Packers worktout punters today

[packers11]

http://www.greenbaypressgazette.com/ic/blogs/insider/index.shtml

Monday, October 6, 2008

DeBauche, other punters workout

Former Bay Port High School and University of Wisconsin punter Ken DeBauche was among four punters who worked out for the Packers today.

DeBauche signed with the Packers as a free agent after the draft but was released shortly before training camp opened.

The other punters were: former Pro Bowler Scott Player, Zac Atterberry and Waylon Prather.

Player is the only one who has kicked in an NFL regular-season game. He played for the Arizona Cardinals from 1998 to 2006 and made the Pro Bowl in 2000. He punted for the Cleveland Browns last season and was signed by the New England Patriots this offseason but did not make the team. In 727 career punts, he has career averages of 43.1 (gross) and 36.1 (net).

DeBauche, Waylon and Atterberry have no NFL experience.

The Packers also worked out long snapper Kevin Garvoille of UW-Whitewater.

Most teams work out players on Tuesday. The fact that the Packers did so on Monday could indicate that they are strongly considering cutting punter Derrick Frost and/or long snapper Brett Goode.

-- Rob Demovsky, rdemovsk@greenbaypressgazette.com
posted by PackersNews.com at 5:15 PM | 5 Comments


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[MTPackerfan]

Why are they trying out long snappers? Isn't Goode doing a Good job? I thought the main problem was the way Frost is kicking. :?:

[cpk1994]

TT was an idiot for releasing Ryan and now Karma is kicking TT's ass. I love it.

[Tony Oday]

I could care less about the punter. I liked Ryan and wish we still had him but come on he wasnt elite and we were trying for an upgrade, they dont always pan out!

But then you look at a guy like Mason Crosby and i think he has worked out VERY well after letting go of another traitor!

[DonHutson]

Speaking of workouts, did they ever actually work Frost out before they signed him?

The guy needs to go. He's been successful in the past, and he probably has some talent, but he needs some couch time at the sports psychologist to get back on track. He can do that on his dime, not the Packers.

[Patler]

TT was an idiot for releasing Ryan and now Karma is kicking TT's ass. I love it.

Strange comment for a Packer fan, in my opinion. Do you despise TT so much that you take pleasure out of the team struggling just so he looks bad???

[Brando19]

TT was an idiot for releasing Ryan and now Karma is kicking TT's ass. I love it.

Strange comment for a Packer fan, in my opinion. Do you despise TT so much that you take pleasure out of the team struggling just so he looks bad???

Pretty ridiculous. A Packer fan hopes the team does good. A TT hater hopes his cat gets hit by an ice cream truck.

Seriously though, I don't agree with everything TT does...but I never root against the team just to make him look bad. That's silly.

[SkinBasket]

TT was an idiot for releasing Ryan and now Karma is kicking TT's ass. I love it.

Strange comment for a Packer fan, in my opinion. Do you despise TT so much that you take pleasure out of the team struggling just so he looks bad???

Pretty ridiculous. A Packer fan hopes the team does good. A TT hater hopes his cat gets hit by an ice cream truck.

Seriously though, I don't agree with everything TT does...but I never root against the team just to make him look bad. That's silly.

I also tend to believe that cosmic/godly forces have other things to worry about than some perceived lack of character in an NFL GM. I hope Karma kills cpk's cat. If he doesn't have a cat, I hope karma gives him one, then kills it. Now that would be karmic.

[Bossman641]

Frost has been a disaster and he's only going to get worse as the temp drops, not that Ryan would be any better.

[Patler]

Frost has been a disaster and he's only going to get worse as the temp drops, not that Ryan would be any better.

Wolf is STILL to blame for the punting problems....Should have signed Hentrich in 1998. He would still be their punter today! In 29 punts this year he has 7 fair catches, 9 inside the 20 with only 4 touchbacks, 43.9 gross and 35.7 net.

and he was OURS!!!!!! :( :( :(

[MTPackerfan]

Frost has been a disaster and he's only going to get worse as the temp drops, not that Ryan would be any better.

