Tag: Blake Gillikin

Saints’ Blake Gillikin launched an 81-yard moonshot of a punt, and NFL fans were astounded

“Back, back, BACK to about the 12 …”

I don’t want to jinx it, but we might be in a Golden Age of NFL punting.

During the first week of this year’s preseason, Bills rookie Matt Araiza — aka the “Punt God” —  kicked a ball into the stratosphere with an incredible 82-yard punt. And now, in the Saints’ Blake Gillikin, it looks like Araiza might have a worthy mega-punting rival.

When New Orleans took on the Packers (-3.5) on Friday night in another exhibition at Lambeau Field, Gillikin took an early second-half punt and completely flipped the field with an 81-yard beauty.

I don’t want to undersell. You have to see this moonshot for yourself:

Goodness, gracious! Play-by-play commentator Kevin Harlan’s call of “back, back, BACK to the 12 …” says it all.

Folks, rest assured. Even as offenses become more talented and exciting, the field position battle will never die. And if we start seeing more and more punters like Araiza and Gillikin, I, for one, will always be glued to my seat on fourth downs.

Not to be outdone by Wil Lutz’s big kick, Blake Gillikin sends an 81-yard punt

Not to be outdone by Wil Lutz’s big kick, Blake Gillikin tied a franchise record with an 81-yard punt against the Packers:

There’s no doubt which team is winning the kicking game. Not to be outdone by Wil Lutz’s career-long 59-yard field goal, New Orleans Saints punter Blake Gillikin flipped the field against the Green Bay Packers in the next quarter.

He didn’t send the ball 60 yards. He did punt it 70 yards, either. He sent it a flying 81 yards at Lambeau Field, cutting a high arc through the warm Wisconsin night sky. The ball soared over and past returns specialist Amari Rodgers for a touchback. It’s about as impressive as it gets.

It’s been a strong performance for the Saints special teams units. Between Lutz’s long field goal and Gillikin’s longer punt (which tied a Saints franchise record first set by Tom McNeil way back in 1969), it’s a lot to write home about — and that doesn’t even get into the 59-yard kick return that wide receiver Kirk Merritt achieved earlier in the game. Let’s see if the Saints offense and defense can bring it home.

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Former Saints punter Thomas Morstead named NFC Special Teams Player of the Month

Former Saints punter Thomas Morstead was named the NFC Special Teams Player of the Month for December. Keep punting, Falcons:

There aren’t many former New Orleans Saints players still so beloved by fans as punter Thomas Morstead, even after he went turncoat and signed with the team’s biggest rival. But there’s good news: the more often Morstead goes out to punt, the fewer points Atlanta is putting on the board. So it’s still easy to root for him in his new role — just not any of his teammates.

And Morstead has been outstanding. He was named the NFC Special Teams Player of the Month for December, having dropped 6 of his 11 punts inside the opposing 20-yard line while averaging 49 yards per try. He’s bounced back in a big way from his final season in black and gold, between his two stops with Atlanta and, earlier, the New York Jets. Good for him.

But his successor in New Orleans has been terrific, too. Blake Gillikin put his rookie year (effectively a redshirt season on injured reserve, studying up on what’s made Morstead so successful for so long) to good use, winning recognition as the NFC Special Teams Player of the Month for October. For context, Gillikin put 10 of his 17 punts inside the opponents’ red zone that month. There’s no buyer’s remorse here despite Morstead’s continued high level of play.

So don’t be too hard on Morstead while he’s punting for the dirty birds. Remember, they don’t want him out there too often — so it ultimately benefits the Saints when he’s putting in a hard day’s work, even if he’s doing it well. Let’s hope every Falcons drive ends with a Morstead punt in Week 18’s regular season finale against New Orleans.

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Thomas Morstead named NFC Special Teams Player of the Week in first game with Falcons

Thomas Morstead named NFC Special Teams Player of the Week in first game with Falcons

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It didn’t take much time for Thomas Morstead to show the Atlanta Falcons how it’s done. The longtime New Orleans Saints punter went turncoat in signing with the dirty birds as a free agent, and he’s already earning accolades. Morstead was named the NFC Special Teams Player of the Week for Week 12, having punted excellently in the Falcons’ 21-14 win over the Jacksonville Jaguars.

Asked to punt five times, Morstead responded by averaging 44.8 yards per try with a long of 55 yards. Three of his five punts landed inside the the Jacksonville 20-yard line and only one of those three possessions ended with points (on a 34-yard Jaguars field goal). Not too shabby for the 35-year-old.

It’s still unsettling to see Morstead wearing those numbers — to say nothing of such an ugly number — but good for him in continuing his career and playing at a high level once the Saints chose to part ways with him. The fact that he did such a great job preparing his replacement Blake Gillikin (October’s NFC Special Teams Player of the Month) is impressive on its own but speaks to his selflessness and team-first attitude.

Here’s to more success for Morstead. Just not when the Saints visit Atlanta to close out the regular season in Week 18.

