Tag: Ryan Stonehouse

4-Down Territory: Best/Worst NFL teams, next coach fired, Worst of the Week

The NFL’s best and worst teams, the next head coach fired, and the Worst of the Week for Week 13. It’s time for “4-Down Territory!”

With 13 weeks of actual football in the books for the 2023 NFL season, and the Thanksgiving slate behind us, it’s time for Doug Farrar of Touchdown Wire, and Kyle Madson of Niners Wire, to come to the table with their own unique brand of analysis in “4-Down Territory.”

This week, the guys have some serious questions to answer:

  1. Which team is the NFL’s best right now?
  2. And which team is the NFL’s worst?
  3. Which head coach will be the next one fired?
  4. What was the Worst of the Week?

You can watch this week’s “4-Down Territory” right here:

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You can also listen and subscribe to the “4-Down Territory” podcast on Spotify…

…and on Apple Podcasts.

Titans fans bummed about losing Ryan Stonehouse for rest of season

A look at how Titans social media reacted to the news that punter Ryan Stonehouse would miss the rest of the season.

The Tennessee Titans experienced several injuries during Sunday’s overtime loss to the Indianapolis Colts, but none were more serious than the one that occurred to punter Ryan Stonehouse.

On what was the second-straight thwarted punt of the game, Stonehouse took a hit that led to his leg bending in an awkward direction. It was immediately assumed Stonehouse had suffered a serious injury.

Sure enough, head coach Mike Vrabel revealed on Monday that Stonehouse needs surgery and will miss the remainder of the season. The exact injury remains unknown, though, but we do know it’s a knee issue.

“Stoney is going to have to have surgery, and get fixed, and come back stronger than ever and ready to go,” Vrabel said, per Jim Wyatt. “(We) certainly don’t want to lose players, and that’s unfortunate.”

This is absolutely awful news for Stonehouse, who has been one of the league’s best punters since entering the NFL as an undrafted free agent with Tennessee in 2022, making him a fan favorite.

The Colorado State product had a record-breaking rookie campaign and was once again among the league leaders in several categories.

The news of Stonehouse’s season-ending injury left fans and media bummed. Check out the reaction below:

Titans’ Ryan Stonehouse officially out for the season

Titans punter Ryan Stonehouse is out for the season, head coach Mike Vrabel revealed on Monday.

When Tennessee Titans punter Ryan Stonehouse suffered an injury in the third quarter of the Week 13 contest against the Indianapolis colts, it was immediately assumed to be serious.

And, unfortunately, that was confirmed on Monday by head coach Mike Vrabel, who revealed Stonehouse will undergo surgery and is out for the season.

Stonehouse’s exact injury wasn’t revealed, but it’s known to be a knee issue.

After an incredibly impressive rookie campaign that saw him shatter multiple NFL records, the undrafted free agent out of Colorado State was having yet another great season in 2023.

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Stonehouse currently leads the league in gross average yards per punt (53.1) and is tied for third in net average yards per (43.9). He’s also tied for the league high in punts dropped inside the 20 with 28.

As far as who replaces Stonehouse is concerned, the Titans don’t have another punter on the roster, so they’ll have to go out and sign one.

After the several special teams blunders on Sunday, the Titans finally decided to part ways with special teams coordinator Craig Aukerman, who Vrabel revealed was fired.

Special teams assistant Tom Quinn will take over Aukerman’s job for the remainder of the season.

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Biggest takeaways from Titans’ Week 13 loss to Colts

The biggest takeaways from the Titans’ Week 13 loss to the Colts.

Much like they have been for the entire season, the Tennessee Titans were a comedy of errors during the Week 13 game against the Indianapolis Colts.

Despite several blunders in all three phases, the Titans actually had a chance to win the game and even took a lead in overtime. However, the secondary struck again and allowed Alec Pierce to get free for a 55-yard reception, which set up the Colts’ game-winning score.

The loss was just the latest gut-wrenching defeat in a long line of them this season. And, as tired and defeated as fans feel right now, there’s still five contests to go before we can mercifully put this season to bed and start looking forward to free agency and the 2024 NFL draft.

Hell, some people began doing that weeks ago, and I can’t say I blame them for it. Now, the biggest takeaways from the Week 13 loss to the Colts.

Titans’ Ryan Stonehouse suffers serious injury vs. Colts

Titans punter Ryan Stonehouse appeared to suffer a serious injury against the Colts.