Wolf is STILL to blame for the punting problems....Should have signed Hentrich in 1998. He would still be their punter today! In 29 punts this year he has 7 fair catches, 9 inside the 20 with only 4 touchbacks, 43.9 gross and 35.7 net.

and he was OURS!!!!!! :( :( :(


Agreed! Hentrich has been solid for all these years.

[Partial]

TT was an idiot for releasing Ryan and now Karma is kicking TT's ass. I love it.

Agreed. You don't cut a savy, solid player like Ryan.

[Bossman641]

TT was an idiot for releasing Ryan and now Karma is kicking TT's ass. I love it.

Agreed. You don't cut a savy, solid player like Ryan.

Savvy? Solid?

Those are words I associate with consistency. Consistency is not a word I would associate with Ryan. He had a cannon of a leg but he was much too up and down.

[mraynrand]

Ryan's kicking for Seattle, right? Could be humiliation time this Sunday. I hope one of those guys can kick better than frost. TT arrived at a fork in the road and he took the road less traveled (choosing Frost), and has been all the worse for it.

[Patler]

TT was an idiot for releasing Ryan and now Karma is kicking TT's ass. I love it.

Agreed. You don't cut a savy, solid player like Ryan.

But that is exactly why they signed Frost. He was supposed to be the savy, solid player that Ryan was not. Frost's claim to fame was:

- four year experience , going into his 5th. (Ryan has 2)
- consistent. (Ryan ran hot and cold)
- very good directional kicking ability. (a frustration for Stock with Ryan)
- 1:4 ratio of touchbacks to kicks downed inside the 20. (Ryan was 1:1.5)
- 1:3 ratio of fair catches to returns. (Ryan was 1:4)
- true 2 step kicker, 1 block in 300+ punts. (Ryan was still converting from 3 to 2, had lapses and has now had 3 blocks in 158 punts.)

On paper, and with Stock's familiarity with Frost, it seemed like an upgrade.

[CaliforniaCheez]

TT was an idiot for releasing Ryan and now Karma is kicking TT's ass. I love it.

Strange comment for a Packer fan, in my opinion. Do you despise TT so much that you take pleasure out of the team struggling just so he looks bad???

Pretty ridiculous. A Packer fan hopes the team does good (well; good is an adjective not an adverb). A TT hater hopes his cat gets hit by an ice cream truck (in front PETS members children).

Seriously though, I don't agree with everything TT does...but I never root against the team just to make him look bad. That's silly.

In the long run Ted is right much more often than he is wrong.

[mraynrand]

TT was an idiot for releasing Ryan and now Karma is kicking TT's ass. I love it.

Strange comment for a Packer fan, in my opinion. Do you despise TT so much that you take pleasure out of the team struggling just so he looks bad???

Pretty ridiculous. A Packer fan hopes the team does good (well; good is an adjective not an adverb). A TT hater hopes his cat gets hit by an ice cream truck (in front PETS members children).

Seriously though, I don't agree with everything TT does...but I never root against the team just to make him look bad. That's silly.

In the long run Ted is right much more often than he is wrong.

I agree with your sentiment, just not your numbers. I think even good GMs are barely right 50% of the time. There's a lot of room to be wrong in the NFL and still win - or to be right and still lose. For example, TT was probably right about Corey Williams, except that Harrell and Jenkins and KGB, and Picket all got hurt. TT was right about Rodgers (or at least even), but having an unsettled O-line and a weakened Grant for the first 1/4 of the season didn't do him any favors, etc. etc.

[Gunakor]

TT was an idiot for releasing Ryan and now Karma is kicking TT's ass. I love it.

TT is not an idiot for releasing Jon Ryan. TT is an idiot for not replacing him with somebody better, but I had about enough of Ryan's 15 yard shanks. Both punters stink. An upgrade is welcome.

[prsnfoto]

TT was an idiot for releasing Ryan and now Karma is kicking TT's ass. I love it.

