Tag: Tommy Townsend

Chiefs ST coordinator Dave Toub shares thoughts on new punter Tommy Townsend

Special teams coordinator Dave Toub fielded questions Thursday about the team’s new punter during his training camp press conference.

The Kansas City Chiefs are entering the upcoming season with a new punter for the first time since 2005. A position firmly held by fan-favorite Dustin Colquitt, up until the 38-year-old was waived this past offseason.

The Chiefs have since turned the punting duties over to 23-year old undrafted rookie Tommy Townsend. Special teams coordinator Dave Toub fielded questions Thursday about the team’s new punter during his training camp press conference.

“We originally saw Tommy at the combine, and I felt like he was the best punter at the combine. We had a draftable grade on him,” said Toub. “Obviously he wasn’t drafted, so he was a guy that we went after real strong, and those guys did a great job of being able to get him in our building. I’m really happy with his performance so far. He’s done a great job. He’s really consistent. He really bombs the ball. He gets the ball off quick, he’s athletic. He’s everything you’re looking for.”

Townsend played collegiately starting at the University of Tennessee before transferring to the University of Florida. He recorded a career-long 71-yard punt during his college tenure and has been infamous for pulling off fake punts during games. It’s a skill that could add an extra wrinkle to Toub’s game plan, but for now, he seems focused on getting the rookie settled with the basics in camp.

“We don’t have less time at all, we have the same amount of time that we’ve always had.” said Toub ”In fact, the ramp-up period was really good because the ramp-up period allowed us to put in what we would normally do during the OTAs and those things. So, that was good time for us. Being able to teach fundamentals for those young guys is critical. Now, we’re getting into more of the team and the scheme stuff of it and now they put all those fundamentals together and we get to see what kind of football players these guys are. Like I said, it’s unfortunate for those guys that there’s no preseason games, but we have to do the best we can in the team periods that we have to evaluate these guys in and make decisions. Now, the other guys are going to have a leg up. The guys that we’ve had before that are game-proven, those guys are going to have a leg up, and that’s just the way it is.”

Colquitt was tremendous in the Kansas City community, regularly nominated for the Walter Payton Man of The Year award. His consistency on the field and off the field, whenever his number was called, is another trademark that Townsend will be expected to pick up this season and during the course of his career.

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Chiefs UDFA Spotlight: Florida P Tommy Townsend

How does Florida P Tommy Townsend fit with the Kansas City Chiefs?

The top-rated punter coming out of high school, Townsend originally signed with the University of Tennessee. He redshirted with the Volunteers in 2016 before transferring to the University of Florida the following season. He didn’t play at all for the Gators in 2017 but would go on to become their starting punter.

In 2018, Townsend burst onto the scene, impressing with his strong leg. His 71-yard punt against LSU tied for the seventh-longest punt in school history. He earned recognition as a semifinalist for the Ray Guy Award for the best punter in college football in both of his two seasons in Florida.

Townsend’s brother, Johnny, also played for the Gators. He was a fifth-round draft pick by the Oakland Raiders in 2018 but is currently a free agent.

Stats:

2018: 13 games played. 51 punts for 2,315 yards. 24 punts inside the 20-yard line.

2019: 13 games played. 42 punts for 1,847 yards. 20 punts inside the 20-yard line.

Combine/pro day results

Height: 6-foot-1
Weight: 191 pounds
Hands: 9 1/8″
Arms: 32 1/8″
40-yard dash: 4.71
10-yard split: 1.64
225-pound bench: N/A
Vertical: N/A
Broad Jump: N/A
20-yard shuttle: N/A
3-Cone Drill: N/A

Highlights & Film:

Fit with the Chiefs:

Townsend was brought in as the successor to the Chiefs’ punter of the last 15 years, Dustin Colquitt. Assistant head coach and special teams coordinator Dave Toub had Townsend ranked as his top-rated punter in the 2020 NFL Draft. He’ll be in what is described as an open competition for the starting punting job with free-agent acquisition Tyler Newsome.

“Tommy [Townsend] is a little [cleaner] in his technique as far as consistency, whereas Tyler [Newsome] is a little more erratic,” Toub told reporters in May. “But the results are the same. They both bomb the ball. We just need to clean Tyler up a bit more. But I’ll tell you what, the competition is going to be real fun.”

One area that could put Townsend over the top in this competition is his ability as a holder. Colquitt was also the holder for Harrison Butker in Kansas City, so the new punter will also have to fill that job. Townsend has experience as a holder for the dating back to high school. Newsome doesn’t have as much experience in that regard. Townsend’s kicker in 2019, Evan McPherson, was nearly perfect on extra points, missing just one on the season. He also was 17-of-19 field goals.

Fake punts are also a part of Townsend’s arsenal. He ran several successful fakes with the Gators, showing off his wheels. At the 2020 NFL Scouting Combine, he had the fastest 40-yard dash among punters.

Even without OTAs and minicamp, it feels like the punting job in Kansas City is Townsend’s to lose. He can secure the job with a good performance to open up training camp and into the preseason, shortened or not.

