The San Francisco 49ers have dropped from 13th to 31st in the NFL in kickoff coverage and from 11th to 20th in covering punts.

Some of that drop has been attributed to the departure of Blake Costanzo, who signed with the Beras in the offseason.

“It’s only human, man,” Costanzo said. “… I won’t deny, it’s not the year (the 49ers) had last year. But they’ve still got pretty good players. They’ve still got (special teams) Coach (Brad) Seely. I just think some other guys are going to step up and be leaders for them and bring the group together and make it as important as it was last year.

“You know, I never wish ill upon anybody or anything like that, but maybe sometimes people can understand that it’s more than just the football player. It’s more than just making plays out there. People are leaders in the locker room.”