Strange comment for a Packer fan, in my opinion. Do you despise TT so much that you take pleasure out of the team struggling just so he looks bad???


He is being sarcastic other than JH he is the biggest TT lover and BF hater on this forum. :D I hate to say it but TT is batting worse than Ben Sheets this year with his moves, although Rodgers has panned out better than expected at least be me. Look at the bright side we have already lost as many games as last season can it get any worse.

[red]

the thing that bothers me most is that it looks like they did very little research on him before they cut ryan and signed him.

right after we signed him i went to a couple redskins boards, and they were all happy as a pig in shit to get rid of him. they listed all the problems with him that we have been seeing since we signed him

and the kicker is, that ryan had a better net average between the 2. the number that is most important

[cpk1994]

TT was an idiot for releasing Ryan and now Karma is kicking TT's ass. I love it.

Strange comment for a Packer fan, in my opinion. Do you despise TT so much that you take pleasure out of the team struggling just so he looks bad???I don't despise TT. But I thought it was extremly moronic to release Ryan 6 days beofre the opener after not giving him any competition in camp. Thats why I am glad this particular move blew up in his face.

[Fosco33]

Frost's average of 44.4/38 are his career best #'s and above Ryan's performance (43/34) in Seattle (and the same as Ryan's performance last year). Not sure about hang time - knowing it could improve.

Why all the hate and focus?

IMO, there are much bigger issues in GB....

[texaspackerbacker]

Frost's average of 44.4/38 are his career best #'s and above Ryan's performance (43/34) in Seattle (and the same as Ryan's performance last year). Not sure about hang time - knowing it could improve.

Why all the hate and focus?

IMO, there are much bigger issues in GB....

These figures are really surprising. I also thought Frost had been punting like crap this season. Even if that is his correct average, though, I'm glad to see they are looking for an upgrade.

[Fosco33]

http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/players/stats?playerId=5481
Frost

http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/players/stats?playerId=10238
Ryan

Always room for improvement - and can almost always upgrade a player....

[The Shadow]

TT was an idiot for releasing Ryan and now Karma is kicking TT's ass. I love it.


Moronic.

[KYPack]

Frost has hit just as many liners as Ryan and had a few shanks. He doesn't kick 'em high to the coverage. I thought it was strange to release Ryan right before the opener, too.

This is funny.

I guess Stock loved Frost. If Frost gets cut, I bet we get a new ST coach in the off-season.

[StPaulPackFan]

Frost's average of 44.4/38 are his career best #'s and above Ryan's performance (43/34) in Seattle (and the same as Ryan's performance last year). Not sure about hang time - knowing it could improve.

Why all the hate and focus?

IMO, there are much bigger issues in GB....

The biggest problem I have with Frost is that I never get the sense that he can occasionally boom one. It's just the same average to below average punt every time. If he's punting from inside his own 10 it seems like a foregone conclusion that the opposing team will be starting in our territory.

Jon Ryan may not have been the most consistent punter but every so often he could really nail one and change field position in our favor.

[pbmax]

the thing that bothers me most is that it looks like they did very little research on him before they cut ryan and signed him.

right after we signed him i went to a couple redskins boards, and they were all happy as a pig in shit to get rid of him. they listed all the problems with him that we have been seeing since we signed him

and the kicker is, that ryan had a better net average between the 2. the number that is most important
I'd love to see this stat. My memory of Ryan is that between the 20s was when he was likely to shank or line drive it setting up a big return. It was when he was closer to the fifty or opposing ground, when he tried to sky one, that he would hit a 54 or 60 yard punt right into the endzone.

I liked Ryan's attitude, tackling and running ability though, so I am open to the opposing numbers.

[Patler]

I don't despise TT. But I thought it was extremly moronic to release Ryan 6 days beofre the opener after not giving him any competition in camp. Thats why I am glad this particular move blew up in his face.

