The interim head coach of the Raiders (Rich Bisacchi) is a special teams coach by trade. He’s been one of the league’s most respected coordinators for the last few decades and his special teams units have always been among the best in the NFL.
That’s why it’s not surprising at all that the Raiders have been good again in that phase of the game. Daniel Carlson is having another fantastic season and has been named the AFC’s Special Teams Player of the Week twice this year.
However, Carlson hasn’t even been their best specialist this season. That honor belongs to A.J. Cole, who leads the NFL in yards per punt by quite a large margin.
In a recent article by Pro Football Focus, they named their All-Pro team after 13 weeks and Cole made the list as their top punter. Here is what the site had to say about the former North Carolina State star:
“The results haven’t always been as kind to Cole as his kicks have deserved, but no punter has a better combination of distance, hang time and direction this season. His average hang time is an impressive 4.4 seconds.”
Cole is averaging 51.1 yards per punt this season, which is the most in NFL history since the merger. His longest punt of the year was a 71 yarder, which is the third-longest punt of the season.
Cole is having arguably the best punting season in NFL history and has flipped field position multiple times for the Raiders this season. At this point, it would be a shock if he wasn’t an All-Pro selection in 2021.
[vertical-gallery id=87207]
[lawrence-newsletter]