transition takes. Then you need to bring the consumer on board.

Consumers have certainly been buying lots of cars, with vehicle sales breaking records. Is that just driven by pandemic-related fear of using transit or car-sharing?

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Remember that dealerships were closed last year so we have pent-up demand. At the same time, the automotive industry works in cycles. Automotive production peaked in North America in 2017 and volumes in 2018 and 2019 were down. Then the pandemic hit. Now were back on a natural upward trajectory, and the low interest rates are impacting that, too.

Aside from fuel cells, what new technologies are you most excited to see?

Electrification, broadly, is the single biggest opportunity for suppliers in the history of automotive manufacturing. Vehicle autonomy is another area that has lots of implications. We may move away from individual ownership toward fleet ownership, and that would affect vehicle design. Consumers care about performance and how a car handles, but if the vehicle is owned by a fleet, different things matter, such as how often the vehicle breaks, its simplicity and how easy is it to repair. Owners may not care as much about horsepower.

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From machine operator to CEO, Linda Hasenfratz dishes about the evolution the automotive industry - Toronto Star

The Nayaks of Kandy ruled over the Kingdom of Kandy in present-day Sri Lanka for over 85 years. This began in 1739 and ended in 1815. In terms of the broader context of history, this is a relatively short reign. However, if we look at it closely enough, we can see that their time presiding over Kandy was significant in terms of social development.

The genesis of the dynasty is pretty unique. They did not come into power through outright conquest or diplomacy. Instead, they inherited power in an unusual fashion. Prior to the Nayaks of Kandy, the region was ruled by the Kandy Mahanuwara dynasty. In 1739, their final king, Vira Narendra Sinha, died without leaving any heirs. Although he had a son, this was from a second marriage, and it was not permissible for him to inherit the throne. Instead, the power passed to the brother of Sinhas wife, who was named Sri Vijaya Rajasinha. He was the first of the Nayaks to rule over Kandy. He was related to the Madurai Nayak dynasty and Thanjavur Nayaks as well. The Nayaks of Kandy were Hindus of Telugu origin, spoke Tamil or Telugu, and used both Tamil and Sinhala as their court languages.

Sri Vijaya Rajasinha showed early signs of what was to come. Despite being a Hindu, he encouraged participation in and practicing both Hinduism and Buddhism. This may have been in an effort to strengthen local religious fervor against the foreign colonial Christianisation brought by Portuguese traders. Indeed, much of his reign was spent resisting foreign influence. Although, in retrospect, this may seem like the behavior of an aggressor, an objective view might show that it was actually the Portuguese who were the aggressors, and Rajasinha was merely protecting the interests of his own people.

The regions and kingdoms of Sri Lanka were often turbulent in the 18th century due to local political and social differences. Rajasinha did his best to placate others, offering positions of importance to other Sinhalese. Although the success of this policy was variable and sometimes negligible, it shows a genuine desire to keep the peace in what was an unstable period.

Similar to his predecessor, Sri Vijaya Rajasinha died without having any kids. In the absence of an heir, he repeated the policy of electing his eldest brother-in-law to succeed him. His brother-in-law was named Kirti Sri Rajasinha and took the throne in 1751. Largely, he continued the policy of religious tolerance, choosing policies friendly towards the advancement of Buddhism instead of religious repression. This is shown in his renovation of various Buddhist temples. He is also well-known for the revival of literature in Kandy, striving to improve local culture.

Perhaps the most challenging part of Sri Vijaya Rajasinhas reign was his relationships with the Dutch. Keeping balanced between a defensive mindset and a willingness to trade was a constant battle. He did manage to negotiate this reasonably competently. Whilst there were some conflicts with the colonizers, it never boiled over into a full-scale war, nor did it result in a considerable loss of territory or autonomy. Sri Vijaya Rajasinha was eventually killed when he fell off his horse. The fact that this dismayed much of the populace is a testament to his contributions to society during his reign.

