The long undervalued solid punt returner

[Bobhaze]

A reliable, solid return specialist is so underrated. Because in the NFL, it’s the little things that separate the good teams from the great.

Having a solid punt returner is one of the most underrated ways to improve your team’s performance. Too many fans overrate the “home run” excitement of long punt returns (which rarely happen) while underrating the value of a dependable punt return man who never fumbles or never lets the punt hit the ground, watching 10-15 yards of field position melt away.

Great coaches have known for years how important special teams are for so many reasons. Bill Parcells used to talk a lot about the “hidden yards” on STs that can mean the difference between winning and losing.

For too many years, Jason Garrett undervalued the role of having a solid reliable punt returner that could mean 10-30 yards of field position every week. The Cowboys under Garrett were consistently in the bottom third of the NFL in punt return yardage, field position, etc. Last year, we all watched in horror as he ordered Tavon Austin to make a fair catch against the Vikes with half the field wide open for a return in waning seconds of a close game.

And, good punt returners are not always the flashiest players. Look at this list below. These are the top 5 punt return specialists in the 2019 NFL season:

1. Deonte Harris- NO saints- avg 9.4 yds per return on 36 fielded punts.
2. Ritchie James- SF niners- avg 8.0 yds per return on 33 fielded punts.
3. Andre Roberts- BUFF- avg 8.0 yds per return on 28 fielded punts.
4. Kenyon Barner- ATL- avg 7.6 yds per return on 35 fielded punts.
5. Trevor Davis- GB/OAK- avg. 6.8 yds per return on 26 fielded punts.

These aren’t exactly household names, right? Yet all these guys were huge in helping their teams each week with all important field position. Compare those numbers to ours last year: Tavon Austin and Randall Cobb combined for only 20 fielded punts last year, avg 4.8 yards a return. Our guys watched the ball hit the ground too many times.

So what do we need to do?

1. Find a guy on this roster who will field punts reliably and are able to get 6-8 yards per return.
   
2. Practice, practice, practice the art of fielding punts. Hey, it’s hard. It’s nothing like catching regular passes. It’s very similar to playing outfield in baseball as far as judging location, but harder to do.
3. You don’t have to have a home run playmaker type. The best punt returner in NCAA history for many years was none other than Wes Welker when he was at Texas Tech. He scored 8 TDs in college on punt returns. He wasn’t fast. He was quick, but most of all, he was great at fielding punts and making people miss.

Looking at our roster, maybe a guy like Cedric Wilson, who has good hands might be a candidate. I’ve seen some suggestions for Cedee Lamb, but I don’t think you want someone who you are relying on a lot in the offense to take this role which is pretty tough on the body.

Bottom line- If we’re going get back to competing for playoff glory again, we need to upgrade our punt return game. Who do you think fits this bill?

 

[speedkilz88]

The STs coach was a walking disaster. Blame him, not the returners.

 

[Bobhaze]

The STs coach was a walking disaster. Blame him, not the returners.

It’s been bad for too many years to just blame last years STs coach. Yes, he sucked, but we haven’t had a good punt return guy since Dwayne Harris. In what, 2011 or something.

 

[CapnB]

ST coach... ST all the way around was vomit last year. Worst that i can remember in a long time.

 

[Mr_437]

Lamb
Diggs
Wilson

Lamb fields punts effortlessly, and we know he's dangerous with the ball in his hands.

Diggs looks very natural fielding punts, similar to Lamb.

Wilson doesn't look as natural fielding punts, but he's been reliable.

I thought Wilson was the team's best punt returner last year, but he didn't get a real opportunity to show his skill. However, all things considered I'd probably go:

1. Lamb - pedal to the metal, put pressure on the opponents at every phase.

2. Diggs - CB is a tough position to transition into the pros, especially, without OTAs. Backing up CeeDee is a good STs role to have until his CB game improves.

