Tag: punter

Surprising Saints rookie leads his position group in NFC Pro Bowl votes

After the first week of Pro Bowl voting, it’s New Orleans Saints rookie punter Matthew Hayball ahead of his peers in the NFC:

With the start of the 2025 Pro Bowl voting starting officially just week ago, we have received our first update on the current leaders of each position group in the league. You can cast your vote here.

As the New Orleans Saints have fallen apart with many injuries sustained over the course of the year, it was highly unlikely that they’d have any Pro Bowl players let alone a top vote-getter.

Turns out, that just might not be the case. Undrafted rookie punter Matthew Hayball currently leads the NFC in Pro Bowl votes at his position. Quite a pleasant surprise, isn’t it?

For those who may not know, Hayball is currently first in the NFC with 29 punts pinned inside the 20. That’s eight more than the next-closest player.

Diving a little bit deeper into the statistics, one may say that Hayball has punted 50 times this season tying him for third most the conference. However, in comparison to the punters’ ahead of him in this category, Hayball has been far more efficient in terms of forcing opponents into poor field position.

Hayball also ranks in the top five in total punt yardage and touchbacks but for the most part is somewhere between average and the bottom of the conference elsewhere. This is likely indicative of Hayball not having the biggest leg but makes up for it with his ability to accurately place his kicks.

Credit to special teams guru, now head coach Darren Rizzi, as well as the teams scouting department for locating Hayball this offseason. The Saints potentially have their long term solution at the punter position, after years of searching for Thomas Morstead replacement, a former franchise hero and Super Bowl XLIV champion.

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Broncos worked out one player on Saturday

The Broncos worked out left-footed punter Colton Spangler on Saturday.

The Denver Broncos brought in one player for a workout on Saturday.

Because they are facing left-footed Cleveland Browns punter Corey Bojorquez on Monday Night Football in Week 13, the Broncos worked out left-footed free agent Colton Spangler, according to KUSA-TV’s Mike Klis.

Spangler (6-0, 192 pounds) spent five years punting at Maryland, earning honorable mention All-Big Ten recognition in 2022. His career punting average of 42.8 ranks third all-time in Terrapins school history. Spangler punted 80 times for 7,695 yards in college.

Denver presumably wanted to give returners Marvin Mims and Tremon Smith practice fielding left-footed punts this week ahead of the Browns game. The Broncos’ own punter, Riley Dixon, is right-footed, and Mims and Smith usually face right-footed punters on game days as well.

In addition to giving Denver’s returners good reps at practice this week, Spangler could also be a fallback option for the Broncos down the road if the team ever has a punter emergency.

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Saints rookie has been one of the best punters in this key stat

There isn’t a punter who has placed more tries inside the 20-yard line than Matthew Hayball through 11 games. The Saints rookie has been one of the NFL’s best in this stat:

In his first year in the league, New Orleans Saints punter Matthew Hayball has been an extremely effective weapon for the Saints. You actually would like to never see your punter.

Unfortunately for the Saints, they’ve seen Hayball frequently. Fortunately for the Saints, however, Hayball frequently delivers. Punts aren’t typically highlight plays unless it’s a punt return, but Hayball has put the opposing offense in tough situation on a regular basis.

Hayball has placed 27 punts inside the opposing 20-yard line. No other punter has done it more times through 11 games. What’s more impressive is the percentage of punts he places inside the 20-yard line. 57% of Hayball’s punts have been inside the 20.

If you hyper focus on yards per punt, you may think Hayball has struggled. He ranks 31st in the NFL in what can be a misleading stat. You don’t want a 55-yard punt when you’re just outside of field goal range. Judging a punter solely on how far he punts on average is flawed because a punter doesn’t always use his full leg. Accuracy is what’s most important in that situation.

Punts landing inside the 20-yard line also doesn’t tell the full story, but it’s a better metric to measure effectiveness. But even if he’s effective, let’s hope we see less of Hayball through the final six weeks — that would mean the Saints are ending more drives with points than punts.

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3 players had workouts with Broncos on Friday

The Broncos worked out long snapper Peter Bowden and punters Jake Julien and Ty Zentner on Friday.

The Denver Broncos brought in three special teams players for workouts on Friday, according to a report from KUSA-TV’s Mike Klis. The team worked out a long snapper — Peter Bowden — and two punters: Jake Julien and Ty Zentner.

Bowden, 23, played college football at Wisconsin. He spent time with the Green Bay Packers and Jacksonville Jaguars this year but is yet to appear in a regular season game in the NFL.

Julien, 26, played college football at Eastern Michigan and competed with the New England Patriots at training camp in 2022 before landing in the Canadian Football League in 2023. He earned All-CFL honors with the Edmonton Elks after a record-breaking season in Canada this summer.

Zentner, 26, entered the league as an undrafted free agent out of Kansas State in 2023. He has spent time with four NFL teams, playing in 10 games. In one game with the Los Angeles Rams earlier this year, he punted seven times for 281 yards. His career average in the NFL is 44.1 yards per punt (Riley Dixon is averaging 46.7 yards per punt with Denver this season).