Why is that moronic?
-few teams took extra punters, kickers or snappers into training camp because of the lower roster #s allowed.
- Stock apparently knew Frost and thought he was an upgrade.
- Frost wasn't available until Washington released him in the last cutdown.
- TT may not have cut Ryan for just "anybody", he wanted an improvement.

If TT was moronic, what about Seattle who cut Plackermaier a week into the season and then signed Ryan?

Even if you are right and it was "moronic"; why are you, as a supposed Packer fan, glad to see it blow up in his face? I would think you would want the Packers to succeed, and would hope that you are proven wrong and TT right!

[Patler]

I'd love to see this stat. My memory of Ryan is that between the 20s was when he was likely to shank or line drive it setting up a big return. It was when he was closer to the fifty or opposing ground, when he tried to sky one, that he would hit a 54 or 60 yard punt right into the endzone.

I liked Ryan's attitude, tackling and running ability though, so I am open to the opposing numbers.

This indicates what you suspect, somewhat.

In 2007, Ryan had the second most touchbacks in the league with 11 on just 60 punts. The league leader was Andy Lee with 13, but on 105 punts. Bidwell was 3rd with 10, but on 77 punts. In fact, of the 6 punters with 9 touchbacks, all had at least 78 punts. Without doing calulations on all of them, it looks like Ryan had the highest percentage of touchbacks quite easily, while at the sme time having only the 23 highest number downed inside the 20.

[red]

the thing that bothers me most is that it looks like they did very little research on him before they cut ryan and signed him.

right after we signed him i went to a couple redskins boards, and they were all happy as a pig in shit to get rid of him. they listed all the problems with him that we have been seeing since we signed him

and the kicker is, that ryan had a better net average between the 2. the number that is most important
I'd love to see this stat. My memory of Ryan is that between the 20s was when he was likely to shank or line drive it setting up a big return. It was when he was closer to the fifty or opposing ground, when he tried to sky one, that he would hit a 54 or 60 yard punt right into the endzone.

I liked Ryan's attitude, tackling and running ability though, so I am open to the opposing numbers.

heres the career stats from nfl.com

frost
http://www.nfl.com/players/derrickfrost/profile?id=FRO666178

ryan
http://www.nfl.com/players/jonryan/profile?id=RYA229481

frosts career net average is 36.5, ryans is 36.8

and as bad as frost has looked this year, he is having the best season stat wise of his career. and ryan stat wise is having his worst year. so the net #'s are a little bit closer now then they were when the change was made

hope thats what you were looking for

[Pacopete4]

TT was an idiot for releasing Ryan and now Karma is kicking TT's ass. I love it.

Strange comment for a Packer fan, in my opinion. Do you despise TT so much that you take pleasure out of the team struggling just so he looks bad???I don't despise TT. But I thought it was extremly moronic to release Ryan 6 days beofre the opener after not giving him any competition in camp. Thats why I am glad this particular move blew up in his face.


what a troll

[MJZiggy]

Frost had his last shank right in front of me and, quite frankly, I could have done that myself.

[red]

i think we need a video clip of ziggy punting a ball

[cpk1994]

I don't despise TT. But I thought it was extremly moronic to release Ryan 6 days beofre the opener after not giving him any competition in camp. Thats why I am glad this particular move blew up in his face.

Why is that moronic?
-few teams took extra punters, kickers or snappers into training camp because of the lower roster #s allowed.
- Stock apparently knew Frost and thought he was an upgrade.
- Frost wasn't available until Washington released him in the last cutdown.
- TT may not have cut Ryan for just "anybody", he wanted an improvement.

If TT was moronic, what about Seattle who cut Plackermaier a week into the season and then signed Ryan?

Even if you are right and it was "moronic"; why are you, as a supposed Packer fan, glad to see it blow up in his face? I would think you would want the Packers to succeed, and would hope that you are proven wrong and TT right!Becuase I hated the move. Cutting Ryan was a huge mistake. Also, so what if few teams took extra punters into practice? If TT was really disillusioned with Ryan he should have brought someone in with the hopes that that might push Ryan harder. Or if you were that disilusioned, why not just cut him earlier? Leading Ryan on through all of camp and then pulling the rug out from under him right before the opener was completely bush league. For those reasons is why I am gald this blew up in his face.

