Tag: punter

2020 NFL Scouting Combine: The specialists planning to attend

Here’s a list of the kickers, punters, and long snappers planning to attend the 2020 NFL Scouting Combine this year ahead of the NFL draft.

This piece rounds out our series on all the prospects at each position planning to attend the 2020 NFL Scouting Combine.

The Seahawks struggled a bit on special teams last season and will be making a concerted effort to improve heading into 2020. Seattle could very well be looking at a specialist or two to add to the competition this offseason.

Below is a look at the kickers, punters and long snappers slated to be participating in the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis at the end of the month.

SPECIALISTS
Tyler Bass, K, Georgia Southern
Rodrigo Blankenship, K, Georgia
Joseph Charlton, P, South Carolina
Blake Ferguson, LS, LSU
Sterling Hofrichter, P, Syracuse
Braden Mann, P, Texas A&M
JJ Molson, K, UCLA
Alex Pechin, P, Bucknell
Arryn Siposs, P, Auburn
Tommy Townsend, P, Florida
Michael Turk, P, Arizona State
Steven Wirtel, LS, Iowa

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Casey Kreiter happy to see ex-Broncos punter Marquette King ‘booming balls’ in the XFL

Broncos long snapper Casey Kreiter is happy to see former teammate Marquette King having success in the NFL.

Marquette King is one of the most notable former Broncos playing in the XFL this spring, even if he didn’t last long in Denver.

On the first weekend of XFL games, King was among several ex-Broncos who made headlines. Center Dillon Day went viral after dropping an F-bomb during a live sideline interview and safety Rahim Moore recorded the 10th interception of his professional career.

King now punts for the St. Louis BattleHawks and he was trending on Twitter after booming several powerful kicks in his first XFL game. Casey Kreiter, who snapped for King in Denver during the 2018 season, reacted to the big punts on Twitter.

King’s punts were so good that the league’s official account hyped them up on Twitter. It’s not often that a punter makes highlight reels.

In the third quarter, King had an absolutely perfect punt that would have stopped at the one-yard line if not for a teammate jumping on it.

King punted for the Broncos in four games two years ago before suffering a thigh injury that ended his season and his time in Denver.

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After working out for Broncos, punter Shane Tripucka lands in XFL

Shane Tripucka, the grandson of Broncos Ring of Fame quarterback Frank Tripucka, will punt for the Los Angeles Wildcats in the XFL.

Punter Shane Tripucka, the grandson of Broncos Ring of Fame quarterback Frank Tripucka, has signed with the XFL’s Los Angeles Wildcats, according to player agent Paul Sheehy.

Tripucka, who went to training camp with the Chargers in 2018, worked out for Denver in December. Tripucka was not among the players the Broncos signed to reserve/future contracts at the end of the 2019 season (the team opted to sign punter Trevor Daniel, adding competition for Colby Wadman).

Tripucka averaged 45.5 yards per punt during his senior year at Texas A&M in 2017. He is replacing Wildcats punter Colton Schmidt, who was placed on the reserve/injured list this week. If he performs well in the XFL, Tripucka might earn another chance to punt in the NFL.

His grandfather, Frank, was the Broncos’ quarterback for their first four seasons in the AFL (1960-63) and he earned AFL All-Star honors in 1960. Frank’s No. 18 jersey is retired — he gave former QB Peyton Manning special permission to wear that number during his time in Denver.

The Wildcats will face the Houston Roughnecks on Saturday, Feb. 8.

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Jets ranked 8th in special teams in 2019 despite key losses

The Jets special teams unit played well thanks to solid kick return and kick coverage play by Brant Boyer’s squad.

Believe it or not, the Jets ranked in the top-10 in something in 2019.

During a season of mediocrity, the Jets special teams unit once again proved to be one of the team’s best assets. Brant Boyer’s unit finished No. 8 in Rick Gosselin’s special teams ranking report. 

Gosselin, a 47-year vet on the NFL beat and a member of the Hall of Fame selection committee, compiled 22 categories surrounding special teams to create a list of the league’s best. The Jets ranked eighth overall thanks to top-three finishes in punt return yards (second, 11.6), yards allowed per kickoff (third, 19.0), yards allowed per punt (third, 43.67), and net yards allowed per punt (third, 38.8) despite a lot of turnover on the unit.

