Johnny Hekker named NFC Special Teams Player of the Month

[Prime Time]

http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2017/01/05/hekker-named-nfc-special-teams-player-of-the-month/

Hekker named NFC Special Teams Player of the Month
Posted by Zac Jackson on January 5, 2017

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Rams punter Johnny Hekker has been named the NFC Special Teams Player of the Month for December.

The Rams kept Hekker busy all season, and he kept delivering. Hekker averaged better than 53 yards per punt in two of the season’s final five games and finished the season with an average of 47.8 yards per punt.

He led the NFL with 4,680 total punting yards and a long punt of 78 yards.

The player of the month award is the second for Hekker, who just finished his fifth NFL season. Only Marshall Faulk, who has four, has won more player of the month awards in team history.

 

[T-REX]

*blue font*

 

[LesBaker]

I think @-X- should handcraft a highlight video and put it in this thread. And we can probably let Hekker know it's posted so he can see it too.

 

[jap]

Johnny: "Why don't they just give me my gold Hall of Fame jacket and place a bust of me in Canton already?"
Greg the Leg: "Don't get too cocky on us, buddy! Someone might have to take you down a peg or two."
Johnny: "You and who else? I've done pretty well for a formerly undrafted rookie FA, haven't I? ;-) You were the one drafted, roomie, and we're still waiting for you to break Dempsey et al's FG distance record."
Greg (sighing): "Patience serves those who wait, Grasshopper. It's not like Coach will just trot me out on the field to hammer out a 64-70yard FG any minute. The timing has to be just right."
Bones: "If I hang around here a few more years coaching you guys, will that help put me in the Hall of Fame too?"

 

[DaveFan'51]

http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2017/01/05/hekker-named-nfc-special-teams-player-of-the-month/

Hekker named NFC Special Teams Player of the Month
Posted by Zac Jackson on January 5, 2017

Getty Images

Rams punter Johnny Hekker has been named the NFC Special Teams Player of the Month for December.

The Rams kept Hekker busy all season, and he kept delivering. Hekker averaged better than 53 yards per punt in two of the season’s final five games and finished the season with an average of 47.8 yards per punt.

He led the NFL with 4,680 total punting yards and a long punt of 78 yards.

The player of the month award is the second for Hekker, who just finished his fifth NFL season. Only Marshall Faulk, who has four, has won more player of the month awards in team history.

"He should be Named Special Teams Player of the Year the way he can Punt!!"

 

[Rmfnlt]

Glad for him and depressed at the same time.

 

[Ram65]

Johnny: "Why don't they just give me my gold Hall of Fame jacket and place a bust of me in Canton already?"

Did you see Ray Guy back in the day. He has his own website. He did change the game. He averaged 42.4 YPP. Looks like the last 4-5 years took his average down below 43. I think 40 YPP was the norm back then.

http://rayguy.net
http://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/G/GuyxRa20.htm


Here is a name from the deep past Pat Studstill. He averaged 40.7 with the Lions and Rams. He also was a good WR.
Nice read here.

http://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/S/StudPa00.htm

I got a little nostalgic before stating that Johnny Hekker really has a shot at the HOF. Took Guy a long time. Johnny is doing it all with YPP, Net Punt Ave. and inside the 20! Rams MVP!

 

[jap]

Did you see Ray Guy back in the day. He has his own website. He did change the game. He averaged 42.4 YPP. Looks like the last 4-5 years took his average down below 43. I think 40 YPP was the norm back then.

http://rayguy.net
http://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/G/GuyxRa20.htm


Here is a name from the deep past Pat Studstill. He averaged 40.7 with the Lions and Rams. He also was a good WR.
Nice read here.

http://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/S/StudPa00.htm

I got a little nostalgic before stating that Johnny Hekker really has a shot at the HOF. Took Guy a long time. Johnny is doing it all with YPP, Net Punt Ave. and inside the 20! Rams MVP!

Yeah, I remember Ray and Pat. Ray may have been the most athletic punter I saw up to that point. Johnny is beginning the living legend status portion of his career just as Ray did during his run, assuming things continue positively. Everyone in the NFL knows all about him now.