3. Wilson - Solid player that makes sense if Diggs isn't ready or Lamb is being preserved.

 

[CouchCoach]

This isn't a position in the game that we can point out exceptional ones. There is a shortage of that on most teams and teams with good ones are usually risking the health of a starter in the secondary or WR corps.

The Cowboys have had some better than solid ones in the past but they were starters on D or O.

 

[Hennessy_King]

The STs coach was a walking disaster. Blame him, not the returners.

No you blame whoever made the "scout" a special teams coach.

 

[Jake]

Looking at our roster, maybe a guy like Cedric Wilson, who has good hands might be a candidate. I’ve seen some suggestions for Cedee Lamb, but I don’t think you want someone who you are relying on a lot in the offense to take this role which is pretty tough on the body.

I was hoping you weren't going to go there in a thread about undervaluing punt returners, because it undervalues punt returners. Instead of seeing it as an opportunity to get the ball in the hands of a playmaker we worry about a guy getting hurt. Guys can get hurt any time - including practice - so I don't buy that reasoning.

Antonio Brown caught over 100 passes every season from 2013-2017. He led the NFL in receptions two of those years. He also returned 110 punts during that stretch - an average of 22 per season. Why would the Steelers risk putting their star receiver back to return a punt? Because he was the best guy for the job and their best playmaker.

Brown averaged over 10 yards per return during that period - that's a free first down. Meanwhile the Cowboys were putting Beasley back there to make a fair catch. If someone (like me) suggested putting a guy like Dez back there the "he might get hurt" crowd would go nuts.

Look at this offseason. The complaining about last year rarely includes special teams, even though the Cowboys flat out sucked at them and directly lost at least 2 games because of them. Undervaluing special teams in general has become a Cowboys thing. I hope that changes under MM.

Lamb is the Cowboys third receiver and was a dynamic return guy in college. If you have a weapon you use him. You don't put him in bubble wrap.

 

[Bobhaze]

Lamb
Diggs
Wilson

Lamb fields punts effortlessly, and we know he's dangerous with the ball in his hands.

Diggs looks very natural fielding punts, similar to Lamb.

Wilson doesn't look as natural fielding punts, but he's been reliable.

I thought Wilson was the team's best punt returner last year, but he didn't get a real opportunity to show his skill. However, all things considered I'd probably go:

1. Lamb - pedal to the metal, put pressure on the opponents at every phase.

2. Diggs - CB is a tough position to transition into the pros, especially, without OTAs. Backing up CeeDee is a good STs role to have until his CB game improves.

3. Wilson - Solid player that makes sense if Diggs isn't ready or Lamb is being preserved.

I would like to see Wilson used as PR sometime. You don’t have to have a guy get 20 yards a return, you just have to have someone who is reliable (doesn’t fumble) and keeps the ball from rolling 20 yards.

I was hoping you weren't going to go there in a thread about undervaluing punt returners, because it undervalues punt returners. Instead of seeing it as an opportunity to get the ball in the hands of a playmaker we worry about a guy getting hurt. Guys can get hurt any time - including practice - so I don't buy that reasoning.

Antonio Brown caught over 100 passes every season from 2013-2017. He led the NFL in receptions two of those years. He also returned 110 punts during that stretch - an average of 22 per season. Why would the Steelers risk putting their star receiver back to return a punt? Because he was the best guy for the job and their best playmaker.

Brown averaged over 10 yards per return during that period - that's a free first down. Meanwhile the Cowboys were putting Beasley back there to make a fair catch. If someone (like me) suggested putting a guy like Dez back there the "he might get hurt" crowd would go nuts.

Look at this offseason. The complaining about last year rarely includes special teams, even though the Cowboys flat out sucked at them and directly lost at least 2 games because of them. Undervaluing special teams in general has become a Cowboys thing. I hope that changes under MM.

Lamb is the Cowboys third receiver and was a dynamic return guy in college. If you have a weapon you use him. You don't put him in bubble wrap.