Chiefs’ undrafted free agent

Position Player School Article Release Date
QB Shea Patterson Michigan 5/26
WR Maurice Ffrench Pittsburgh 5/28
LB Bryan Wright Cincinnati 6/2
OC Darryl Williams Miss. St. 6/6
CB Hakeem Bailey West Virginia 6/8
P Tommy Townsend Florida 6/14
WR Kalija Lipscomb Vanderbilt TBA
DB Rodney Clemons SMU TBA
OT Yasir Durant Missouri TBA
DE Tershawn Wharton Missouri S&T TBA
WR Justice Shelton-Mosley Vanderbilt TBA
CB Jalen Julius Ole Miss TBA
WR Aleva Hifo BYU TBA
LB Omari Cobb Marshall TBA
WR Cody White Michigan St. TBA
CB Lavert Hill Michigan TBA
WR Andre Baccelia Washington TBA
OG Jovahn Fair Temple TBA
CB Javaris Davis Auburn TBA

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Dave Toub details Chiefs’ punting competition between Tommy Townsend, Tyler Newsome

What is Kansas City Chiefs special teams coordinator Dave Toub looking for in his new punter?

If there is one position truly up for grabs for the Kansas City Chiefs during the 2020 offseason, it’s the punter position.

The Chiefs recently said goodbye to longtime punter Dustin Colquitt and with that decision comes a new punter battle in Kansas City. The Chiefs brought in free agent punter Tyler Newsome ahead of the 2020 NFL draft. They also signed their top-rated punter, Tommy Townsend, as an undrafted free agent following the draft.

“The kid’s got a lot of talent,” Toub said of Townsend during Tuesday’s media availability. “We really liked him coming out. I had him rated as the best punter coming out this year and he was available for us, and those guys got it done to get him. So that was a pretty good deal.”

Toub has been with Colquitt for the last seven seasons, so what is he looking for out of a new punter? Right now, it appears he’s just looking forward to a good competition between the two players in Kansas City.

“The No. 1 thing is, it is going to be a true competition,” Toub said. “There’s nobody really out in front right now as we look at it. I like them both. They’ve both got really strong legs, really powerful legs. They consistently hit over 5.0 [second] hang times, which is impressive. Tommy [Townsend] is a little [cleaner] in his technique as far as consistency, whereas Tyler [Newsome] is a little more erratic. But the results are the same. They both bomb the ball. We just need to clean Tyler up a bit more. But I’ll tell you what, the competition is going to be real fun.”

It sounds like Townsend is a bit ahead of Newsome early on in the process, but keep in mind that Toub hasn’t had an opportunity to coach these players hands-on yet. In lieu of the ability to work with the coaching staff, Harrison Butker and James Winchester are taking a role in developing the new punters, videotaping all the work they’re currently doing together.

“Right now, we’re kind of fortunate because those guys can get together and kick and work on the operation and they can do that on their own,” Toub explained. “So, we can work our skillset whereas to play football, you need 22 guys out there. It’s good for us at this time to be able to do those kinds of things. We just can’t sit down and meet face-to-face and I can’t be out there watching them, that’s the unfortunate thing. They video everything they do, and they send it to me, and we talk about it virtually. Yeah, it’s going to set us back a little bit because during this time of the year is when you’re working fundamentals with everybody else, and that’s going to be set back. But everybody’s in the same boat, we’re just going to have to hit the ground running when we do get to camp, or when we all get together.”

While the punting competition is currently taking place in the virtual space, rest assured that it won’t really kick-off until these players can get in front of their position coach. That’s when the real fun will begin.

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New Chiefs punter Tommy Townsend looking to create his own legacy in Kansas City

Don’t compare Townsend to Dustin Colquitt, but hold him to the same standard of excellence with the Kansas City Chiefs.

For the first time in 15 seasons, the Kansas City Chiefs will have a new punter in the locker room. One of the players vying for that job is undrafted free agent punter, Tommy Townsend. While there was competition for his services following the draft, Townsend knew that he made the right decision by joining the Chiefs.

“I’ve been hearing amazing things about the Chiefs, the coaching staff and just the culture that the Chiefs organization brings forward,” Townsend told reporters on Wednesday. “So, it was always something in the back of my mind that told me the Chiefs would be a really great spot for me, and it played out that way.”

Townsend didn’t anticipate Dustin Colquitt’s departure, in fact, he’d been looking forward to learning from Colquitt. He’d become familiar with him during his freshman year of college when he was with the Tennessee Volunteers, the alma mater of the Colquitt brothers.

“I actually met Britton (Colquitt) when I was at Tennessee,” Townsend said. “He came out and got some work in with us. I’ve heard stuff about Dustin (Colquitt). He’s a legend, not just for the punting industry, but for the Chiefs and throughout the NFL. Just to get a chance to work with him and learn from him is hard to pass up.”

Dustin’s departure from Kansas City was a signal to Townsend — one that let him know the Chiefs believed in his abilities.