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Stars, Studs, and Duds from Saints’ Week 11 loss to Eagles

Stars, Studs, and Duds from Saints’ Week 11 loss to Eagles

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A lot of things went wrong in the New Orleans Saints’ loss to the Philadelphia Eagles, but there were some silver linings to acknowledge amid the ugliness clouding over their sideline. At the same time we’ve got to dial in on the performances that helped cause this loss. Let’s get into it with this week’s Stars, Studs, and Duds:

Jets to release former Saints punter Thomas Morstead

Jets to release former Saints punter Thomas Morstead

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This is a bummer, even if it was expected. NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero reported Monday that former New Orleans Saints punter Thomas Morstead will be released by the New York Jets and test the waiver wire, where he has a chance at landing with a new team.

Still, it was expected. Morstead only signed with New York in the first place as a temporary replacement for injured punter Braden Mann. Now that Mann is close to returning from an early-season knee injury, Morstead is again looking for a new team.

And he shouldn’t be a free agent for long. Morstead punted 23 times across seven games, averaging 48.2 yards per try and 43.0 net yards per punt. He dropped seven punts inside the opposing 20-yard line without yielding a touchback. He’s been effective. Hopefully he lands on his feet somewhere while his protégé Blake Gillikin, who earned recognition as NFC Special Teams Player of the Month for October, continues to impress in New Orleans.

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Saints P Blake Gillikin named NFC Special Teams Player of the Month for October

New Orleans Saints punter Blake Gillikin has been named the NFC Special Teams Player of the Month for October.

New Orleans Saints punter Blake Gillikin has been named the NFC Special Teams Player of the Month for October.

Over four games in October, Gillikin averaged 49.6 yards per punt with a 45.5 net average and 10 punts inside the 20-yard line.

During an Oct. 10 game against Washington, Gillikin became the first punter since at least 2000 to have three punts of at least 53 yards downed inside the 3-yard line, according to the Saints. The three punts: a 60-yarder downed at the 1-yard line, a 57-yarder out of bounds at the 3-yard line and a 53-yarder downed at the 2-yard line. He was snubbed for NFC Special Teams Player of the Week.

Gillikin is the first Saints player to be named a Player of the Month since Cameron Jordan in November of 2020, and he joins Thomas Morstead (2019) as the two Saints punters to be named NFC Special Teams Player of the Week.

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4 storylines to watch on the final Saints-Seahawks injury report

4 storylines to watch on the final Saints-Seahawks injury report

The final New Orleans Saints injury report ahead of Monday night’s game with the Seattle Seahawks will drop on Saturday afternoon, and there are a number of situations worth monitoring. Important starters in all three phases of the game are working to come back from injuries, while others could go to injured reserve if their condition is severe enough to warrant longer rest.

And a small crowd of others are working to return from injured reserve, but it may be too soon to know anything on Kwon Alexander, Wil Lutz, Marcus Davenport, Tre’Quan Smith, Nick Vannett, Chase Hnasen, and Ken Crawley. Because none of those players are officially on the 53-man roster their status won’t be listed on the injury report. So here are who I will be looking out for:

Twitter reactions after Blake Gillikin snubbed for Special Teams Player of the Week

Twitter reactions after Blake Gillikin snubbed for Special Teams Player of the Week:

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New Orleans Saints punter Blake Gillikin had the best game of his young career against the Washington Football Team, but he wasn’t recognized as NFC Special Teams Player of the Week. Instead that honor belongs to T.J. Edwards, a Philadelphia Eagles backup linebacker who blocked a punt last week.

Naturally fans and media close to the team raised an uproar over this on Twitter:

Marshon Lattimore named Player of the Week, but Blake Gillikin was robbed

Marshon Lattimore named Player of the Week, but Blake Gillikin was robbed

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We received a mixed bag for this NFL’s Player of the Week awards on Wednesday, with New Orleans Saints cornerback earning his first-ever recognition on the list after racking up a personal-best six pass breakups in Sunday’s win over the Washington Football Team. But while the Saints’ punter Blake Gillikin had an incredible game in his own right, he was snubbed. Robbed, I say.

Gillikin was overlooked in favor of Philadelphia Eagles linebacker T.J. Edwards, who blocked a punt in their 21-18 upset of the Carolina Panthers. Edwards also made five tackles in the game, all on defense in the game’s first half. Apparently that’s more impressive than a punter rocketing five tries for 268 yards, dropping three punts inside the opponents’ three-yard line — a feat that hasn’t happened since at least 2000. But Edwards, not Gillikin, was named the Special Teams Player of the Week.

That’s confounding, but let’s focus on the positives. Lattimore is hitting his stride at the perfect time, when the Saints’ team identity is shifting from the offense to the defense in the post-Drew Brees era. It’s also happening as he’s hitting his athletic prime and after he’s signed a long-term contract extension to remain in black and gold. More games like this from Lattimore will do a lot to keep the team competitive moving forward. He’s earned his flowers.

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