Sports blog information from USA TODAY.
The Broncos placed QB Teddy Bridgewater on IR and made 15 other roster moves Wednesday.
The Denver Broncos placed three players on injured reserve and activated 13 players from COVID-19 lists on Wednesday, the team announced. Here’s a quick look at the team’s transactions.
Brandon McManus and Sam Martin are both on the Reserve/COVID-19 list, but the Broncos are hoping they will be cleared by Saturday.
The Denver Broncos’ COVID-19 list is growing.
Denver had 12 active roster players miss Sunday’s game against the Los Angeles Chargers with COVID-19, and two more players were added to the Reserve/COVID-19 list on Monday.
Broncos kicker Brandon McManus and punter/holder Sam Martin have been added to the COVID reserve list, but they have enough time to possibly be cleared for Saturday’s game against the Kansas City Chiefs if they test negative before then.
Denver is clearly counting on the possibility that at least one of its specialists will clear protocol, because the team is “not planning on bringing kickers and punters in for tryouts” at the moment, according to a report from KUSA-TV’s Mike Klis.
Of note, McManus has some experience punting and Martin has experience kicking, so one of them could fill both roles if needed.
To fill the two open spots on the active roster after placing McManus and Martin on reserve, the Broncos promoted defensive lineman Jonathan Harris and wide receiver Seth Williams from the practice squad to the 53-man roster on Monday.
Denver also released defensive linemen Carlo Kemp and Deyon Sizer from the practice squad on Monday. Kemp and Deyon were signed over the weekend as emergency COVID-19 backups on the defensive line.
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Continuing our Detroit Lion’s lost free agent series, we explore the loss of Sam Martin and how it led Detroit finding a Pro-Bowl punter
With the season behind us, we can now measure the performance of each of the players the Lions lost last year and the players they brought in to replace them. We would look at if the Lions were in the right or the wrong end of the free-agent class last year. If you missed it, here are the ones we have hit on so far: Graham Glasgow, Devon Kennard, A’Shawn Robinson, and Rick Wagner. This time we’ll be highlighting the loss of Sam Martin.
Martin was part of one of the more successful Lions draft classes in recent memory when he was selected in the fifth round in 2013. That draft also provided key cogs across Ziggy Ansah, Darius Slay, Larry Warford, and Theo Riddick.
The strong-legged Appalachian State punter hit the ground running and never looked back. He never dipped below 46 yards per punt average through his four years with Detroit, while setting a career-high 48.5 yards per punt in 2016 and 44.3 net yards per punt, which helped him net a four-year contract extension.
Outside of the infamous 2014 shank punt incident in their playoff matchup against the Dallas Cowboys, Martin was everything they were hoping for in a franchise punter…until the following year.
Martin experienced a down year in 2017, at least compared to what we got used to seeing from him, where he missed six games due to a foot injury caused by stepping on a conch shell, setting career lows in yards per punt (43.4), net yards per punt (37.6), and inside the 20 (13).
Martin was never quite himself after the injury, but he showed enough positive performances; Detroit offered him a contract when he hit free agency in 2019. He ultimately went with Denver for a 3-year, $7.05 million contract, giving Martin the chance to kick in the mile-high altitude.
From the first year, it looks like a positive signing playing in all 16 games averaging 46.8 yards per attempt and 42.1 net yards per punt, which are his best numbers since before his injury.
With Martin’s loss, the Lions brought in two punters to compete for the job, Jack Fox and Aaron Siposs. Fox was poached from the Kansas City Chiefs in 2019, and Siposs was signed as an undrafted free agent in 2019. The majority of people thought this was going to a camp battle to watch, but Fox clearly won the job with no issues, and it proved to be the correct choice.
With a 2020 team with many lowlights, Fox was a spark that brought some excitement and took the world by storm. He ranked third in yards per attempt (49.6), second in net yards per punt (44.8), fifth inside the 20 (29), ranked as the PFF’s No. 1 punter. With the monster season he had, the league clearly recognized his accomplishments earning a Pro Bowl selection and named the All-Pro 2nd team.