Yeah, to me if the Cowboys had just had a decent kicker and reliable punt returner last year, they go 10-6 and win the NFC east. Probably wouldn’t have done much in the playoffs though (as usual)

But as I said in the OP, in a league where the difference between a win and a loss is tiny, this is an area we can improve with an immediate payoff.

 

[fivetwos]

How about a guy who can PUNT?

We seem to have forgotten about that.

I guess the incumbent has the right name. Is there anyone in camp even competing with the guy that should have been gone later October??

 

[Tangle_Foot]

I would never undervalue the sure handed guy who could field a punt and make the first guy miss, nor would I under value the guy who could successfully block the gunners without the all-too-often block-in-the-back. Here's hoping that the new staff will leave no stone unturned.

 

[Bobhaze]

I would never undervalue the sure handed guy who could field a punt and make the first guy miss, nor would I under value the guy who could successfully block the gunners without the all-too-often block-in-the-back. Here's hoping that the new staff will leave no stone unturned.

Well said.

 

[Aviano90]

I would never undervalue the sure handed guy who could field a punt and make the first guy miss, nor would I under value the guy who could successfully block the gunners without the all-too-often block-in-the-back. Here's hoping that the new staff will leave no stone unturned.

Exactly. Clean up the penalties, too.

 

[Runwildboys]

A reliable, solid return specialist is so underrated. Because in the NFL, it’s the little things that separate the good teams from the great.

Having a solid punt returner is one of the most underrated ways to improve your team’s performance. Too many fans overrate the “home run” excitement of long punt returns (which rarely happen) while underrating the value of a dependable punt return man who never fumbles or never lets the punt hit the ground, watching 10-15 yards of field position melt away.

Great coaches have known for years how important special teams are for so many reasons. Bill Parcells used to talk a lot about the “hidden yards” on STs that can mean the difference between winning and losing.

For too many years, Jason Garrett undervalued the role of having a solid reliable punt returner that could mean 10-30 yards of field position every week. The Cowboys under Garrett were consistently in the bottom third of the NFL in punt return yardage, field position, etc. Last year, we all watched in horror as he ordered Tavon Austin to make a fair catch against the Vikes with half the field wide open for a return in waning seconds of a close game.

And, good punt returners are not always the flashiest players. Look at this list below. These are the top 5 punt return specialists in the 2019 NFL season:

1. Deonte Harris- NO saints- avg 9.4 yds per return on 36 fielded punts.
2. Ritchie James- SF niners- avg 8.0 yds per return on 33 fielded punts.
3. Andre Roberts- BUFF- avg 8.0 yds per return on 28 fielded punts.
4. Kenyon Barner- ATL- avg 7.6 yds per return on 35 fielded punts.
5. Trevor Davis- GB/OAK- avg. 6.8 yds per return on 26 fielded punts.

These aren’t exactly household names, right? Yet all these guys were huge in helping their teams each week with all important field position. Compare those numbers to ours last year: Tavon Austin and Randall Cobb combined for only 20 fielded punts last year, avg 4.8 yards a return. Our guys watched the ball hit the ground too many times.

So what do we need to do?

1. Find a guy on this roster who will field punts reliably and are able to get 6-8 yards per return.
   
2. Practice, practice, practice the art of fielding punts. Hey, it’s hard. It’s nothing like catching regular passes. It’s very similar to playing outfield in baseball as far as judging location, but harder to do.
3. You don’t have to have a home run playmaker type. The best punt returner in NCAA history for many years was none other than Wes Welker when he was at Texas Tech. He scored 8 TDs in college on punt returns. He wasn’t fast. He was quick, but most of all, he was great at fielding punts and making people miss.

Looking at our roster, maybe a guy like Cedric Wilson, who has good hands might be a candidate. I’ve seen some suggestions for Cedee Lamb, but I don’t think you want someone who you are relying on a lot in the offense to take this role which is pretty tough on the body.