When the Jets elected to let Pro Bowl kicker Jason Myers and return specialist Andre Roberts leave in free agency, many believed the special teams would suffer mightily after finishing first in the NFL in 2018. But Boyer persisted and told his team back in June that there would be “no steps back.” 

“It’s a tough situation,” Boyer said last offseason. “Those guys were awesome for us… You gain players every year, you lose players every year. And, is it hard to replace guys like that? It sure is. I’m confident that somebody will emerge and we can get that done.”

General manager Joe Douglas found his punt returner replacement quickly when he claimed former Patriots wideout Braxton Berrios, off waivers soon after joining the Jets. Berrios returned all 21 punts for the Jets this season and finished second in the league in average punt return yards.

As for his kick returners, duties were split between backup running back Ty Montgomery and wide receiver Vyncint Smith. The duo performed well enough – Montgomery averaged 20.2 yards per return and Smith averaged 29.9 yards per return. Second-year running back Trenton Cannon appeared in line for the majority of returns, but he landed on injured reserve after Week 7.

Where the Jets faltered in the rankings was their kicking and punting. They cycled through a few kickers before sticking with Sam Ficken, who only hit 19 of 27 field goals (70.4 percent), 23 of 26 of his extra points (88.5 percent) and ranked 39th in average kickoff yards. Punter Lac Edwards, meanwhile, ranked 15th in average punt yards (45.9) despite leading the league in punts (87) and total punt yards (3,991).

It’s hard to replicate the success of Myers, Roberts and the 2018 team, but Boyer did an admirable job coaching a unit that no one thought could maintain its excellence. There was bound to be a drop off in production when you lose a top-six kicker and the top return specialist and the Jets saved around $15 million by not re-signing their Pro Bowl special teams pair.

The Jets still need to solve the kicker issue for the longterm, but the rest of the unit seems sound heading into the 2020 season.

Peyton Manning once benched a WR for attempting a 1-handed catch

Peyton Manning once benched former Colts wide receiver Austin Collie after he attempted a one-handed catch.

Former Colts punter Pat McAfee, who played with quarterback Peyton Manning from 2009-2011, now has his own show and some of his best episodes feature hilarious stories about Manning.

During one of his shows last fall, McAfee told a story about when Manning got upset with former Indianapolis wide receiver Austin Collie, who failed to catch a pass after running an out route.

“It was a little bit out of his each but Austin reached with one hand to catch it and it hit off his hand and it just dropped [to the ground],” McAfee said. “Austin had been having an incredible season thus far and he put his head down and — it was probably first or second down — he jogged back to the huddle and before he got like probably five feet away from the huddle, Peyton Manning just pointed at the sideline and he said, ‘Get out.'”

Jim Caldwell, who was the Colts’ offensive coordinator at the time, tried to send Collie back into the game but Manning wouldn’t let the wide receiver back on the field. Indianapolis went on to score a touchdown on that drive and Manning then spoke with Collie on the sideline.

“I was told that if I ever try to catch a ball with one hand again, I will never be on a football field again when Peyton Manning’s the quarterback,” Collie told McAfee after speaking with the QB.

During his three seasons with Manning, Collie caught 172 passes for 1,839 yards and 16 touchdowns. He retired from football in 2016.

[Hat tip to u/PhoenixBornRaised for sharing the above video on Reddit.]

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Use your Anger: Texans give punter three-year extension

On Saturday, the Houston Texans locked up punter Bryan Anger to a three-year extension, locking him in for the long haul.

The Houston Texans found their punter.

According to Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network, the Texans are signing punter Bryan Anger to a three-year extension. The terms of the deal are not yet known.

Anger, 31, signed-on with the Texans on July 23. He did not make the roster, losing the job to Trevor Daniel. However, on Sept. 17, before Houston’s Week 3 win over the Los Angeles Charger, he signed back with Texans.

On 40 punts in 2019, Anger has 1,846 yards, good for an average of 46.2 yards per punt. He has a long of 71 yards on the season. He has sent 21 boots inside the 20 and has a net average of 44.1 yards per.

The Texans rank tops in the NFL in punt return yards allowed with 73.