Fox was able to flip the field like it was nothing, and the consistency he was able to do it left many speechless. He created a feel-good story of an undrafted punter from Rice to an All-Pro/Pro-Bowl caliber player overnight.
The Lions made one of the easiest decisions they will ever make after when they extended Fox’s tender offer earlier this month, securing his spot as the Lions punter for hopefully not just for this season but for the foreseeable future.
Now, it is easy to see who made better at the end of the day. No one was happy when Martin left and the Lions put all their eggs in the basket on a poached practice squad player and an undrafted free agent who both never attempted a punt in the NFL, it left many skeptical that the Lions didn’t do enough to shore up the position.
The Lions did find a diamond in the rough, with Fox and Martin did produce a quality season for the Broncos compared to what they were getting from their punters in the past. Surely each team is happy with their punter situation, but one team has been smiling just a little bit more.
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“Some people would call it boring. I love boring,” Broncos special teams coordinator Tom McMahon said.
After moving on from Marquette King in 2018, the Denver Broncos spent two seasons struggling to find consistency in the punting game. Colby Wadman wasn’t up to the task and Denver waived him in April.
During free agency, the Broncos signed former Detroit Lions punter Sam Martin to a three-year, $7.05 million contract. During a Zoom conference call with reporters on June 11, special teams coordinator Tom McMahon praised Martin for his consistency and directional punting.
“I think the one thing you’re going to find with Sam is consistency,” McMahon said. “He’s very consistent. Some people would call it boring. I love boring because he does the same thing all the time so it’s easy to gameplan on our end and it’s hard to gameplan on the other end. The other thing he’s been able to do through his career is hit the edges, so he’s going to have that returner back there working sideline to sideline.
“That’s really what we’ve been trying to do, and we want to continue to do is use that 12th man. If you use the sideline and you can push that returner to that sideline, you’ve got an extra body that’s never ever missed a tackle. That’s what Sam’s always been able to do. He’s been able to use that 12th man and he has a great career.”
Last season, Martin averaged 45.3 yards per punt with a net average of 41.8 yards. In his career, he has averaged 46 yards per boot with a net average of 40.8. Martin has pinned opponents inside their own 20-yard line 175 times in seven seasons.
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Who will be the Broncos’ long snapper this season?
Over the past few weeks, we have published QB, RB, TE, WR, OL, DL, LB, CB and S depth chart predictions for the Denver Broncos. That leaves special teams as the last position group to be previewed.
There won’t be much competition for the team’s specialist jobs this summer because Brandon McManus is the only kicker on the roster and Sam Martin is the only punter with the team. There are two long snappers (Jacob Bobenmoyer and Wes Farnsworth) but there might be a clear favorite in that competition, too.
Bobenmoyer has spent time with the team in two camps — Farnsworth signed a future contract with Denver in December and he’s yet to snap a football in practice. The Broncos were keeping an eye on Bobenmoyer even while Casey Kreiter was still under contract so he seems to be the favorite to win the job.
NFL teams might begin holding minicamps later this month and Denver is hoping to start training camp on time in late July. The team’s depth chart battles will be sorted out during training camp and preseason.
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Matt Prater’s praise for Denver was part of the reason why Sam Martin signed with the Broncos.
During an interview on The Pat McAfee Show last week, Denver Broncos punter Sam Martin spoke about opting to change teams in free agency instead of re-signing with the Detroit Lions.
“I did have an offer in going back to Detroit and I was definitely interested in going back to Detroit but Denver had been — you know, as a punter, it’s a really appealing place to go, right?” Martin told McAfee.
Lions kicker Matt Prater, who broke the NFL record for the longest field goal while playing for the Broncos, also had a part in Martin landing in Denver.
“[There was also] praise I used to get from Prater on Denver on a weekly basis about how much he loved the city and Colorado in general. [So] it became a place where I really wanted to land. And Detroit was definitely still on the table but Denver was a little more appealing and the contract was as well.”
