Jets Punters

That piece of shit booted one 80 + yards last week.

The real question is how did we get to the point where we don't have anyone at all on the roster who can return a punt forward five or ten yards? Field position killed us last night.

 

If I can boot a football 50+ yards consistently, can i call up Jets FO and ask for an open tryout?

 

Weatherford was a pussy and didn't want to stay with us if Westhoff was the coach. I thought Malone has been alright, but already this season/preseason he hasn't been great.

 

Kickalicious

 

Um, probably.

If you didn't play in college they would be a lot less likely to give you the time of day, though.

I don't understand how our punter was able to punt 84 yards last week, and this week he has like 11 punts and none of them go anywhere near that. My Division IA college's punter was like 55 - 60 yards consistently and attracted not a whiff of interest from NFL scouts - so I don't really know what they look for in NFL punters, because punting ability can't be the #1 factor. I don't think it could be bias against the school for not being Division I, because a QB was drafted from the college recently and I think they would have noticed the punter if they thought 60 yards was good.

I'd still try, though.

 

We should't be punting anyway. Kill the punter.

 

Let me follow that up with a serious question: Why does about every team waste not only one but TWO roster spots on two guys who do the same thing...kick the fucking football.

ME? If I were GM, HC, ST coach? my FG kicker would learn how to kick the fucking ball out of mid air and drop it inside the 20. Christ...half the QB's in the league can pooch punt. Punting aint that hard. I would waste a roster spot on ONE leg that can kick the ball out of the endzone on kick offs & punts, plus make a few FGs and extra points along the way.

 

Okay, upon further review...

Malone's 84 yard punt in Week 1 was the 13th longest punt in the history of the NFL. (It was a 4-way tie.) His previous longest NFL punts were in the 60s.

The longest punt ever was 98 yards (!!!) by Steve O'Neal of the New York Jets, in 1969, as a rookie. He also completed 1 pass for 2 yards (Hope he converted that 4th down.) He also fumbled and lost the ball 3 times in 3 years, which probably explains why his career only lasted 4 years (the 4th was with the Saints, where he also fumbled and lost the ball, and was then out of the league. And punters in those days got paid the big bucks, I'm talkin' 20, even 30 thousand dollars a year!)

Anyway- meh, I guess Malone is fine, he's ok, but next year we should bring in some punters with high averages from small schools and see if we can get someone who averages 50+ instead of ~45.

It is interesting that the average punt distance has steadily increased through the years. The reason they time guys' 40 yard dash time at the combine is because that used to be the average distance a punt went, back in the day. Now it's around 45 yards, so I guess every year the average punt gets maybe an inch or two longer.

 

I never realized Belichick followed TGG, but here's his reply to my question above:

Bill Belichick gives special teams history lesson

http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.co...ver-said-sanchez-won-the-competition/related/



Bill Belichick knows his NFL history.

We were reminded of this Friday, when the Patriots’ head coach spent a portion of his Friday press conference talking about special teams.

The really interesting stuff came when Belichick was asked why he liked having punters hold on field goal attempts.

Belichick, who coached special teams in the 1970s and 1980s, contrasted how clubs filled the special teams positions now compared to when he entered the NFL in the mid-1970s.

“Most teams had kickers, most of the punters played another position and I would say all of the long-snappers played another position, either center or linebacker or tight end or whatever it was,” Belichick recalled, according to a transcript from the club. “Then punters became pretty much specialized so every team carried a kicker and a punter. Occasionally you had a guy who could do both but that was more the exception than the rule.

“Eventually, teams started going to just pure long-snappers. Like [former Giant] Steve DeOssie, who came into the league as a linebacker/snapper, kind of ended as a snapper and was one of the best snappers in the league. He was part of that transition and in that era where teams went and committed fully to a long-snapper that played no other position. You’ve also seen that now in college. Most college teams have a pure snapper as well as a pure kicker and a pure punter.

“I just think that when you have that situation, if your punter can hold, then the amount of snaps and time that those guys get to practice together, work together, meet together, watch film together, watch slow-motions films, concentrate on the technique as opposed to the backup quarterback or somebody like that who has a lot of other responsibilities.”

Belichick also noted the role of expanded rosters in allowing teams to carry specialists on special teams.

“There was kind of that transition there from maybe ’85 to the early-‘90s. I’d say by around ’95 or so, it was pretty much one snapper, one kicker, one punter on every team,” Belichick said. “Also as the roster numbers have creeped up as well, that’s made it affordable. When you’re down in the 30s then it’s a lot tougher to carry one of each of those; that slices into your roster pretty good. The rules have made it much easier to do.”

Me: Thanks Bill, I appreciate you getting right back to me. Next time feel free to post your answer directly on TGG. FBG214

 

sec. 314, Dierking's question addresses the real issue with the Jets punting special teams, that is, the receiving end which is clearly a greater concern at this juncture.

Robert Malone was an UDFA out of Fresno State that was with a few teams before coming to the Jets to replace T.J. Conley.