UPDATE: Tennessee Titans punter Ryan Stonehouse will undergo surgery and miss the rest of the season, head coach Mike Vrabel said on Monday (READ MORE HERE).

UPDATE: After the game, Tennessee Titans punter Ryan Stonehouse was spotted on crutches. His exact injury remains unknown.

The Tennessee Titans have lost their star punter, Ryan Stonehouse, after he appeared to suffer a serious leg injury during the Week 13 game against the Indianapolis Colts.

The play occurred in the fourth quarter when the Colts blocked Stonehouse’s punt, which was their second-straight after blocking Tennessee’s previous attempt.

Stonehouse’s leg bent in an awkward direction after being hit by a free runner and chances are he’s going to miss a significant amount of time. It was pretty ugly, thus we aren’t putting the video in this article, but if you’re interested in seeing it, you can check out the clip right here.

This absolutely sucks for Stonehouse, who is coming off a historic rookie season and was in the midst of another great one.

With Stonehouse out, the Titans will utilize kicker Nick Folk as their punter for now. Tennessee doesn’t have another punter on the practice squad, so they’ll have to sign someone after this game.

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Titans’ Ryan Stonehouse had record-setting month of November

Titans punter Ryan Stonehouse set a new NFL record during the month of November.

Tennessee Titans punter Ryan Stonehouse has been a phenomenon since joining the team as an undrafted free agent last year, with his powerful leg placing him in the conversation for best punter in the league upon his arrival.

The Colorado State product has become even more lethal this season because he’s done a much better job of controlling his kicks instead of hammering them as hard as possible, which has allowed him to consistently pin opponents deep.

Both of those skills that Stoney possesses were on full display last month. In four total games during the month of November, the Titans punter recorded 18 punts and led the NFL with a gross average of 54.9 and a net average of 48.4.

He also tied Pittsburgh Steelers punter Presley Harvin III for the league lead with 12 punts inside the 20, and a league-high total of 66.7 percent of his punts (12-of-18) landed in that area (minimum 10 punts).

Stonehouse’s 54.9-yard gross average was the highest ever recorded by a player during November, surpassing the previous record of 54.2 yards per punt previously held by Jacksonville Jaguars punter Logan Cooke (2022).

Additionally, Stonehouse, who was awarded AFC Special Teams Player of the Week, accomplished a few other notable feats during November.

His 48.4-yard net punting average was the third-best November net punting average since 1992 behind only Kansas City’s Tommy Townsend in 2021 (50.7) and Seattle’s Michael Dickson in 2022 (49.0).

Tennessee’s second-year punter was the only player in November with a punt of 60-plus yards in every game. His current streak of five consecutive games of hitting that mark is the longest active streak in the NFL, and the longest by a member of the franchise during its “Titans era” (1999-present).

Anybody who takes the time to watch the All-Pro punter work knows just how much of a weapon he is. However, stats like these just further solidify that he’s one of, if not the very best punter in the NFL.

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Titans’ Ryan Stonehouse named AFC Special Teams Player of the Week

Titans punter Ryan Stonehouse has been named the AFC Special Teams Player of the Week.

Tennessee Titans punter Ryan Stonehouse is receiving some recognition for his outstanding performance during the Week 12 win over the Carolina Panthers.

The second-year punter was named the AFC Special Teams Player of the Week for Week 12 after he averaged 53.7 yards per punt on his seven attempts.

Stonehouse dropped a total of five punts inside the 20, including a 71-yard beauty that the Titans downed at the Panthers’ four-yard line.

After an impressive rookie campaign that saw him get the nod as a second-team All-Pro after he broke the NFL record for gross yards per punt (53.1) — a mark that stood for 82 years — and the rookie record for net yards per punt (44.0), Stonehouse is having another great season.

The Colorado State product is averaging 52.9 yards per punt in 2023, which is nearly two yards more than the next closest player. His 44.8 net yards per punt ranks third in the NFL.

With Tennessee’s struggles on offense, Stonehouse’s ability to flip the field has been crucial.

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Titans’ Ryan Stonehouse hits impressive top speed to save TD vs. Ravens

Titans punter Ryan Stonehouse hit an impressive top speed when tracking down Ravens WR Devin Duvernay on a punt return.

Tennessee Titans punter Ryan Stonehouse is well known for his massive leg when it comes to punts, but those tree trunks also allow the second-year specialist to run pretty damn fast.