Following his death, his brother ascended to the throne in 1782. His name was Sri Rajadhi Raja Singha. He shared the literary passion of his brother and is even said to have been a practicing poet himself. He was also known as a man of culture and was able to speak many languages, including Tamil, Telugu, and Sinhalese. This undoubtedly allowed him to navigate the complex political landscape of the time, despite being only 18. He did not preside over Kandy for very long and died in 1798. The pattern of childless monarchs continued as he died without an heir.

A new heir had to be chosen by the Prime Minister of the time. He chose Sri Vikrama Rajasinha as the successor, who was Sri Rajadhi Raja Singhas nephew. He immediately took the throne in 1798. Like his predecessor, he was just 18 years old. Like others in the dynasty, he was a Hindu who encouraged the growth of both Hinduism and Buddhism to ensure religious harmony in the region. However, by this time, other forces were at work against his government. No longer concerned with internal Sinhalese politics or relations with the Dutch, a greater threat was on the horizon. The British Empire was now taking an interest in the governance of Sri Lanka.

While Sri Vikrama Rajasinha did manage some notable achievements, including some architectural development of Kandy itself, he will largely be known as the king who ceded Kandy to the British. This may have been inevitable for any king of the time and is unlikely to have anything to do with the individual himself.

Sri Vikrama Rajasinha brutally put down a rebellion led by his nephew, who was also Prime Minister at the time. The severity of this action gave the British an excuse for seizing control. They did this under the guise of saving Sri Lanka and Kandy from the kings tyranny. After a short invasion, the king was captured by the British. He later signed what is known as the Kandyan Convention, which was essentially a surrender of Kandy to the British. It meant that Sri Lanka became a colony of Britain, and Sri Vikrama Rajasinha was exiled in Vellore. It brought an end to 85 years of Nayak rule in Kandy and over 2000 years of Sinhalese control of the region.

The Nayak dynasty of Kandy was perhaps always doomed to collapse in the face of imperial behemoths. Nevertheless, their contribution to their subjects during their rule cannot be understated. Most notably, the 85 years of control to a revival of Buddhism and incredible religious tolerance. Essentially, it was a peaceful time despite a turbulent political climate. Areas such as literature and culture were also advanced during this time. Aside from its inevitable capitulation, the Nayaks can be looked upon with a degree of respect for their influences on the kingdom.

Views expressed above are the author's own.

END OF ARTICLE

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Nayaks of Kandy Evolution and Contribution in Sri Lankan History - The Times of India Blog

Back in 1980, on Wednesday mornings during the fall when the Kansas City Chiefs were conducting their walk-through, I would slip into the closet-sized office of special-teams coach Frank Gansz at Arrowhead Stadium for an education on the NFL kicking game. The room was big enough for two chairs, a desk and a projector to watch film.

And we watched film.

Gansz showed me the concepts of kickoff coverage stay in your lane and explained to me the value of directional punting. He pointed out the soft spots in opponent kick protection and how he planned to exploit them that Sunday with some creative rushes.

Gansz also showed me his formula for ranking NFL special teams. Not all the franchises had special-teams coaches in 1980. The kicking game was still an after-thought in pro football. So Gansz devised a 12-category formula to determine how his Kansas City special teams performed in relation to the rest of the league.

I took his formula that year and figured out the league rankings. For five years I compiled the rankings for my own benefit, just to find out who was good in the kicking game and who wasnt. The first time I published the rankings was 1985 when I worked for United Press International in Kansas City. Ive taken the rankings with me over the last 36 years and published them at my various career stops atThe Kansas City Star, Dallas Morning News and, of late, The Talk of Fame Network.

Back in 1985, only 12 of the 28 NFL teams employed coaches whose exclusive responsibility was special teams. Ten other teams had coaches who split their duties between special teams and a position group tight ends, linebackers or offensive line. Six teams didnt even have a coach on staff assigned to special teams.