Broncos worked out 3 players

  1. LS Peter Bowden
  2. P Jake Julien
  3. P Ty Zenter

Denver previously worked out six players last week. The Broncos are likely looking at candidates for future contracts at the end of the season and/or candidates to sign if injuries pop up later this season.

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Saints punter Matt Hayball fools Panthers on fake punt

The New Orleans Saints got a little creative during Sunday’s game against the Carolina Panthers, and it paid off. Rookie punter Matt Hayball made the play of the day:


The New Orleans Saints got a little creative during Sunday’s game against the Carolina Panthers, and it paid off.

After a week in which head coach Dennis Allen pulled the trigger on the decision to punt the ball in one of the most cowardly manners we have ever seen in football history, the team actually made a smart special teams call here.

On 4th & 1 with just under nine minutes remaining in the third quarter, punter Matt Hayball faked it and carried the ball himself for the first down. Plays like this could be crucial in the ultimate outcome in what’s been perhaps an even closer game than anyone originally expected.

The Saints, despite hading into the game on an abysmal six-game losing streak, were still favored by a slight margin, with some going so far as to expect to New Orleans to record a double-digit victory.

If anything, that’s a testament to just how poorly both teams have performed this season.

The Saints currently trail the Panthers by just one point, 17-16.

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Wisconsin leads Iowa in a key statistic that often decides the Heartland Trophy

Wisconsin leads Iowa in a key statistic that often decides the Heartland Trophy

Games in the storied rivalry between the Wisconsin Badgers and Iowa Hawkeyes are often defined by toughness, running the football and field position.

It’s no grand proclamation to say that the winner of Saturday’s matchup between the two teams will be the one that dominates the trenches and controls the game. Any fan of the sport can recognize that.

Related: Ranking the biggest storylines entering Wisconsin’s rivalry battle with Iowa

But there is one other stat that has decided every Wisconsin vs. Iowa game over the last four years — one that also points to a Badger victory in the 2024 edition.

That stat: punting average.

The team with the higher-ranked punter has won every matchup since 2019 — when Wisconsin won 24-22 despite P Anthony Lotti ranking near the bottom of the Big Ten with 39.7 yards per punt.

If the parameters are not clear, here is the result of the last four meetings in the rivalry, paired with where each team’s punter ranks in the Big Ten in season-long punting average:

  • 2020: Iowa 28-7 win. Iowa P Tory Taylor had a season-long average of 44.1 yards per punt (3rd in Big Ten), while Wisconsin P Andy Vujnovich had a mark of 41.7 (10th in Big Ten)
  • 2021: Wisconsin 27-7 win. Wisconsin P Andy Vujnovich at 46.4 (2nd in Big Ten), with Iowa P Tory Taylor at 46.1 (4th in Big Ten)
  • 2022: Iowa 24-10 win. Iowa P Tory Taylor at 45.4 yards per punt (2nd in Big Ten), with Wisconsin P Andy Vujnovich at 43.9 (9th in Big Ten)
  • 2023: Iowa 15-6 win. Iowa P Tory Taylor at 48.2 (1st in the Big Ten), with Wisconsin P Atticus Bertrams at 41.3 (13th in the Big Ten)

The winner of every meeting, as shown, has boasted the punter with the greater season-long punting average. Iowa great Tory Taylor tipped these scales with his All-American-caliber play, which coincided with the Hawkeyes winning three of four meetings.

Entering the 2024 matchup, the Badgers have this trend going in their direction. P Atticus Bertrams enters Saturday with a season-long punting average of 46.3 (4th in the Big Ten). Iowa P Rhys Dakin, meanwhile, is down at 44.8 (7th in the Big Ten).

There are better ways to evaluate punters than by their average. Some combination of punts inside the 10 yard-line, punts inside the 20, punting net (yards-minus-returns) and overall average paint a better picture.

Regardless, this exercise should show that Bertrams and Dakin are at least close in overall production — a reality that Wisconsin could rarely boast during Taylor’s storied career.

If more evidence was needed on Bertrams’ current form, take it from Penn State coach James Franklin in his postgame press conference after a 28-13 win over the Badgers:

“Starting field position, that was the difference in the game, especially early on. That’s why it was so challenging. I think their punter is really good.”

Bertrams notched 257 total yards and a 51.4 average on five punts, plus took a fake punt for a 15-yard rush and a first down. He had a dominant evening, and was far from the reason the Badgers lost.

That form could give Wisconsin the punting advantage on Saturday, which is a key factor in what projects to be a hard-fought game decided by field position.

If trends are any indication, that advantage will lead to a victory.

For more on the upcoming matchup and the Badgers’ possible advantages, check out our ranking of the game’s biggest storylines and the Badgers’ updated two-deep depth chart entering the big matchup.

