Thomas Morstead named NFC Special Teams Player of the Week in first game with Falcons

Thomas Morstead named NFC Special Teams Player of the Week in first game with Falcons

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It didn’t take much time for Thomas Morstead to show the Atlanta Falcons how it’s done. The longtime New Orleans Saints punter went turncoat in signing with the dirty birds as a free agent, and he’s already earning accolades. Morstead was named the NFC Special Teams Player of the Week for Week 12, having punted excellently in the Falcons’ 21-14 win over the Jacksonville Jaguars.

Asked to punt five times, Morstead responded by averaging 44.8 yards per try with a long of 55 yards. Three of his five punts landed inside the the Jacksonville 20-yard line and only one of those three possessions ended with points (on a 34-yard Jaguars field goal). Not too shabby for the 35-year-old.

It’s still unsettling to see Morstead wearing those numbers — to say nothing of such an ugly number — but good for him in continuing his career and playing at a high level once the Saints chose to part ways with him. The fact that he did such a great job preparing his replacement Blake Gillikin (October’s NFC Special Teams Player of the Month) is impressive on its own but speaks to his selflessness and team-first attitude.

Here’s to more success for Morstead. Just not when the Saints visit Atlanta to close out the regular season in Week 18.

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