Tag: punt returns

Jamal Agnew: ‘People are scared to kick it to us for a reason’

Jamal Agnew isn’t worried about the Jaguars’ punt return game lagging much longer.

The Jacksonville Jaguars’ special teams unit bounced back from a rough showing against the Houston Texans in Week 3 to put together strong performances in London. Brandon McManus was a perfect four-of-four on field goals, Logan Cooke averaged 50.9 yards on nine punts, and opposing punt returners managed just nine yards across the two games.

The only thing that was missing was the Jaguars having a dangerous return game of their own.

After Pro Bowl returner Jamal Agnew missed Week 4 with a quad injury, he returned in Week 5 but managed only five yards on two punt returns against the Buffalo Bills. So what needs to change to get the return game back on track? Not much of anything, according to Agnew.

“Just stay patient and don’t force anything,” Agnew said Friday. “People are scared to kick it to us for a reason. We don’t get a lot of opportunities and, when we do, we get everybody’s best on returns. Obviously, they know who I am. They don’t kick it to me like they kick it to everybody else.

“So we just got to stay patient. That’s one thing I’ve gotten used to in my career is just waiting for the plays to come and not trying to force anything. Ten yards, I’m fine with that. That’s a first down for the offense. The big plays will come, we’ve just got to stay patient.”

Agnew made a big impact earlier this season when he ripped off a 48-yard return in the fourth quarter of a Week 1 game against the Indianapolis Colts to spark a 14-point quarter for the Jaguars.

Agnew said that play was starting to feel inevitable after he saw the way the Colts were punting earlier in the game.

“All day they were shanking them, they were scared to punt to me,” Agnew said. “Kick return, they were booting them out of the end zone. I think it was [director of player engagement] Marcus Pollard, said ‘Hey, just wait for it, it’s gonna come.’

“I had a 10-yard one and then it was a plus-50 punt and it was on the ground and I knew ‘this is the play right here.’ Stayed patient for it, grabbed it, and made a play. That’s all it is in the return game, you get one opportunity, you gotta stay patient, and take advantage of it.”

Agnew will get another chance to break a big one against the Colts — who have allowed 150 punt return yards (third most in the NFL) — on Sunday at EverBank Stadium.

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Packers considering change in punt returner after another Amari Rodgers fumble

The Packers aren’t committing to a change, but it’s on the table after Amari Rodgers lost a fumble as a punt returner in Washington.

The Green Bay Packers are going to “take a look” at the punt returner position after Amari Rodgers fumbled again during Sunday’s loss to the Washington Commanders.

“That’s something we’re going to evaluate, for sure, we are evaluating, we’re talking about in terms of what we want to do in that regard,” coach Matt LaFleur said Monday.

Rodgers muffed a punt leading to a turnover in the first half. Washington turned the field position – after recovering the fumble at the 17-yard line – into a field goal, resulting in important points in a game that finished 23-21.

Rodgers now has three fumbles this year (including two in the last three games) and five in his short career.

“I think we do have a lot of confidence in Amari and his ability to field the ball, but you can’t put the ball on the ground,” LaFleur said. “He knows that. He feels awful about it, but it is what it is. We have to get better, no doubt about it.”

Through seven games, Rodgers has returned 16 punts for 113 yards and six kickoffs for 122 yards.

After a Rodgers fumble in London against the Giants, special teams coordinator Rich Bisaccia said the Packers weren’t going to “shitcan” him as the primary returner.

Pressed on why he has confidence in Rodgers, LaFleur pointed to practice and how his second-year receiver performs during live, high-intensity periods during the week.

“The confidence comes from the practice and what we see on a daily basis.”

Is there a better option? The Packers list Randall Cobb as the backup punt returner, but he’s on injured reserve with an ankle injury. The third-stringer on the depth chart is rookie Romeo Doubs, who had at least two drops as a receiver in Washington.

Rodgers has already been replaced on kickoff returns. Rookie receiver Christian Watson handled the job in London, and cornerback Keisean Nixon has returned kickoffs in each of the last two games.