T.J. Conley (a Jet pick that I blasted here on TGG from day one) had led the NCAA with a 47+ yard gross average. I hated him because his "line drive" yards-per-average numbers were inflated. Univ. of Idaho Vandals play in an indoor stadium and Conley didn't have any cold weather games on his schedule his senior year.

But MUCH more importantly, Conley's hang time was notably lacking and it was exposed in the NFL, especially when he tried to air it out.

Malone on the other hand was noted as a directional punter while at Fresno State. I saw him first hand up close warming up when Fresno State came east to play Rutgers and even then I could see this guy was better than "Numbers" Conley.

Stats arent the whole story--Conley kicked in a controlled environment vacuum; and his NCAA "gross average" numbers were not fully indicative of his NFL-readiness.

As for Weathsford, he too kicked around with a few team out of Illinios before signing with the Jets in 2009. The Jets were going into the 2009 season originally with Reggie Hodges and the aforementioned 'line drive' Conley.

Weathersford is a very good athlete who did a good job for the Jets overall. If you recall, he had that irregular heartbeat scare that kept him out of the Jets - Bengals playoff game that year. Do you remember who punted for the Jets in that playoff win in Cincy?

Jay Feeley, that's who. His average that game: 7 punts for an average of 31 yards per punt!

THIRTY ONE YARDS. And that is why EVERY NFL team dedicates 2 roster sport for a punter and a kicker (think: Shane Lechler & Sebastian Janakowski when they were together with the Raiders).

Weathersford's relationship with Westy soured after the 2010 season. In subsequent interviews Westhoff kind of suggested that he thought Weathersford was a bit of a choke artist. Myself, I always thought that Westy was being tempermentally rash on that one. Hey, as good as Weathersford's been with the Giants (including very clutch in the Super Bowl), do you also recall the shank/brick he hit in this year's Jet-Giant game at cruch time?

Fast forward to this year: the Jets did bring in someone to compete with Malone, Ryan Quigley out of Boston College who was an UDFA pick of the Chicago Bears. I saw both these guys for the better part of a week up in Cortland and I saw from Malone, a bigger leg with AGAIN, MORE IMPORTANTLY, clearly better hang time (per my posts in the "Traing Camp Day #8" and "Green & White Srimmage Report" threads).

Malone had a sub-par game this past Thursday but not as disastrous as you're making it out to be. Further, he is far from being the "piece of shit" that you've described him as. Far from it.

This one-time directional punter imho did a good job filling in last year and I wouldn't put stock in one crappy game in the rain. Remember the Pats' punter's last punt--even with no Jet back to receive--hit a brick that hit and bounced backwards (the Jets best "return" of the night!).

to sum up sec2014, maybe Malone's back is stil bugging him (recall he sat out during the end of pre-season), but anyway, all due respect, I think you're over playing the "punting" end of this. As Dierking pointed out, the "punt receiving" is what must be addressed at this moment.


Footballgod214 et al, guys, punting and placekicking require two different skill sets; why punters are more the 'athlete' who played other positions such as QB. Punters must have great hands and must adjust their footwork and coordinate that with getting the punt off "on time" with varying long-snaps (not every snap is right on-the-money, not to mention in late season winds, etc.).


......just passing time watching "College Gameday" from A&M waiting for the final picks at the 12:00 conclusion of the show (Lyle Lovette late guest). One thing I've noticed: the kids at A&M seem to be a relatively classy bunch of youngin's. I don't hear half the booing and derisive chanting when the "visiting team" is mentioned that you hear when the show's hosted on other campuses. Impressive, this "12th Man" of theirs.

That said, Roll Tide! and of course, Go Jets!!

 

we haven't had a real good punter since Tom Tupa

 

This is better analysis of special teams play than I've encountered in the last twenty years of combined newspaper and TV football coverage. Good fucking job, man.

I agree about Malone. He had a good year last year with regards to both distance and direction. Not so great on Thursday, but it's hardly "anyone but Malone" time.

 

I have a question about special teams play calling.
Do you TGG'ers think they called for the block punt formations because of the field position of the Patriots, or because Kyle Wilson looks like a deer in the headlights when handling punt returns?
The reason I am asking is, NE punted the ball 11 times for 514 yards in this game. Out of those 11 punts, there were 3 touch backs, and 2 fair catches. The other were 5 downed by NE.
Kyle fair caught 1 punt within the Jets own 10 yard line which is really dangerous, especially in the rain.
He also returned 2 punts for 7 yards, and his only other fair catch came when the nearest defender was still 15 yards away.
I felt like he made every wrong decision possible when it came to punt returns.

I also really hate that the NFL moved up the kickoff's 5 yards. It totally takes away from the special teams.

 

Thanks Flash, and kind regards.

 

Looks like we signed Ryan Quigley...who knows anything about this guy?

Jets | Make roster moves
Mon, 16 Sep 2013 09:03:17 -0700
The New York Jets released P Robert Malone Monday, Sept. 16. In a corresponding move, the team re-signed P Ryan Quigley. Terms of the contract were not disclosed.


Read more: http://www.kffl.com/hotw/NFL?page=1#ixzz2f52NV5S1

 

Kiss your ass?

You want to make a point, fine.

However you want to go about it in that fashion? Go invaginate yourself.