 

[CGI_Ram]

Let's hope we get our offense going before Hekker needs Tommy John ligament replacement surgery on that golden leg of his.

 

[Corbin]

I don't think enough Rams fans appreciate or even care about Hekker and the amazing record setting he does.


For example:
A thread with 2 pages on our practice team tackle being signed away,
2 pages that the Redskins are interested in Britt,
6 pages about something negative Saffold said about Goff that turned out not to negative...

PUNTERS ARE PEOPLE TOo DAMNIT!

Poor little Heckel's

 

[CGI_Ram]

I don't think enough Rams fans appreciate or even care about Hekker and the amazing record setting he does.

PUNTERS ARE PEOPLE TO DAMNIT!

He probably doesn't get the appreciation he should, but it jumps out at you watching other games.

I'm sure there is a stat somewhere for it, but Hekker makes the field as long as possible for the other guys almost every time. It's insane how much better he is compared to most other punters.

 

[Corbin]

He probably doesn't get the appreciation he should, but it jumps out at you watching other games.

I'm sure there is a stat somewhere for it, but Hekker makes the field as long as possible for the other guys almost every time. It's insane how much better he is compared to most other punters.

Seriously it really is unreal how better he is then other punters. Not to mention the opposing teams have to spend time in practice of fakes etc of other things he's capable of doing.

I won't lie I've taken him for granted for a while that it's just a given him pinning someone in the 20! Lol if he doesn't now I'm like " wtf Hekker?" Because he does it so often! Lol

 

[DaveFan'51]

Did you see Ray Guy back in the day. He has his own website. He did change the game. He averaged 42.4 YPP. Looks like the last 4-5 years took his average down below 43. I think 40 YPP was the norm back then.

http://rayguy.net
http://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/G/GuyxRa20.htm


Here is a name from the deep past Pat Studstill. He averaged 40.7 with the Lions and Rams. He also was a good WR.
Nice read here.

http://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/S/StudPa00.htm

I got a little nostalgic before stating that Johnny Hekker really has a shot at the HOF. Took Guy a long time. Johnny is doing it all with YPP, Net Punt Ave. and inside the 20! Rams MVP!

The Rams David Ray wasn't bad either!

 

[Prime Time]

http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.co...-than-ever-which-may-not-be-good-for-the-nfl/

Punters are better than ever, which may not be good for the NFL
Posted by Michael David Smith on January 12, 2017

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The 2016 season was the best ever for punters in the NFL. Maybe that’s a bad thing.

According to statistics posted by Jaguars Senior V.P. Tony Khan, the 2016 season was the best since at least 2000 in a wide variety of categories.

The average of 40.1 net yards per punt was the best ever. The percentage of punts landed inside both the 20-yard line (38.8 percent) and inside the 10-yard line (13.8 percent) was the best ever. The average post-punt field position of the receiving team’s own 25-yard line was the worst ever. And there were more punts of 70 or more yards than ever before.

But that’s not necessarily a good thing. Punts are among the most boring plays in football. There’s a reason that the Red Zone Channel usually cuts away from punts. The Rams were perhaps the most boring team in the NFL last season, even though their punter, Johnny Hekker, was the best in the league.

Fans enjoy scoring and the very nature of punting is to prevent scoring — it’s the offense giving up, and trying to put the other team as far away from scoring as possible. Occasionally something exciting happens in the NFL, with a blocked punt or a punt return touchdown, but that’s exceedingly rare: There were 2,335 punts in the NFL last season, with just 10 returned for touchdowns and seven blocked.

The NFL could consider some rules changes that would make punts more exciting, such as requiring the punting team to give the returner two yards of space to make the catch — the old “halo rule” that college football dropped in 2003. However, a rule that would encourage more returns could result in more injuries on returns, and the NFL has already shown with its changing rules on kickoffs that that’s the last thing the league office wants.

And so we may be stuck with a league in which punters are dominant, to the detriment of the excitement of the game.