[SkinBasket]

I don't despise TT. But I thought it was extremly moronic to release Ryan 6 days beofre the opener after not giving him any competition in camp. Thats why I am glad this particular move blew up in his face.

Why is that moronic?
-few teams took extra punters, kickers or snappers into training camp because of the lower roster #s allowed.
- Stock apparently knew Frost and thought he was an upgrade.
- Frost wasn't available until Washington released him in the last cutdown.
- TT may not have cut Ryan for just "anybody", he wanted an improvement.

If TT was moronic, what about Seattle who cut Plackermaier a week into the season and then signed Ryan?

Even if you are right and it was "moronic"; why are you, as a supposed Packer fan, glad to see it blow up in his face? I would think you would want the Packers to succeed, and would hope that you are proven wrong and TT right!Becuase I hated the move. Cutting Ryan was a huge mistake. Also, so what if few teams took extra punters into practice? If TT was really disillusioned with Ryan he should have brought someone in with the hopes that that might push Ryan harder. Or if you were that disilusioned, why not just cut him earlier? Leading Ryan on through all of camp and then pulling the rug out from under him right before the opener was completely bush league. For those reasons is why I am gald this blew up in his face.

He already explained this to you once. See the red highlights above.

I happen to think you're wrong, so I hope your life explodes in your face and you get fired from your job. I think that's fair.

[Patler]

Becuase I hated the move. Cutting Ryan was a huge mistake. Also, so what if few teams took extra punters into practice? If TT was really disillusioned with Ryan he should have brought someone in with the hopes that that might push Ryan harder. Or if you were that disilusioned, why not just cut him earlier? Leading Ryan on through all of camp and then pulling the rug out from under him right before the opener was completely bush league. For those reasons is why I am gald this blew up in his face.

Cutting Ryan was a huge mistake? I don't think so. The guy was a marginally adequate punter at best. He may still develop into a good one, punters sometimes take time, but it was clear that the Packers were not satisfied with the rate of his development.

I assume no one was available during TC who they thought was better than Ryan, or they would have brought him in. The had DeBauche until just before camp then released him. They were probably satisfied with Ryan over everyone available until Frost became available. They thought Frost was better, so made the move. That's the way it works in pro sports.

Pulling the rug out from under Ryan? That is what happens every year on every team. What about all the other players who were released on the final cutdown? What about Tracy White who was released yesterday? What about Seattle cutting Plackermaier after their first game? Every marginal pro athlete faces that every year. They are on the team until the team needs someone else, or finds someone they think is just a bit better. TT didn't do anything different than any other GM does when faced with the same situation. They take the player they think is better.

[KYPack]

Becuase I hated the move. Cutting Ryan was a huge mistake. Also, so what if few teams took extra punters into practice? If TT was really disillusioned with Ryan he should have brought someone in with the hopes that that might push Ryan harder. Or if you were that disilusioned, why not just cut him earlier? Leading Ryan on through all of camp and then pulling the rug out from under him right before the opener was completely bush league. For those reasons is why I am gald this blew up in his face.

Cutting Ryan was a huge mistake? I don't think so. The guy was a marginally adequate punter at best. He may still develop into a good one, punters sometimes take time, but it was clear that the Packers were not satisfied with the rate of his development.

I assume no one was available during TC who they thought was better than Ryan, or they would have brought him in. The had DeBauche until just before camp then released him. They were probably satisfied with Ryan over everyone available until Frost became available. They thought Frost was better, so made the move. That's the way it works in pro sports.

Pulling the rug out from under Ryan? That is what happens every year on every team. What about all the other players who were released on the final cutdown? What about Tracy White who was released yesterday? What about Seattle cutting Plackermaier after their first game? Every marginal pro athlete faces that every year. They are on the team until the team needs someone else, or finds someone they think is just a bit better. TT didn't do anything different than any other GM does when faced with the same situation. They take the player they think is better.

