Tag: Thomas Morstead

6 takeaways from Jets’ 32-6 blowout loss to Bills

Here are our six immediate takeaways from the Jets’ 32-6 lopsided defeat to the Bills in Week 11.

The New York Jets are gradually falling out of the AFC playoff race following a 32-6 defeat to the Buffalo Bills in Week 11. With the team’s third consecutive loss, the Jets are now 4-6, and the hopes of Aaron Rodgers making a late-season return to the offense are waning.

For what seems like the billionth time this season, the offense was stagnant, producing just six points on the road in what was essentially a must-win game. Since posting 20 points against the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 6, the Jets have scored 13 or fewer points in four straight games out of their bye week.

Here are our six immediate takeaways from the Jets’ 32-6 lopsided defeat to the Bills in Week 11.

Jets’ Thomas Morstead wins AFC Special Teams Player of the Week for Week 8

Jets’ Thomas Morstead was announced as the AFC Special Teams Player of the Week in Week 8 in overtime win over Giants.

The New York Jets were involved in a low-scoring game in their win over the New York Giants in Week 8, which led to Thomas Morstead remaining busy on special teams. After his stellar performance against the Giants, Morstead was named the AFC Special Teams Player of the Week in Week 8.

In a game where there were 24 punts in total, Morstead punted the ball 11 times for 529 combined yards. The experienced punter had four punts land inside the 20-yard line of the Giants, and three punts that pinned them inside the five-yard line.

While the defense of the Jets did their part in holding the Giants to 10 points, Morstead did his part in making sure the Giants never had positive field position. On the season, Morstead now has the second-most punt yards (1,918) and the fourth-fewest punt return yards allowed (119).

Morstead becomes the third member of the Jets to win the AFC Special Teams Player of the Week honors.

Greg Zuerlein received the honors in Week 5 against the Denver Broncos when he converted all five of his field goals and both of his extra-point tries. And Xavier Gipson won AFC Special Teams Player of the Week in Week 1 versus the Buffalo Bills after scoring a game-winning punt return touchdown in overtime.

After full-circle win, Thomas Morstead grateful for Jets giving him opportunity back in 2021

Thomas Morstead grateful for Jets giving him opportunity back in 2021

Sunday was a full-circle moment for Jets punter Thomas Morstead. The Jets found a way to win an ugly 13-10 game over the New York Giants. After the game, Morstead spoke to reporters and got emotional as he described how grateful he is to the Jets for giving him an opportunity three years ago and then being able to come back.

The Jets originally signed with the Jets in 2021 to fill in for the injured Braden Mann. This was after he was released earlier in the year after 12 seasons with the New Orleans Saints. After Mann came back, Morstead was released and later signed with the Atlanta Falcons.

After a season in Miami, Morstead returned to New York in 2023, again replacing Mann, but this time being the main punter. The Jets played some roster gymnastics at final cutdowns, but there was never any reason to believe Morstead was not going to be the punter this year. He has paid off in a big way.

Sunday against the Giants, Morstead was quite busy. He punted 11 times and still averaged 48.1 yards per punt. Four of his punts landed inside the 20. Morstead is able to flip the field incredibly well and keep the Jets in just about every game.

Morstead is truly grateful for his time with the Jets, even his original signing in 2021. “No one would sign me because I’m old,” Morstead said referring to that 2021 signing in New York.

The fans have also been incredibly supportive of Morstead this season and he has felt that love all season long. “It’s nice to be appreciated for what you’re doing,” Morstead recently told Jets Wire. “It’s nice for fans to appreciate what you bring.

Morstead also can feel like the rest of his team can count on him to make plays when needed, but it’s the fans that are showing just as much love to him.

“I certainly have felt very appreciated by the fan base,” Morstead said. “So thank you, everybody.”

Morstead also took to Twitter to thank the fans after the win Sunday.

Jets fans certainly thank Morstead for his work as well, work that was very much needed and appreciated in the win Sunday.

Former Saints punter Blake Gillikin signs with the Cardinals

Blake Gillikin signed with the Cardinals, replacing another former Saints punter:

The Arizona Cardinals are swapping one former New Orleans Saints punter for another. Per the latest update to the daily NFL transactions wire, the Cardinals have signed Blake Gillikin — opening a spot on their roster by waiving Nolan Cooney.

Gillikin was released by the Saints after they chose to go with rookie punter Lou Hedley this summer, following a training camp battle. Ironically, Gillikin himself beat Cooney (a former Saints undrafted free agent out of Syracuse) for the job two summers ago.

Good luck to him in the desert. Hedley hasn’t performed as well as the Saints hoped when they went with him at punter, but Gillikin has tried out for a couple of different teams before finding the right opportunity. That this is all happening while Thomas Morstead continues to punt well for the New York Jets adds another layer of frustration for Saints faithful.

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Jets quickly bring back Thomas Morstead and Nick Bawden

The Jets have a punter and a fullback again. Morstead and Bawden are back.