Bottom line- If we’re going get back to competing for playoff glory again, we need to upgrade our punt return game. Who do you think fits this bill?

I think blocking is at least as big a part of our lack of success. It seems like there was always someone right on top of the returner when he got the ball.

 

[blueblood70]

A reliable, solid return specialist is so underrated. Because in the NFL, it’s the little things that separate the good teams from the great.

Having a solid punt returner is one of the most underrated ways to improve your team’s performance. Too many fans overrate the “home run” excitement of long punt returns (which rarely happen) while underrating the value of a dependable punt return man who never fumbles or never lets the punt hit the ground, watching 10-15 yards of field position melt away.

Great coaches have known for years how important special teams are for so many reasons. Bill Parcells used to talk a lot about the “hidden yards” on STs that can mean the difference between winning and losing.

For too many years, Jason Garrett undervalued the role of having a solid reliable punt returner that could mean 10-30 yards of field position every week. The Cowboys under Garrett were consistently in the bottom third of the NFL in punt return yardage, field position, etc. Last year, we all watched in horror as he ordered Tavon Austin to make a fair catch against the Vikes with half the field wide open for a return in waning seconds of a close game.

And, good punt returners are not always the flashiest players. Look at this list below. These are the top 5 punt return specialists in the 2019 NFL season:

1. Deonte Harris- NO saints- avg 9.4 yds per return on 36 fielded punts.
2. Ritchie James- SF niners- avg 8.0 yds per return on 33 fielded punts.
3. Andre Roberts- BUFF- avg 8.0 yds per return on 28 fielded punts.
4. Kenyon Barner- ATL- avg 7.6 yds per return on 35 fielded punts.
5. Trevor Davis- GB/OAK- avg. 6.8 yds per return on 26 fielded punts.

These aren’t exactly household names, right? Yet all these guys were huge in helping their teams each week with all important field position. Compare those numbers to ours last year: Tavon Austin and Randall Cobb combined for only 20 fielded punts last year, avg 4.8 yards a return. Our guys watched the ball hit the ground too many times.

So what do we need to do?

1. Find a guy on this roster who will field punts reliably and are able to get 6-8 yards per return.
   
2. Practice, practice, practice the art of fielding punts. Hey, it’s hard. It’s nothing like catching regular passes. It’s very similar to playing outfield in baseball as far as judging location, but harder to do.
3. You don’t have to have a home run playmaker type. The best punt returner in NCAA history for many years was none other than Wes Welker when he was at Texas Tech. He scored 8 TDs in college on punt returns. He wasn’t fast. He was quick, but most of all, he was great at fielding punts and making people miss.

Looking at our roster, maybe a guy like Cedric Wilson, who has good hands might be a candidate. I’ve seen some suggestions for Cedee Lamb, but I don’t think you want someone who you are relying on a lot in the offense to take this role which is pretty tough on the body.

Bottom line- If we’re going get back to competing for playoff glory again, we need to upgrade our punt return game. Who do you think fits this bill?

as much as people dont want to expose Lamb hes going to get ton of returns , 2nd option for me is Pollard im trired of hearing about his wiggle, speed, and playmaking ability..really? KR didn't fare to well but maybe PR gets him some action..

Cwilson is the steady eddie type but far too many fair catch signals etc would be my guess from him..

so thats settled Pollard get most of the snaps , Lamb comes in for special plays maybe on short Felds like dez did, and Wilson when you just want a hands guy in..

that wasn't hard..

 

[Bobhaze]

I think blocking is at least as big a part of our lack of success. It seems like there was always someone right on top of the returner when he got the ball.

Yep. A good special teams unit requires 11 guys doing their job well multiple times a game. In a typical NFL game, STs make up about 20% of the game. If your team sucks at STs like we did last year, the other 80% of your teams plays have more pressure on it to be spectacular.