Ryan was more trouble than he was worth.

When they signed him, he was a three step punter. They worked with him and converted him to a two step for the quicker release. But he would revert or make a skip, then two step kick. That's a big issue. Te would also hit liners when the rush was strong. His first season, he was at the bottom for net average, due to his tendency to hit the low kick when rushed.

His one big thing that drew his fans was his ability to drive a super long kick from time to time. The coaches don't like that shit. Sure it looks cool, but you get long returns from long kicks, they go far beyond the gunners and the rest of the cover team.

Ryan was above hitting the odd shank here and there, either.

Frost doesn't look to be the answer either, but they'll find a guy. They are out there.

[mraynrand]

Is Sean Vendetta still available?

[Carolina_Packer]

How about B.J. Sander? He's had plenty of time to rest his leg.

[Patler]

Is Sean Vendetta still available?

I think there is an issue of the veterans minimum salary exceeding the allowable income for his Social Security payments if he signs too early. He won't be available until later in the season.

[Pacopete4]

isnt it weird that many bitch about the kicker positions as "non football players" but when theyre team doesnt have a good one, they bitch and moan about the situation..

[Patler]

isnt it weird that many bitch about the kicker positions as "non football players" but when theyre team doesnt have a good one, they bitch and moan about the situation..

I think it is more the other players that bitch about the kicker positions being "non-players"! :lol: :lol:

Alex Karras used to have a hilarious schtick about kickers. Of course he played when the foreign soccer-style kickers first came into the league, and the country was very receptive to ethnic stereotype humor at the time. Probably wouldn't be so well received today!!!

[Pacopete4]

isnt it weird that many bitch about the kicker positions as "non football players" but when theyre team doesnt have a good one, they bitch and moan about the situation..

I think it is more the other players that bitch about the kicker positions being "non-players"! :lol: :lol:

Alex Karras used to have a hilarious schtick about kickers. Of course he played when the foreign soccer-style kickers first came into the league, and the country was very receptive to ethnic stereotype humor at the time. Probably wouldn't be so well received today!!!


Patler I respect ur opinion a ton... who out there is a good a punter that we should be looking at?

[Patler]

Patler I respect ur opinion a ton... who out there is a good a punter that we should be looking at?

Thanks. To be honest, I can't think of one. Personally I think the quality of punters is down even among those that teams are currently using. There isn't a surplus of established guys looking for work. The unemployed ones are literally the BJ Sanders type.

I think what you hope for is finding one who finally puts it all together, or a rookie without a proven track record that is worth the risk. It is not uncommon for punters to bounce around for several years before finally "getting it". Ironically, that could even be a guy like Sanders, who was decent in college but has not translated that to the pros.

The Packers are probably taking the best approach of bringing in a bunch for tryouts and picking who they like.

Frost seemed like an established veteran who would be an upgrade over Ryan. SO far he has been no worse and no better than Ryan. He may still settle down and be what they hoped he would.

[Tony Oday]

I just never understood why the place kicker cant punt...never made sense to me.

[Patler]

I just never understood why the place kicker cant punt...never made sense to me.

For the same reasons that both are now specialists and not position players too, long snappers are specialist, we have "third down" backs, pass-rush specialists, etc. Players become better and better by having less and less to focus on.

Personally, I liked the days of 40 man rosters when you didn't have so many specialists and so many different "groupings" on offense or defense. The basic 11 played all downs with little variation.

[Gunakor]

I understand that Scott Player isn't the same guy he was in 2000 but does anyone else think he'd be a significant upgrade to what we have right now? He had one helluva leg, and it seems not to long ago that he was one of the better punters in the NFL.

[Patler]

I understand that Scott Player isn't the same guy he was in 2000 but does anyone else think he'd be a significant upgrade to what we have right now? He had one helluva leg, and it seems not to long ago that he was one of the better punters in the NFL.