The Jets announced the re-signing of punter Thomas Morstead and fullback Nick Bawden Wednesday. Just like Morstead told Jets fans to do, they can relax now.

Both Morstead and Bawden were left off the initial 53-man roster Tuesday but there were clearly handshake deals with both to come back once other moves were made as the Jets did roster gymnastics. Those moves came Wednesday as the Jets placed offensive tackle Carter Warren and tight end Kenny Yeboah on injured reserve. Both are now out for at least four games. They can both return during the season because they were a part of the initial 53.

There was never any doubt about Morstead returning and pretty much the same for Bawden. The Jets pretty much let it be known that Morstead was going to be the man at punter this season and Bawden was getting more involved in the offense. He now can act as the 4th tight end with Yeboah on injured reserve.

So all is well on special teams again for the Jets. They have a punter on the roster. As Morstead said, “We’re gonna be ok.” He even took to X to share his excitement about sticking around with the Jets.

Thomas Morstead tells Jets fans relax and ‘we’re gonna be ok’ after his initial cut

Thomas Morstead says relax.

The Jets showed an example of how teams like to play roster gymnastics on Tuesday. Their initial 53-man roster included a kicker and a long snapper but not a punter. Thomas Morstead was among the group of Jets moved to get the team down to 53 players.

No need to panic here. Morstead took to X to let Jets fans know things are just fine.

The R-E-L-A-X is a classic Aaron Rodgers phrase and this was a good time for it. The Jets likely made some kind of handshake deal with both Morstead and fullback Nick Bawden to come back to the team after these initial cuts. Both were vested veterans, meaning they could sign immediately and were not subject to waivers.

Morstead is the guy for the Jets and there is at least one easy move the Jets can make to get him back and that’s to place rookie offensive tackle Carter Warren on injured reserve. Since Warren made the initial 53, he can be placed on IR and be designated to return later in the season. That should easily get Morstead back with the Jets.

Keep calm. Things will be just fine with the Jets’ punting game this season. Relax.

Studs and duds from Jets’ 21-16 loss to Browns

Here are a couple of studs and duds on the Jets in Thursday’s 21-16 loss to the Browns in the Hall of Fame Game.

The New York Jets opened their preseason schedule against the Cleveland Browns on Thursday night in the Hall of Fame Game, giving us our first taste of a live-action NFL game since the Super Bowl. New York was unable to come away with the victory as Cleveland secured the 21-16 victory.

Both teams rested a plethora of players in their preseason opener, which allowed some of the players competing for roster spots to get more opportunities. Some players performed better than others and there is still time for players that struggled on Thursday night to turn things around before roster cuts are made.

Following Thursday’s loss to the Browns, here are a couple of studs and duds from the Jets.

Cameron Jordan is on track to join Drew Brees in Saints’ exclusive 200 Club

Cameron Jordan is on track to join Drew Brees in the Saints’ exclusive 200 Club. Find some wood and knock on it, just to be safe:

Sports bring out superstitions in a lot of fans, so if you’re more than a little stitious, find some wood and knock on it. But it’s worth noting that Cameron Jordan is in rare air. The big defensive end has been his team’s best defender for a generation, and he’s on pace to join Drew Brees in the New Orleans Saints’ exclusive 200 Club.

That’s right — Brees is the only player in franchise history to wear black and gold into 200 or more regular season games (having done so 228 times). Jordan is entering 2023 with 192 regular season games played in a Saints uniform, so he needs just eight more to achieve it. If you’re curious, that makes Week 8’s Indianapolis Colts road game the one to watch.

But what about postseason games? If you count the playoffs, Jordan (203) has already joined Brees (245). But so have a couple of other all-time greats, and Jordan has some work to do to catch up on No. 9. Here are the members of the Saints’ 200 Club* and those who came close to making the cut:

*Including the playoffs

Thomas Morstead isn’t taking his 15-year NFL career for granted

Thomas Morstead isn’t taking his 15-year NFL career for granted. The longtime Saints punter has caught on with the Jets’ Super Bowl-or-bust campaign:

You won’t find many players who left a team with greater appreciation from the fanbase than Thomas Morstead, and not many of them would be punters. The longtime New Orleans Saints specialist embraced the city, making himself and his family a part of the community — and proving to be a reliable asset on the field whenever the team called his number.

But even good things come to an end. These days Morstead has found himself hitched to the New York Jets’ Super Bowl-or-bust campaign, and he isn’t taking his 15-year NFL career for granted.

“God blessed me with some long legs,” Morstead told Jets Wire managing editor Billy Riccette, “I guess I walked into a casino with 10 bucks and, and have, you know, come out with millions. You know, it’s like, just an awesome dream ride.”

Morstead jump-started his career with a Super Bowl win on the Saints’ legendary 2009 squad, earning his own spot in franchise history with the iconic “Ambush” onside kick coming out of halftime. That he went on to earn Pro Bowl and All-Pro recognition while appearing in 205 games with the Saints (190 regular season, 15 playoffs) is remarkable. That he capped it off by training his own replacement, Blake Gillikin, before moving on to continue his career is laudable.

