Guess who was last in punting?

[carolinatony]

Dallas News Special teams rankings: Browns find bright spot after tough year | Sports News | News for Dallas, Texas | Dallas Morning News

May need to upgrade this position.

PUNTING
Best: Oakland, 51.1 yards
Worst: New England, 39.0 yards


NET PUNTING
Best: Oakland, 43.9 yards
Worst: New England, 34.0 yards

 

[ctpatsfan77]

Dallas News Special teams rankings: Browns find bright spot after tough year | Sports News | News for Dallas, Texas | Dallas Morning News

May need to upgrade this position.

PUNTING
Best: Oakland, 51.1 yards
Worst: New England, 39.0 yards


NET PUNTING
Best: Oakland, 43.9 yards
Worst: New England, 34.0 yards

Of course, that ignores the fact that if OAK is averaging 51 gross yards per punt, their average punting position must be no less than 51 yards from the EZ. . . .

 

[Box_O_Rocks]

Dallas News Special teams rankings: Browns find bright spot after tough year | Sports News | News for Dallas, Texas | Dallas Morning News

May need to upgrade this position.

PUNTING
Best: Oakland, 51.1 yards
Worst: New England, 39.0 yards


NET PUNTING
Best: Oakland, 43.9 yards
Worst: New England, 34.0 yards

Well, yes, but this topic is being argued all over the forum and these numbers never tell the entire story.

 

[DaBruinz]

Looking at JUST Net Punting Yards doesn't tell the whole story even remotely.

Like, for instance, how many punts inside the 20 the team had. Or how many punts were actually returned. There are so many flaws with the through process here that I'm not even sure where to begin. And it's kind of surprising coming from a veteran poster like yourself, Tony.

 

[NePatriots]

While those numbers don't tell the WHOLE story, you can't just throw them out altogether.

Lechler - 97 punts (51.1avg): 13% fair caught, 30 inside the 20, 8 inside the 10
Field Positon Stats here

Hanson - 56 punts (39.7avg): 28% fair caught, 18 inside the 20, 5 inside the 10
Field Position Stats here

Lechler has the advantage in having more field to punt to, but he is clearly a better punter.

 

[carolinatony]

While those numbers don't tell the WHOLE story, but you can't just throw them out altogether.

Lechler - 97 punts (51.1avg): 13% fair caught, 30 inside the 20, 8 inside the 10
Field Positon Stats here

Hanson - 56 punts (39.7avg): 28% fair caught, 18 inside the 20, 5 inside the 10
Field Position Stats here

I would swap punters

 

[PatsChamp88]

We have more important things to worry about, some competition won't hurt but lets focus on having to punt less by getting some more receivers.

 

[Metaphors]

Looking at JUST Net Punting Yards doesn't tell the whole story even remotely.

Like, for instance, how many punts inside the 20 the team had. Or how many punts were actually returned. There are so many flaws with the through process here that I'm not even sure where to begin. And it's kind of surprising coming from a veteran poster like yourself, Tony.

I agree but if your average punt only goes 40 yards, it should almost never be returnable. And when it is returned, the return guy shouldn't able to get very far. Unfortunately, that isn't the reality with Hanson. He has about one-third of his punts returned (which is good) for about a 10-yard average (which is not).

When asked to significantly change field position, Hanson generally can't pull it off. If he does go for distance (anything over 40 yards for him), it is flat with poor hangtime. When you punt from your 40 and the other team ends up near their 30, it puts pressure on the offense to get to midfield on almost every possession. When you punt from your 20 and the opposition starts on your side of the field, it is a gut punch to the defense.

All 3 phases need to work together. If the kicking game isn't pulling their weight, the other phases have to pick up the slack. This means trying to do more than they are able to do or the coaching staff not being able to run the gameplan they want.

With a boatload of late round picks (including comp picks that can't be traded), there really isn't an excuse not to bring in someone to replace Hanson.

 

[NePatriots]

With a boatload of late round picks (including comp picks that can't be traded), there really isn't an excuse not to bring in someone to replace Hanson.

I would love to see the Patriots bring in Mike Brandtner (Iowa State) with one of their 7th round comp picks. He has all the tools that the Patriots look for (or seem to look for) in a Punter. Good hang time, accuracy, and is a very good holder. He only allowed like 35 yards of Punt returns all year.

 

[spacecrime]

While those numbers don't tell the WHOLE story, you can't just throw them out altogether.

Lechler - 97 punts (51.1avg): 13% fair caught, 30 inside the 20, 8 inside the 10
Field Positon Stats here

Hanson - 56 punts (39.7avg): 28% fair caught, 18 inside the 20, 5 inside the 10
Field Position Stats here

Lechler has the advantage in having more field to punt to, but he is clearly a better punter.