He's also 38 years old. Age may have caught up to him. Hard to know without watching him.

[Gunakor]

I understand that Scott Player isn't the same guy he was in 2000 but does anyone else think he'd be a significant upgrade to what we have right now? He had one helluva leg, and it seems not to long ago that he was one of the better punters in the NFL.

He's also 38 years old. Age may have caught up to him. Hard to know without watching him.

Yeah, I know. But kickers and punters can often times play forever. I guess my point was that it wouldn't take much to upgrade that position on our roster right now, and if Player is a mere shell of what he once was that might still be better than what we have.

[Patler]

Player is an example of what I meant about finding a punter who finally "gets it." He was signed and released for 3 years by several teams, played in Canada and NFL-E, then finally stuck in Arizona for 9 years.

The Packers need to find that guy who has been cut and released a few times, but has finally figured it out

[Cheesehead Craig]

That's it. I'm going to start training my 8 yr old son to punt with a 2 step drop. He'll be in huge demand when he gets out of college.

[Patler]

That's it. I'm going to start training my 8 yr old son to punt with a 2 step drop. He'll be in huge demand when he gets out of college.

Either that, or teach him to pitch left handed. He wouldn't even have to be any good as a lefty to be in demand!

[Cheesehead Craig]

That's it. I'm going to start training my 8 yr old son to punt with a 2 step drop. He'll be in huge demand when he gets out of college.

Either that, or teach him to pitch left handed. He wouldn't even have to be any good as a lefty to be in demand!
True that, and he does like baseball more now anyways.

[TravisWilliams23]

Here's one for you "old timers" out there:

While Bart Starr was quarterbacking at Alabama his sophomore season, he was 2nd in the nation punting with a 41.4 average. The punter who beat him out was Zeke Bratkowski!

Unfortunately for Starr, he threw out his sacroiliac practicing during his junior year and thus ended his punting days.

Perhaps TT could pick up a college punter next year in say THE THIRD ROUND to end this merry go round of punters. I really like the kid the Steelers picked up a couple of years ago from Baylor, Sepulveda. He's on IR this season and they're using Mitch Berger to punt. If they release Sepulveda I hope TT snaps him up.

[Tony Oday]

But seriously I understand the specialization however its kicking a freaking ball! They have all practice to do it its not like they are going through hitting drills!

[Rastak]

Hopefully Chilly doesn't do anything crazy. The Viking brought in several punters today after Chilly got extremely pissed at punter Kluwe after he was told to kick it out of bound two times in a row and instead he kicked it to Bush who scored on both plays. Same thing happened last year against Hester. Still, this guy can bomb them and he is pretty good and dropping them inside the 20. Just not real good at booting it out of bounds I guess.

[Patler]

Hopefully Chilly doesn't do anything crazy. The Viking brought in several punters today after Chilly got extremely pissed at punter Kluwe after he was told to kick it out of bound two times in a row and instead he kicked it to Bush who scored on both plays. Same thing happened last year against Hester. Still, this guy can bomb them and he is pretty good and dropping them inside the 20. Just not real good at booting it out of bounds I guess.

A couple years ago I thought Kluwe was going to be a special sort of punter. The kind that absolutely controls the punting game. However, it is clear to me now that he deserves to be cut! (He can then pack up and move a couple hundred miles east where he can find a loving fan base ready to accept him with open arms for the next 10 years or so!) :twisted: :twisted:

[red]

yes, i also agree kluwe sucks too bad to be allowed to stay with the vikings

[Rastak]

yes, i also agree kluwe sucks too bad to be allowed to stay with the vikings


It is kinda funny, for the same reason McCarthy was pissed at Ryan, Chilly is on a rampage on Kluwe. I think it would be a HUGE mistake to cut him. Far bigger than the Ryan cut. This guy can punt but I do admit he's been told SEVERAL times to boot the damn ball out of bounds and he continues to not do that.