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Titans coach Mike Vrabel wary of ‘very fearless’ Deonte Harris

Tennessee Titans coach Mike Vrabel has been frustrated by special teams; now he has to prepare for New Orleans Saints returner Deonte Harris

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Somehow, the New Orleans Saints found a rookie Pro Bowl returns specialist in undrafted free agency. Deonte Harris has been a revelation for the Saints in 2019 despite his overlooked pedigree as a NCAA record-setter out of Assumption College (a small liberal arts school in Worcester, Mass.). Harris missed two games with a hamstring injury and still leads the NFL in punt return yards (298, the most of any player in the Sean Payton era), ranking second-best in yards per punt return (9.9). He’s also ranked seventh overall in kick return yards (494) and sixth in yards per kick return (24.7).

And he’s a headache for Tennessee Titans coach Mike Vrabel to prepare for. The Titans have one of the NFL’s worst punt coverage units, allowing the sixth-most yards gained per punt return (9.3). They’re more of a middle-of-the-pack squad when covering kickoffs (22.3 yards allowed per kick return) with a season-long of just 32 yards. Still, Harris has proven he has the acceleration to punish teams that can’t maintain lane discipline or are slow to crash down on him.

It’s something Vrabel is well aware of. He’s done his homework on the Saints special teams unit and Harris in particular; when asked to describe the rookie Pro Bowler during his conference call with New Orleans media, Vrabel was mindful of Harris’s skills and the group the Saints have surrounded him with: “Very fearless. They’ve got a very good special teams group. They’ve blocked punts. They have returned kicks for touchdowns, and Harris is explosive and he’s tough, and he is physical. That is a pretty good quality to have as far as (a) returner.”

Still, finding success on special teams requires more effort that you can get out of a one-man band. The Saints have invested a lot of resources in revamping their performance in the third phase of the game, and Vrabel credited them for that, continuing, “Like I said, they have a lot of great special teams players, (J.T.) Gray, (Justin) Hardee, (Taysom) Hill and obviously (Dwayne) Washington because of blocked punts and their gunners are excellent. With the kickers, Pro Bowl kicker (Wil Lutz), (and with Thomas Morstead) obviously a great punting team as well.”

Whether the Saints special teams units have a great day against the Titans can’t be said yet. Things look terrific on paper, but they still have to play the game, and New Orleans knows as well as any team that there’s no such thing as a guaranteed win — remember that time a 1-7 Atlanta Falcons team beat the 7-1 Saints at home, coming off of a bye week? At least the Saints have remained focused since that upset. If they can carry over the positive momentum they established on Monday night against the Indianapolis Colts, things just might go according to plan.

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Packers need 36 punt return yards over final 4 games to avoid NFL record

The Packers are inching closer and closer to a record for punt returning futility.

The Green Bay Packers are inching closer and closer to setting a new NFL record for punt returning futility.

Through 12 games, the Packers have -8 punt return yards. The NFL record in a single season is 27 yards, set by the St. Louis Cardinals in 1965.

That means the Packers need 36 punt return yards, or nine a game over the final four games, to avoid tying or setting the NFL record.

Additionally, the NFL record for the lowest punt return average in a season is 1.3, also set by the 1965 Cardinals. The Packers are averaging -0.9 yards per punt return in 2019.

Even quarterback Aaron Rodgers is aware of how unproductive the Packers have been returning punts this season.

“Yeah, I did see a stat about our return yardage being low, historically,” Rodgers said Wednesday. “We just have to do a little bit better in our own return game.”

Entering Week 14, the Packers trail the Washington Redskins – Sunday’s opponent – by 98 yards for the 31st spot in the NFL in punt return yards.

Trevor Davis, Darrius Shepherd and Tremon Smith have returned nine total punts. Of the nine, only two returns have netted positive yards. Shepherd, who was released and signed back to the practice squad in October, returned two punts for -9 yards.

Smith delivered the team’s longest punt return on Sunday against the New York Giants. It traveled three yards. Smith also fumbled at the end of the return, and the Packers released him on Monday.

Next up? Tyler Ervin, who was claimed off of waivers from the Jacksonville Jaguars on Tuesday. He’ll assume primary punt and kick return duties from Smith.

The Packers face the Redskins, Chicago Bears, Minnesota Vikings and Detroit Lions to end the season. Washington and Chicago are both among the top-6 in the NFL in punts per game, so there should be opportunities to get the 36 yards and avoid the record over the season’s last month.