Ive watched the growth of the kicking game in the three-plus decades since then:

--The increased emphasis on the special teams. Football is a game of field position. The NFL finally realized that the biggest chunks of yardage are exchanged on the kicking downs. So teams are now treating special teams like they are a third of the game equal partners of the offense and defense. The first special-teams coach to receive a "coordinator" designation was Paul Lanham at Cleveland in 1989. Now all 32 teams have a special-teams coordinator. Nine of the teams now devote three coaches to the kicking game. The Eagles have their third coach assigned to quality control for special teams and the Buccaneers have assigned theirs strictly to the kickers. Better coaching translates into better results.

--The arrival of deep snappers. The days of Minnesotas Hall of Fame center Mick Tingelhoff spending 14 seasons snapping on placements and punts for the Vikings are over. There are no longer any four-down centers. The offensive "centers" leave the field after three downs and the deep snappers take over. Patrick Mannelly played more games than any player in the illustrious history of the Chicago Bears and he was a deep snapper. He played 245 career games without a single start. There are three NFL deep-snappers who played even more games than Mannelly Trey Junkin (281), Don Muhlbach (260) and L.P. Ladouceur (253). Reliable deep snappers can play for decades.

--The emergence of coverage aces. Once upon a time NFL special-team units were comprised of backups players not good enough to start. But Bill Bates, Reyna Thompson and Steve Tasker showed the NFL the value of players dedicated to covering kicks and doing the dirty work on the downs that have the greatest impact on field position. Now every team has an ace or two. In 2019, the Patriots suited up four of them Matthew Slater, Justin Bethel, Nate Ebner and Brandon Bolden and finished third in the NFL in special teams.

--The sophistication of the kickers. In 1985, Dale Hatcher of the Rams led the NFL with a net punting overage of 38.0 yards per kick. In 2020, Jake Bailey of the Patriots led the league with a net average of 45.6 yards. The league average in 1985 was 34.5 net yards. The league average in 2020 was 40.5. In 1985, Nick Lowery converted a league-best 88.9 percent of his field goals for the Kansas City Chiefs. In 2020, there were nine kickers who converted better than 90 percent of their field-goal tries. Graham Gano of the Giants led the way with a 96.9 percent conversion rate (31 of 32).

--The impact of return specialists. In 1986, Mel Gray came to the NFL from the USFL, signing with the New Orleans Saints. He was listed as a running back/wide receiver and touched the ball only six times from scrimmage that season. But he returned 31 kickoffs and averaged 27.1 yards per return. Gray then led the NFL in punt returns in 1987. Dave Meggett came along in 1989, Brian Mitchell in 1990 and Tyrone Hughes in 1993. They paved the way for Dante Hall, Josh Cribbs and Devin Hester of the 2000 decade as teams realized the value of an impact return specialist. Hester set the NFL record with 20 career touchdowns returning kicks.

The Cleveland Browns finished first in 1985 in my first published rankings. Their special-teams coach? Bill Cowher. Hall of Famer Bill Cowher. Hes one of two coaches to finish first in my rankings and also win a Super Bowl as a head coach. John Harbaugh is the other.

Ive tracked special-teams coaches over the years more than 100 of them since I started the rankings 36 years ago. Some coached as few as one season, others as many as three decades. There have been 71 who have coached special teams for at least five NFL seasons.

So I put together a list of those coaches who fared the best their average finish in my rankings. Only seven have an average finish in the Top 10. The list below includes the coach, his number of seasons as a special-teams coach, his average finish, the number of times his units finished first in my rankings and, if he's still active, his team in parenthesis:

Coach, Seasons, Average, Crowns

1. *-Dave Toub, 17, 6.3, 2 (Kansas City)

2. Joe Judge, 5, 6.6, 0

3. *-Darren Rizzi, 11, 8.5, 1 (New Orleans)

4. Pete Rodriguez, 19, 9.2, 2

5. Jerry Rosburg, 18, 9.7, 1

6. Frank Gansz, 12, 9.9, 1

7. Scott OBrien, 23, 10.0, 3

8. *-Dave Fipp, 8, 10.5, 2 (Detroit)