??? How do you get that? From those stats Hanson is the better punter. He has a higher percentage fair caught (28% vs 13%), higher percentage inside the 20 (32% vs 31%), and a higher percentage inside the 10 (9% vs 8%).

 

[Metaphors]

I would love to see the Patriots bring in Mike Brandtner (Iowa State) with one of their 7th round comp picks. He has all the tools that the Patriots look for (or seem to look for) in a Punter. Good hang time, accuracy, and is a very good holder. He only allowed like 35 yards of Punt returns all year.

I had Matt Dodge on my list only because I got to see a couple of ECU games. He seemed to boom the ball consistently but still had good touch inside the 20. I didn't notice him being slow to deliver the kick but apparently he was timed during Senior Bowl practices and he was reported to be glacial. Now I'm worried about Dodge so I may have to adopt Brandtner instead.

 

[NePatriots]

I had Matt Dodge on my list only because I got to see a couple of ECU games. He seemed to boom the ball consistently but still had good touch inside the 20. I didn't notice him being slow to deliver the kick but apparently he was timed during Senior Bowl practices and he was reported to be glacial. Now I'm worried about Dodge so I may have to adopt Brandtner instead.

Yeah, Dodge seemed a bit slow. Brandtner isn't the fastest I've seen, but he has never had a punt blocked.

 

[billdog3484]

with punting, numbers can be a bit deceiving. for example, one game in college i punted from the 25, 30, 35, 40 and opposing 40. thus for my first 4 punts, the best average i could have had was 32.5, but if my average was 32.5, i wouldnt be doing my job. i had 4 punts inside the 10 with a 23.5 yard average. if you were at the game youd think i was incredible, if you saw the numbers in the paper youd think i was a bum.

also, punting in Oakland is much different than punting in Massachusetts. I can assure you the ball travels much much further when the air is warmer. plus, your leg muscles are looser and you get better extension with your leg. these are all things that have to be considered. ill tell you right now, you will never see a punter from the northeast have an average over 50. wont ever happen.

nonetheless, hanson doesnt do it for me. his distance kicking, while at times, great, is much too inconsistent. his ability to pin the opponents inside the ten is below league average. although, during the second half of this year he seemed to get better at that

 

[TheComeback]

Hanson's nothing special, but he's not the worst punter in the league. That said, I'd definitely draft someone and hold a competition. Why not? There's nothing to lose and a lot to gain. Having a great punter can help a team just as much, if not more, than having a great kicker because of the impact on field position.

 

[Box_O_Rocks]

Scouting Report: Zoltan Mesko

 

[MaineMan]

Dallas News Special teams rankings: Browns find bright spot after tough year | Sports News | News for Dallas, Texas | Dallas Morning News

May need to upgrade this position.

PUNTING
Best: Oakland, 51.1 yards
Worst: New England, 39.0 yards


NET PUNTING
Best: Oakland, 43.9 yards
Worst: New England, 34.0 yards

Raw stats like this are totally useless taken out of context. For instance, how often was Oakland punting from its own 20? From the 50? From just outside FG range? How does this compare to the Pats?

How many times did Hanson punt from, say, the opposition 45, and the ball bounced into the endzone (for a 25-yard net)? How many times did Hanson punt from the opposition 45 and a fair-catch was called at the 10 (35-yard net)?

What was the opposition's average field position after a Hanson punt compared to a Graham punt?

Really, I'd have to see all these stats compiled for every punter in the league and then make a comparison based on that before I'd be willing to make a judgment about Hanson's punting contribution.

 

[Patriot Missile]

Scouting Report: Zoltan Mesko

Now that's someone we should consider.

 

[Box_O_Rocks]

Now that's someone we should consider.

Horrid Senior Bowl. Research Brandtner (Iowa) 4 of 6 Punts in the Texas v Nation game downed inside the 20...

 

[FreeTedWilliams]

The big problem with Hanson is when they Pats are backed up, he can not get the ball back out past the fifty. I've been crying for the Pats to draft a punter for years now. Lechler is the best punter in the NFL, hands down. He was scheduled to be a FA this year, but I think the raiders locked him up.

The kid from Va Tech is a decent looking punting prospect. but whenever you think of switching out the punter, you have to remember that he doubles as the holder, and although Hansen is not the greatest punter in the world, he has never pulled a Romo either.

 

[ctpatsfan77]

The big problem with Hanson is when they Pats are backed up, he can not get the ball back out past the fifty. I've been crying for the Pats to draft a punter for years now. Lechler is the best punter in the NFL, hands down. He was scheduled to be a FA this year, but I think the raiders locked him up.

The kid from Va Tech is a decent looking punting prospect. but whenever you think of switching out the punter, you have to remember that he doubles as the holder, and although Hansen is not the greatest punter in the world, he has never pulled a Romo either.

Then draft Jordan Shipley, who can be the holder. Problem solved.