Martin signed a three-year, $7.05 million contract with the Broncos in March. He spent the first seven years of his career with the Lions, averaging 45.9 yards per punt with a net average of 40.8 yards per boot.
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Longtime Lions punter Sam Martin confirms he was ‘definitely interested in going back to Detroit’ but chose Denver instead
Former Lions punter Sam Martin confirmed he did have an offer to remain in Detroit but chose to accept a free agent deal with the Denver Broncos instead. Martin made the admission during an appearance on The Pat McAfee Show on Friday.
Martin was asked by McAfee why he chose to go to Denver and if he had an offer to remain with the Lions, where he has been the punter and primary kickoff specialist since 2013.
“I did have an offer to go back to Detroit,” Martin said. “I was definitely interested in going back to Detroit.”
However, he liked the idea of going to Denver. Lions kicker Matt Prater, who began his career with the Broncos, helped sell him on the benefits of playing in the Mile High City as a specialist. So did a bigger payday.
“Combined with all the praise I used to get from Prater on Denver on a weekly basis about how much he loved the city and Colorado in general, it became the place where I really wanted to land,” Martin said. “Detroit was definitely still on the table but Denver was a little more appealing and the contract was as well.”
Martin signed a 3-year deal with Denver that averages $2.35 million per year.
"All the praise I used to get from @MattPrater_5 on Denver on a weekly basis about how much he loved the city and Colorado in general it became a place where I really wanted to land"
New #Broncos punter @SamMartin_6 on what went into his Free Agent decision #PatMcAfeeShowLIVE pic.twitter.com/eojQemIfwi
— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) May 29, 2020
Lions 2019 Rewatch: Lions vs. Cardinals Week 1 notes as Jeff Risdon reviews the All-22 and broadcast feeds
Lions coach Matt Patricia is a big believer in the process of self-scouting. Like many NFL coaches, he’ll go back after the season and pore over every detail of game film, looking for nuances or things that he might have missed on the first go-through.
I’ve decided to do the same. I’m rewatching every play of every Lions game, using both the broadcast and coach’s tape feeds from NFL Game Pass. I’ll chronicle my reactions in real-time on the rewatch, focusing on specific plays or players in big moments as well as an overall postgame summary of my notes.
First up: Week 1 against the Arizona Cardinals.
First quarter
T.J. Hockenson started out impressively. On the first two offensive possessions, Hockenson had a great seal block on an interior run, a catch with good YAC on a well-designed out route and another hot route where he was open but Matthew Stafford’s throw was behind him.
Nick Bawden missed two blocks on the opening drive, both of which resulted in the RB getting whacked right near the line of scrimmage. He missed an assignment on a 3rd down on the Lions 3rd drive too, a play where Stafford scrambled to his right for a huge first down. Jesse James also missed two run blocks in the opening quarter.
Frank Ragnow dominated up front. The Cardinals didn’t use a nose much but Ragnow consistently found work and made Arizona pay.
Stafford started slow, missing open throws to Hockenson and Amendola. Other than a delayed blitz (on the missed throw to Amendola) the pass protection was very good.
Tracy Walker’s INT, coming off a very well-designed rush scheme designed to force rookie Kyler Murray into a short field situation. This is a fantastic defensive call as well as a great catch by Walker.
Tracy Walker III makes an impressive INT on the sideline for the @Lions! #OnePride #DETvsAZ
📺: FOX
📱: NFL app // Yahoo Sports appWatch on mobile: https://t.co/PoZiStO3mL pic.twitter.com/ER9mfWm0W3
— NFL (@NFL) September 8, 2019
Jamal Agnew had one of the worst punt return attempts I’ve ever seen. Sam Martin and the Lions own special teams were otherwise phenomenal.
Second quarter
Matt Prater nailed a 55-yard FG to get the Lions on the board. Kickoff coverage was exceptional.
First really good lead block from Nick Bawden but Kerryon Johnson instead runs smack into Taylor Decker while he’s engaged with a solid block. Next play is the Danny Amendola TD reception.