“It definitely meant a lot,” Townsend said. “They’ve been with Dustin for a really long time. He’s a guy that has done everything the right way. The biggest thing for me is, I’m just trying to make a name for myself and become my own person. That’s what I’m really excited about.”

Townsend has wasted no time and is already getting familiar with the two players he’ll be working with most, kicker Harrison Butker and long snapper James Winchester.

“I’ve spoken to them a lot,” Townsend said.  “I think that’s a big thing, having them get comfortable with me. That’s kind of one of my main goals is getting comfortable with Harrison (Butker) and James (Winchester) and having a really good, smooth and efficient operation.”

In addition to working with his teammates, Townsend participated in the Chiefs’ virtual rookie minicamp this past weekend, working with Dave Toub and the rest of the coaching staff.

“We’ve spoken a bunch, but we just finished the virtual rookie minicamp and we went over schemes and stuff like that,” Townsend explained. “So, I’ve gotten a little bit of a taste for what we’re doing in Kansas City. And I’ve gotten a chance to watch all the film from the past few seasons, and that’s kind of something I’ve been pushing for and working on is to get a feeling and understanding of the schemes that we’re using here in Kansas City and just trying to learn that. And on the holding, I’ve been holding since high school. It’s something that I’m fairly confident in. Like I said, I’ve been a holder since high school, and I also held the two seasons that I played at Florida and we did pretty well there. I’m just excited, like I said a minute ago, I’m just really excited to get to work with Harrison (Butker) and James (Winchester) to try to make the operation as efficient as possible.”

Townsend, of course, has big shoes to fill coming into Kansas City after Colquitt’s tenure. He believes that he’s prepared for the task after having to do the same with his own brother at the University of Florida.

“I think I did that at Florida,” Townsend said. “My brother (Johnny Townsend) led the country in punting average for two seasons before coming out and he was a legend at Florida. I had to come in and step into his shoes and perform. I think I did a decent job stepping in and filling his shoes. I’m really excited about the chance to step in after a guy like Dustin (Colquitt). He’s an absolute legend, so it’s exciting to have the chance to try and live up to the standard that he has set. That’s something that doesn’t scare me, it excites me. To me, it’s an opportunity to try and do what he’s done.”

Townsend’s brother was drafted by the Oakland Raiders in the fifth round of the 2018 NFL draft. He’s currently a free agent, but he was one of the best punters in Florida Gators history.

At the end of the day, Townsend wants to be the guy who is in Kansas City for the next 15 years. He doesn’t want to live in the shadow of Colquitt’s legacy, but he wants to compete against the standard set by Colquitt and create a legacy of his own in the NFL.

Who will be punter for Chiefs following release of Dustin Colquitt?

The Kansas City Chiefs have two punters on the roster, Tyler Newsome and Tommy Townsend, who will look to earn the starting job.

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The Kansas City Chiefs said goodbye to longtime punter Dustin Colquitt, releasing the 15-year veteran. It’s a tough pill to swallow for Chiefs fans, as another beloved player leaves the franchise. He was a lovable goofball with the fans and his teammates, as well as one of the best leaders in the locker room.

While Colquitt won’t be easily replaced, Kansas City will spend the offseason searching for their punter of the future. Colquitt also was the holder for the Chiefs’ kicking unit. Earlier this year, Chiefs special teams coach Dave Toub called him the best holder he’s ever had during his 19 years coaching special teams. Finding an adequate replacement there will be just as important for as finding one that can boot punts inside the 20-yard line on the regular.

Right now the Chiefs have two punters on the roster, free agent signing Tyler Newsome and undrafted free agent signing Tommy Townsend.

Newsome is  6-3 and 219 pounds, playing college football at Notre Dame. He spent some time with the Chargers in 2019 but was released during 53-man roster cuts. He posted a career average of 44 yards per punt with the Fighting Irish, accumulating 9,909 punting yards in his four-year career. 75 of his 225 punts with Notre Dame landed within the 20-yard line. The one area of concern is that Newsome doesn’t appear to have experience as the holder at Notre Dame. You can find out more about Newsome here.

The newest punter for the Chiefs, Townsend was a transfer to Florida from Tennessee. Listed at 6-2 and 176 pounds, Townsend is a bit slighter than Newsome. During the 2018 college football season, he averaged 45.4 yards per punt on 51 total punts, earning recognition as a semifinalist for the Ray Guy Award. During his senior season in 2019, he averaged 44 yards per punt on just 42 punts. Through the course of his career at Florida, 47.3% of his punts landed within the 20-yard line.

Two important factors might give Townsend the edge over Newsome. First, he was also the holder for the kicking game. His kicker in 2019, Evan McPherson, made 47-of-48 extra points and 17-of-19 field goals on the season. The second factor is that Townsend is athletic, running the second-fastest 40-yard dash among punters at the combine. That means he can be utilized on trick plays on special teams.

The Chiefs are gearing up for a training camp battle at the punter position. One of these two players will come out on top. If they don’t, Kansas City will be forced to look elsewhere for a punter, perhaps during 53-man roster cuts.