Contact/Follow @TheBadgersWire on X (formerly Twitter), and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Wisconsin Badgers news, notes, and opinion.

The Saints had more punting yards than offensive yards against the Chargers

The Saints had more punting yards than offensive yards gained in their Week 8 loss to the Chargers. Klint Kubiak has some explaining to do:

The New Orleans Saints find themselves sitting with a 2-6 record after eight weeks, and their offense has been pretty much useless without Pro Bowl  center Erik McCoy for six of those weeks. This became an even more obvious issue in their Week 8 matchup against the Los Angeles Chargers when they managed to have more total punt yards than total yards of offense during the course of the game. They ended with 366 total yards during the course of the game, which is not horrendous but not good at all either.

As for punting yards, rookie punter Matthew Hayball got 9 attempts to punt and made the most of them as he racked up 437 yards (48.6 per punt). He also put five of his punts inside the opposing 20-yard line and had only two go for a touchback in what was a pretty masterful game for the rookie punter. The Saints were averaging only 162.3 punt yards per game entering Week 8, the 22nd-most in the NFL, which shows how much of an outlier this truly is.

With all due respect to Hayball, the punter should never be the teammate having the best day, and he certainly shouldn’t be outgaining his own offense. Klint Kubiak has some explaining to do. Losing McCoy for so long has given him plenty of time to adjust but no changes have been forthcoming. He hasn’t recovered from that loss even with so many other starters and key contributors returning from injury. The clock is ticking louder as Kubiak’s offense continues to stall out. Something must change, and soon.

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Broncos worked out a left-footed punter on Tuesday

The Broncos worked out left-footed punter Brock Miller on Tuesday ahead of their TNF showdown with Saints lefty Matthew Hayball.

Sean Payton’s doing everything he can to gain an advantage going into a Thursday Night Football clash with the New Orleans Saints this week.

The Denver Broncos worked out punter Brock Miller on Tuesday, according to a report from KPRC-TV’s Aaron Wilson. Miller’s workout is not necessarily a bad sign for current punter Riley Dixon. Rather, it’s a sign that Denver is preparing its returners for Thursday’s game in New Orleans.

Dixon, like the majority of NFL punters, is right-footed. So returners Marvin Mims and Tremon Smith are used to fielding right-footed punts each week in practice and in most games during the season.

This week, the Broncos will face Saints punter Matthew Hayball, who is a lefty. Presumably to prepare Mims and Smith for catching left-footed punts, Denver brought in Miller for Tuesday’s practice.

Miller, 33, has spent time with three NFL teams and he’s played in the UFL, USFL and XFL.

If the workout went well, Miller could also be considered down the road if the Broncos are ever in need of a fill-in punter. This week, though, he was likely brought in to emulate Hayball at practice.

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At least the Saints’ punter had a good game vs. Chiefs

In the midst of an all-around poor performance by the Saints, rookie punter Matthew Hayball was a bright spot against the Chiefs. At least he had a good game:

The New Orleans Saints didn’t do well against the Kansas City Chiefs in many categories, but rookie punter Matthew Hayball was a bright spot on the day. The first-year pro from Vanderbilt has quietly put together a solid start to the season.

Offensive deficiencies gave Hayball the chance to showcase himself. After Derek Carr’s interception, the Saints punted in back-to-back possessions. Over half of the Saints first half possessions ended in a Hayball punt. His total number of punts would have been higher if the Saints weren’t in four down territory the majority of the fourth quarter.

Hayball averaged 49.8 yards per punt on four punts. That is his highest average of the season. His shortest punt on the night traveled 48 yards, and his long was 53 yards. It was a very consistent and effective night by the rookie punter.

He has gotten close to this average one time. He averaged 49 yards per punt against the Dallas Cowboys, but that was only on one punt. Hayball’s four punts against Kansas City are a larger sample size and more impressive.

Hayball has done a good job of placing the ball inside the 20 this year. His opportunities of doing this were limited against Kansas City because of where he was punting from. Still he put two punts inside the 20 with one of them being returned just outside of the 20-yard line. At least someone wearing a black and gold jersey had a good game.

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Former Steelers’ punter hosted for a workout by AFC north rival

Thankfully the Steelers did not re-sign punter Pressley Harvin III.

As if the Pittsburgh Steelers’ punting woes could not get any worse.  Almost a week after Cameron Johnston’s devastating knee injury, Pressley Harvin III was brought in for a workout by the Cleveland Browns.

Many Steelers fans assumed that Harvin would be brought back in some capacity to try out for his former punting job in Pittsburgh.  While this isn’t an indicator that the reunion is impossible, after the Steelers signing of punter Corliss Waitman, it seems incredibly unlikely.

Time will tell if the Cleveland Browns pull the trigger and sign the 2020 Ray Guy Award winner, but Pittsburgh seems content with their recently acquired punter and is prepared to let their former seventh-round draft pick take his talents to Cleveland.

https://twitter.com/AaronWilson_NFL/status/1834356793364869450?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw

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