“Anger‘s done a good job. He’s flipped the field for us,,” Texans coach Bill O’Brien said of Anger on Dec. 11. “He’s punted well. He’s come in here and he’s a good teammate. He does a really good job as a teammate and I think he’s punted well.”

Anger was a third-round selection by the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2012 out of California. He moved on to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2016 and finally the Texans in 2019.

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Former Longhorns Punter Michael Dickson Bouncing Back

Former Longhorn and current Seahawks punter Michael Dickson has had his struggles this season, he is starting to find that groove.

Last season as a rookie for the Seattle Seahawks, Michael Dickson was the best punter in the NFL if you look at his accolades. In 2018, Dickson was named to the Pro Bowl and also named an All-Pro while averaging 48.2 yards per punt. That gives him the eighth best average for a punter in a single season in NFL history.

“I think Mike has really found his groove,” coach Pete Carroll said on Wednesday. “I think early on, for whatever reason, he wasn’t quite as sharp with his consistency. I don’t know, at least six or eight weeks of it, maybe it was longer than that, he really hit it. He’s doing great. I think he was not hitting the ball as cleanly as he had hoped. I know he felt that was [the case]. He’s been on it at least since the bye it seems. It was probably the time it seems like it turned around I think.” – From Seahawks Wire

His numbers are definitely down from a season ago but the Aussie punter has found a groove again with his ability to pin teams team in their own territory. The Seahawks are in great position this season due to his ability to limit good field position. Seattle is preparing to take on Arizona to keep their hopes of getting the number one seed in the NFC.

College football cancer survivor accepts Disney Spirit Award

Four-time cancer survivor Casey O’Brien played in his first college football game for the Minnesota Golden Gophers’ this season.

Four-time cancer survivor Casey O’Brien played in his first college football game for the Minnesota Golden Gophers’ this season.

Broncos finally work out Frank Tripucka’s grandson, punter Shane Tripucka

Denver worked out punter Shane Tripucka. He is the grandson of former AFL All-Star Frank Tripucka, a member of the Broncos’ Ring of Fame.

It’s about time.

Chris Tripucka, the son of former quarterback Frank Tripucka and father of punter Shane Tripucka, has been calling on the Broncos to give his son a tryout for months. He’s active on Twitter (@TXTrip17) and his request was finally granted this week.

The Broncos worked out Shane Tripucka and two other punters — Trevor Daniel and Ryan Anderson — this week, according to KUSA-TV’s Mike Klis. Denver has been working out players who are candidates to sign “future contracts” at the end of the season.

Teams can have 90 players on the roster in the offseason and future deals are given out at the end of the season. Those contracts become official when the new league year begins in March. Players who are not on an active roster at the end of the year are eligible to sign future contracts.

Frank Tripucka was the Broncos’ quarterback for their first four seasons in the AFL (1960-63) and he earned AFL All-Star honors in 1960. Tripucka is a member of the team’s Ring of Fame and his No. 18 jersey is retired. Tripucka gave former quarterback Peyton Manning special permission to wear that number during his time in Denver.

Shane, Frank’s grandson, averaged 45.5 yards per punt during his senior year at Texas A&M in 2017. He went to training camp with the Los Angeles Chargers in 2018 but is yet to punt in a regular-season game in the NFL.

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Watch: Quenton Nelson vs. A Punter

I can’t personally think of more than a couple people in the NFL who’d be a worse matchup in a fight for a punter than one Quenton Nelson.

I admit, that headline makes me think to a certain degree that Quenton Nelson for some reason laid one of his highlight blocks on a punter Sunday, as the Colts were getting ready to take on the Buccaneers in Tampa.

Before the matchup began however it was Bucs punter Bradley Pinion, a Clemson product, who had a pregame punt hit Nelson, who was going through his warmup on the other side of the field, in the head.

Nelson was reported to be none too pleased as you’ll see below, and confronted Pinion himself.

Nelson punts the ball in the video after a second punt lands closer to him than he’d like.

The Colts entered the day 6-6 on the year and two games behind Houston for the AFC South lead.

I can’t personally think of more than a couple people in the NFL who’d be a worse matchup in a fight for a punter than one Quenton Nelson.