 

[America's Cowboy]

Very simple: Cedrick Wilson

 

[buybuydandavis]

1. Find a guy on this roster who will field punts reliably and are able to get 6-8 yards per return.
   
2. Practice, practice, practice the art of fielding punts. Hey, it’s hard. It’s nothing like catching regular passes. It’s very similar to playing outfield in baseball as far as judging location, but harder to do.
3. You don’t have to have a home run playmaker type. The best punt returner in NCAA history for many years was none other than Wes Welker when he was at Texas Tech. He scored 8 TDs in college on punt returns. He wasn’t fast. He was quick, but most of all, he was great at fielding punts and making people miss.

Looking at our roster, maybe a guy like Cedric Wilson, who has good hands might be a candidate. I’ve seen some suggestions for Cedee Lamb, but I don’t think you want someone who you are relying on a lot in the offense to take this role which is pretty tough on the body.

Bottom line- If we’re going get back to competing for playoff glory again, we need to upgrade our punt return game. Who do you think fits this bill?

They've had a fascination with speedy midget returners for a while. I'm not so thrilled. Get a guy who can catch the ball, see the field, see his blocks, and run forward. Too much is made of the returners speed and quickness, too little is made of his reliability, judgment, and ability to see the field and take a hit.

As for practice fielding punts, it's late in the game for that now. Any potential candidates should have been practicing with a jugs machine all offseason.

Similarly, backup olinemen should train up to run simple short yardage TE routes. See if they can learn to catch a ball. I'd rather have an OT who can catch a 3 yard pass in on jumbo packages than a meh TE who can run a full route tree.

Just a minor skill can turn on a lot of value in a player.

Most natural candidates are Pollard and Lamb, but you never know. Key on guys that have experience in college, as that filtering for the right player already happened in college, and you get to some history of who can actually return.

Unlike fielding a punt, it's hard to get experience returning them. You need 21 other guys to practice that. The guys who do it in college have a big leg up. I think Wilson has that experience. Don't know who else. I'd always give a RB a chance.

Crayton was slow and not that thick, but he returned punts in college and was good at it. He was good for us too. Dwayne Harris had the knack in college too. Both with experience at QB? Maybe that helps them see a full field, or shows they have the capability.

 

[gimmesix]

Lamb
Diggs
Wilson

Lamb fields punts effortlessly, and we know he's dangerous with the ball in his hands.

Diggs looks very natural fielding punts, similar to Lamb.

Wilson doesn't look as natural fielding punts, but he's been reliable.

I thought Wilson was the team's best punt returner last year, but he didn't get a real opportunity to show his skill. However, all things considered I'd probably go:

1. Lamb - pedal to the metal, put pressure on the opponents at every phase.

2. Diggs - CB is a tough position to transition into the pros, especially, without OTAs. Backing up CeeDee is a good STs role to have until his CB game improves.

3. Wilson - Solid player that makes sense if Diggs isn't ready or Lamb is being preserved.

Right. We all want to be at least good, and great if possible, on returns, which can be game-changing, but then some like the OP don't want to use a game-changing player like Lamb back there. All things equal, you use a "less valuable" player. If it's clear Lamb might be a game-changer, you use him without hesitation.

I don't really understand the dichotomy of wanting to be better at something but not being willing to do what it takes to be better at it. For me, it's about doing what is necessary to win games. If we're worried about injuries, they can happen anytime and anywhere.

 

[Runwildboys]

Right. We all want to be at least good, and great if possible, on returns, which can be game-changing, but then some like the OP don't want to use a game-changing player like Lamb back there. All things equal, you use a "less valuable" player. If it's clear Lamb might be a game-changer, you use him without hesitation.

I don't really understand the dichotomy of wanting to be better at something but not being willing to do what it takes to be better at it. For me, it's about doing what is necessary to win games. If we're worried about injuries, they can happen anytime and anywhere.

True, but when you have 11 people coming at you at full speed, the likelihood of an injury is much greater than having one, two, or maybe three guys mostly trying to catch you from the side or behind.