9. Larry Pasquale, 16, 10.8, 1

*-John Fassel, 13, 10.8, 1 (Dallas)

11. Brad Seely, 31, 11.1, 3

12. Joe Avezzano, 16, 11.3, 1

Kurt Schottenheimer, 9, 11.3, 0

14. Mike Westhoff, 29, 11.9, 1

15. Dante Scarnecchia, 8, 12.0, 0

16.Joe Marciano, 33, 12.2, 2

Danny Abramowicz, 5, 12.2, 0

18. Mike Sweatman, 17, 12.4, 0

19. Steve Ortmayer, 8, 12.5, 1

20.Brian Schneider, 12, 12.8, 0

21. Richard Smith, 9, 12.9, 0

22. Romeo Crennel, 5, 13.0, 0

23. Nolan Cromwell, 6, 13.5, 0

24. John Harbaugh, 9, 13.6, 2

25. Chuck Priefer, 15, 13.8, 0

*-Still active

In the 36 years there have been 25 different coaches who have finished first in the rankings. Three coaches became three-time winners Bobby April, OBrien and Seely. Five others became two-time winners -- Harbaugh, Toub, Rodriguez, Fipp and Joe Marciano.

If I were to build a Mount Rushmore of special-teams coaches...Id actually build two of them. One for the historic significance and the other for performance.

In terms of historical significance, Id include the first two coaches ever hired specifically to coach special teams, both in 1969 Marv Levy and Dick Vermeil. Both went on to become NFL head coaches who took teams to Super Bowls. Levy is now in the Hall of Fame and Vermeil is a front-burner candidate for Canton.

Id also include Gansz for putting special teams on the map in the 1980s with his work at the Chiefs. He showed the NFL you could actually win games on special teams. In the 1986 season finale a road game the Chiefs needed to win to clinch a playoff spot Kansas City beat Pittsburgh 24-21 with every point coming on special teams: a field goal plus touchdowns on a blocked punt, a blocked field goal and a kickoff return. Albert Lewis blocked four punts for the Chiefs that season and 11 in his career.

Id round out the historical Mount Rushmore with Harbaugh, who proved career special-teams coaches could become successful head coaches. Cowher spent the bulk of his career as a defensive assistant before becoming head coach of the Steelers. Harbaugh spent the bulk of his career as a special-teams coach before getting the opportunity to become a head coach with the Ravens. Any special-teams coach who becomes an NFL head coach going forward has Harbaugh to thank. His success opened the door for Judge, who went directly from special-teams coach of the Patriots to head coach of the Giants in 2020.

The first face on the Mount Rushmore of productivity would be Toub, who has served those 17 seasons as special-teams coach of the Bears and Chiefs. For 14 consecutive years, from 2006 through 2019, Toubs special teams finished in the Top 10 the longest stretch of excellence in the history of these rankings. The next longest streak was seven years by Jerry Rosburg with the Baltimore Ravens from 2012-18. Toubs teams finished in the Top 3 in seven of those 14 seasons.

The next two faces would be OBrien and Seely, who share the record with three first-place finishes apiece. Seely did it with three different franchises San Francisco, Cleveland and Indianapolis. OBrien did it with two, New England and Cleveland. OBrien set the record for these rankings with a low score of 129.5 in 1994 with the Browns. His head coach at both Cleveland and New England was Bill Belichick. Seely also coached special teams for Belichick for 10 seasons at New England, finishing second in the rankings in 2002.

(Belichick, by the way, started his own NFL career as a special-teams coach. And Harbaugh has his own coaching tree that includes Toub and Rosburg, who both rank in the Top 5 all-time.)

Id round out this Mount Rushmore with Rodriguez, who coached five different teams and finished first with two of them, Washington in 1995 and Seattle in 1999. He finished in the Top 5 in the rankings at each of his first four coaching stops and in the Top 10 in his fifth and final stop at Jacksonville. Rodriguez finished in the Top 10 in 11 of his 19 seasons.

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The evolution of NFL special teams -- and their rankings - Sports Illustrated