Personally, I'd focus on cleaning up the shitty special teams coverage myself.

[Scott Campbell]

I just never understood why the place kicker cant punt...never made sense to me.



Great pro prospect. Hit the game winner against Oregon State last week.

http://www.sltrib.com/utahutes/ci_10478804

[KYPack]

It can happen Tony, but not much.

Craig Hentrich, our old punter can do it.

So can this guy. In the Falcons' first preseason game of 2006, Michael Koenen made four field goals, from 53, 50, 40, and 45 yards, along with doing the punting and kickoff duties. Koenen was slated to do the placekicking, punting, and kickoffs for the Falcons, something that is rarely done in the NFL by one player; [2] however after converting only two of eight field goal attempts, Morten Andersen was brought in to take over field goal duties leaving Koenen to focus on punts and kickoffs for the Falcons.
Koenen returned solely as the Falcons' punter; the club signed Billy Cundiff to handle the other kicking duties.[2] Cundiff was released before the season; Matt Prater was signed but also released after a short while, and the placekicking was again done by Andersen.
A restricted free agent in the 2008 offseason, Koenen was tendered a one-year, $1.417 million contract by the Falcons. He re-signed on April 14.

A few guys can do it, but they are super versatile kickers. It's like a guy who is ambidextrous.

It's rare, but not unusual. (Old Joe Kuharic quote)

[Patler]

It can happen Tony, but not much.

Craig Hentrich, our old punter can do it.

So can this guy. In the Falcons' first preseason game of 2006, Michael Koenen made four field goals, from 53, 50, 40, and 45 yards, along with doing the punting and kickoff duties. Koenen was slated to do the placekicking, punting, and kickoffs for the Falcons, something that is rarely done in the NFL by one player; [2] however after converting only two of eight field goal attempts, Morten Andersen was brought in to take over field goal duties leaving Koenen to focus on punts and kickoffs for the Falcons.
Koenen returned solely as the Falcons' punter; the club signed Billy Cundiff to handle the other kicking duties.[2] Cundiff was released before the season; Matt Prater was signed but also released after a short while, and the placekicking was again done by Andersen.
A restricted free agent in the 2008 offseason, Koenen was tendered a one-year, $1.417 million contract by the Falcons. He re-signed on April 14.

A few guys can do it, but they are super versatile kickers. It's like a guy who is ambidextrous.

It's rare, but not unusual. (Old Joe Kuharic quote)

For that matter, Ryan Longwell can punt, too. He did both in college and was better known for his punting than placekicking. Just the opposite for Hentrich, who did both but was perceived more as a placekicker at Notre Dame and with the Jets. For a while at Tennessee he also kicked off and handled all long fieldgoal attempts. But in the end they decided it screwed up his punting when he was asked to placekick and/or kickoff.

There are some who can do both, but it seems better for them if they don't. Even when "regular" players handled those duties, rarely did you see any one handle both.

[SnakeLH2006]

TT was an idiot for releasing Ryan and now Karma is kicking TT's ass. I love it.

Wow.....Earth must have entered a black hole. I AGREE WITH YOU. Damn, but who cares really. Frost sucks and besides Ryan's cool breaking tackles when the punt breaks down this shit is meaningless like this thread. Both punters have sucked as neither can directional punt. Ryan's big booming occasional punts are moot as both have similar stats.

[Patler]

TT was an idiot for releasing Ryan and now Karma is kicking TT's ass. I love it.
Both punters have sucked as neither can directional punt. Ryan's big booming occasional punts are moot as both have similar stats.

I agree, so far Frost has not been much of an upgrade. But, prior to this year, Frost was known as a very good directional punter. When he first came to GB the paper had a couple quotes from players who said he was amazing in practice at controlling the ball. Even now, I don't think direction has been a problem, he has pinned returners against the sidelines. The biggest issue for him the last couple weeks has been no hang time and at least one short punt each game.

Frost was fine for several years, until the middle of last season when he tailed off in consistency. So far he hasn't seemed to find the answer.