The touchdown is a product of good fortune as much as a great play. T.J. Hockenson lines up over right tackle but it’s his responsibility to peel across the formation and block the EDGE on the other side while LT Decker down blocks on play action. Hockenson gets just enough to give Stafford room to step up. Amendola sneaks behind a very confused Cardinals secondary and doesn’t have a defender within 20 yards of him as he catches it. The safety (Budda Baker) bit up on the play fake and then got in the way of the CB when he figured it out. Cardinals dropped top rusher, Chandler Jones, into the short flat in coverage instead of rushing. This play works maybe one time out of 25, but it did here. 10-0 Lions.
First instance of prevent defense on 3rd-and-18 on the Cards’ ensuing drive. Rushing three and the rest of the defense is at least 12 yards off the line of scrimmage at the snap. Murray takes the checkdown and it’s easily stopped short (the best tackle Jamal Agnew has ever made), but the broadcast notes that Murray needed an easy completion to settle himself down. That comment later proves prophetic.
Stafford to Hockenson on a circle route out of the backfield is gorgeous. Next play is a read-option keeper for Stafford. The rookie TE is the featured receiver so far and the offense really has the Cardinals defense flummoxed. Drive caps with a Stafford-to-Golladay TD on a simple shallow cross that is very poorly defended. It’s 17-0 and the Lions are in control in all three phases of the game.
And then Jamal Agnew muffs a punt deep in his own territory, Cardinals recover. A spirited red zone defense — keyed by fantastic coverage from Christian Jones on a rollout where Murray only looked at that receiver on 2nd down — keeps the damage to a field goal.
The Lions blew an opportunity to add more just before the half. Stafford and Amendola couldn’t connect on two separate throws, one of which the QB was under heavy pressure. The plays were there, the execution was not.
Impressive half of football from Detroit, up 17-3 at the break.
The Broncos parted ways with two players on the day of the NFL Draft.
Congratulations, Sam Martin, you’ve won the Denver Broncos’ punting job by default!
The Broncos released Colby Wadman and Trevor Daniel on Wednesday, according to KOA Radio’s Brandon Krisztal. That leaves Martin as the only punter remaining on Denver’s roster.
Wadman served as the Broncos’ punter for 12 games in 2018 and all 16 games in 2019, averaging 44.4 yards per punt with a net average of 39.4 yards per boot.
Martin signed a three-year, $7.05 million deal with Denver during free agency. Earning an average of $2.35 million per season made Martin the clear favorite to win the punting job.
In eight seasons with the Detroit Lions, Martin averaged 46 yards per punt with a net average of 41 yards per punt. Martin also handled kickoff duties in Detroit but Brandon McManus is expected to continue kicking off for the Broncos.
Denver has 10 picks to use in the draft and the team will also want to sign 7-9 college free agents after the draft so cutting Wadman and Daniel to create more room on the roster was a logical decision.
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Broncos punter Sam Martin had several jobs — including making pizzas — while in college.
Before he became a professional football player, Broncos punter Sam Martin made pizzas while attending Appalachian State.
“I worked at Pizza Hut, I worked at — I wore many hats while I was in college, just kind of trying to make ends meet,” Martin said on The Michael Rothstein Show last year. “[Division 1] AA at the time, scholarship money wasn’t huge and I was only on a half-scholarship for the first three semesters so I had to get jobs, you know, for when we weren’t playing in season.”
Martin didn’t really think about the possibility of becoming a professional punter until others told him he had the talent for it.
“I kind of only knew what I had heard — that I had a strong leg and, you know, the type of leg that could make it to the NFL — it was just a matter of figuring it out, figuring out how to do it, finding consistency.”
Martin found consistency and was selected by the Lions in the fifth round of the 2013 NFL draft. He spent seven years in Detroit before signing a three-year deal with Denver this offseason. Martin is expected to replace Colby Wadman who, ironically, used to be a pizza delivery driver before joining the Broncos.
Martin shouldn’t have any trouble making ends meet these days. He earned nearly $12 million with the Lions, according to Spotrac.com.
Martin will earn an average of $2.35 million per year in Denver.
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