He’s hoping to lean on that experience now as the Jets go all-in on a Super Bowl run of their own. Morstead isn’t the oldest player on their team (he’s 37; Aaron Rodgers turns 40 in December) but he does feel the generation gap with his younger teammates, and he’s making the most of the opportunity to share these moments with his family. When his children were younger, they didn’t know much about his job besides it taking him away from home all the time. Now he’s involving them as much as he can.

Morstead continued, “And, you know, I think I’ve always had pretty strong whys to take out the making good money and having an awesome career experience, I think I’ve had a really strong set of whys as to what kept me going, you know, my kids are old enough, they kind of know what’s going on now. So it’s really cool to be playing, and having experiences with them, where they get to be a part of it. You know, stuff that not a lot of guys get a chance to do.”

You can read Riccette’s full interview with Morstead here as he discusses his NFL experiences, why he went to the Jets this season, and what he hopes to accomplish in the fall. So long as he isn’t playing against the Saints, we’ll be rooting for him. Hopefully he can return home some day and retire in black and gold.

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Thomas Morstead talks long NFL career, excitement for upcoming season with Jets Wire

We had a chance to talk with Jets punter Thomas Morstead about his career and his excitement and goals for this season.

Jets punter Thomas Morstead is now one of the “elder statesmen” of the NFL, as he put it. But that’s just one of the exciting parts of the 2023 New York Jets, having that veteran presence back there punting and being a key piece of the special teams and the team as a whole.

Morstead is entering his 15th NFL season and first full season with the Jets. He played seven games in New York in 2021 along with seven in Atlanta and spent last season with the Miami Dolphins. Before that, his first 12 seasons were with the team that drafted him, the New Orleans Saints. That includes an All-Pro season in 2012.

How does a punter last so long in the NFL? Love of the game certainly helps.

“I love doing all the work that’s required to be great at this job,” Morstead told Jets Wire. “I love the weight room. I love punting. I love competing. And, you know, I think I’ve always had pretty strong whys to take out the making good money and having an awesome career experience, I think I’ve had a really strong set of whys as to what kept me going, you know, my kids are old enough, they kind of know what’s going on now. So it’s really cool to be playing, and having experiences with them, where they get to be a part of it. You know, stuff that not a lot of guys get a chance to do.”

For a player who started kicking a rugby ball in Europe and wasn’t even a preferred walk-on at SMU, 15 years in the NFL isn’t too shabby. As Morstead put it: “God blessed me with some long legs.”

A little bit of luck never hurts and, for Morstead, it was like hitting the jackpot. “I guess I walked into a casino with 10 bucks and, and have, you know, come out with millions, you know, it’s like, just an awesome dream ride.”

And when you spend so much time on your technique, chances are you’re going to last a long time. “I wouldn’t say I’ve mastered it because we all look foolish sometimes,” he said. “But I think I would put my technique in the way that I do my job up against anybody in the history of the game. That’s how confident I am in my mechanics and how I operate and I think that’s why I’m still competing against kids that are 15 years younger than me.”

For 2023, some of those “kids” include Quinnen Williams and Sauce Gardner, but he’s actually younger than the starting quarterback. Morstead turned 37 in March, while Aaron Rodgers turns 40 in December. Having an “all-timer” like Rodgers “elevates everybody” as Morstead put it. “It’s really exciting to see the defense going back and forth with the offense right now and just how it’s good on good. It’s highly competitive every day.”

Morstead adds that a quarterback like Rodgers “can win you a game every week.”

Morstead also shared some insight into his decision to come back to the Jets and that familiarity played a factor in his decision. Having the same special teams coach (Brant Boyer), general manager (Joe Douglas), head coach (Robert Saleh) and long snapper (Thomas Hennessy) made it easier for him to come back to New York.

He also added that “not only did I know what I was getting myself into and how they operated here, they also knew who they were getting because I had been here.”

The Jets brought back Morstead to replace 2020 draft pick Braden Mann, who took a step backward in 2022, causing the Jets to look into upgrading the position. Morstead averaged 46.4 yards on 61 punts last season while Mann had an average of 46.9 yards on 83 punts.

But a key stat that helps separate the two: Morstead had almost 46% of his punts inside the 20 and only two touchbacks. Mann had just 32.5% inside the 20 and eight touchbacks. That alone should help the Jets improve field position on both sides of the ball.

And as far as goals for the upcoming season, Morstead just wants to be a reliable teammate.

“I want my teammates to be whenever I go out there personally that they know I’ve got it handled and that they are glad that I’m their punter every week and not the other team’s guy. So I’ll just kind of stay in my lane and be as good as I possibly can be. And if I do that, I know that more often than not hopefully my teammates will feel that way about me and not just them that doesn’t just come down to performance it also comes down to you know doing things the right way leading in the right way. And so that’s kind of a non-quantifiable goal of mine. It’s just to be you know, just elitely reliable if that makes sense.”