During the first half of the Week 6 game against the Baltimore Ravens, wide receiver Devin Duvernay got loose for a 70-yard punt return, which eventually led to a Ravens field goal.

Duvernay nearly returned it for six, but the Titans punter tracked him down to stop the score.

Per Next Gen Stats, Stonehouse hit an impressive top speed of 19.76 miles per hour on the play, which was right near Duvernay’s top speed of 19.82.

Unfortunately for the Titans, that was one of the most impressive plays of the entire first half for the team, as the offense came out sluggish and the defense didn’t provide much resistance.

The Titans need to flip a switch quick if they want to get back into the game.

Titans’ specialists standing out amid team’s struggles

Hey, at least the Titans’ specialists are doing their thing through three games.

Ever since he signed with the Tennessee Titans as an undrafted free agent in 2022, punter Ryan Stonehouse’s powerful leg has undeniably been an asset — and a historic one, at that.

In his rookie season, the Colorado State product ended up breaking an 82-year-old record when he shattered Hall of Famer Sammy Baugh’s punt average of 51.4 yards with 53.1.

Last week, Stonehouse bombed a 74-yard punt, which tied for his career long and was his fourth since entering the league, which is the most in the NFL in that span. He also had a single-game career-high four punts placed inside the 20.

Stoney already has 25 career punts of at least 60 yards, with an NFL-high six coming this season, and a league-high 19 as a rookie. His 25 60-yarders not only lead the league since 2022, but he’s recorded five more than the next closest punter in that span.

Stonehouse, who currently ranks third in punt average (52.5) in the NFL, isn’t the only standout special teamer for the Titans at the moment.

Kicker Nick Folk has made all eight of his field goal attempts this year, tied for fifth in the NFL. With those eight field goals, Folk has made 16 straight dating back to last season, the longest flawless streak in the NFL. 

As awesome as the veteran kicker has been, it’s a disappointing development that he’s been arguably the Titans’ most consistent weapon through three games.

Now, if we can only get that type of steady production from the team’s actual skill players, we might be able to see this Titans squad turn things around sooner rather than later.

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Titans ST coach discusses next step in Ryan Stonehouse’s development

On Tuesday, Titans special teams coach Craig Aukerman talked about the next step in punter Ryan Stonehouse’s development.

When discussing Tennessee Titans punter Ryan Stonehouse’s rookie season, it’s not hyperbole to say it was one of the greatest ever for a player at his position.

The Titans’ star punter is coming off a record-setting season in which he set the single-season records for most games averaging 50-plus yards per punt (14), and gross average yards per punt at 53.1, which was tops in the NFL.

Stonehouse also recorded the rookie record for the highest net average yards per punt with 44.0, a full 1.36 yards more than the old record. That was good enough for fourth in the league.

However, as great as the Colorado product was in his rookie season, one area where he noticeably could’ve improved was his ability to keep the ball in the air a little longer so he doesn’t out-kick his coverage.

Special teams coach, Craig Aukerman, discussed this issue during Tuesday’s press conference with coordinators, saying that the next step in Stoney’s development is for him to master the situational kicks.

“It’s not always hitting the ball 70, 75 yards, which looks pretty by the way,” Aukerman said, per Paul Kuharsky. “But we also need hangtime, so he’s really tried to focus in on that. Depending on where we’re at on the field, it could be a ball that goes 70 yards, but he’s got to know the situation that we’re in, where we could want a ball that’s 50 yards with over five-second hang time. So, he’s really honed-in on that, and he’ll continue to improve.

“The best part about Ryan is, he’s never satisfied, whether it’s his holding or whether it’s his punting, and he’ll continue to work on that and I’m excited for him this year.”

Another area Stonehouse could use improvement is with his directional kicks. Aukerman noted earlier this offseason that Stonehouse has been making progress there, also.

“Ryan has been unbelievable this offseason,” Aukerman said in June. “We’ve seen improvement and consistency from him with hangtime and distance, direction.”

“We’re not asking him all the time to be the directional punter that Brett Kern was, because there’s not many guys that have ever done that like Brett Kern,” he added. “But if he can get it in the vicinity of what we’re looking for, we’re happy about that. So, he’s been really focusing on that, and doing a good job, too.”

If Stonehouse can master the two things Aukerman explained above and combine that with the elite leg strength he’s shown, the 24-year-old has the chance to be the very best in the league for a long, long time.

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