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why hit the roof when you can hit the one yard line and have the ball downed there ....
Hekker Ext 2 more years.....10M Gtd Highest paid punter ever
- Thread starter PressureD41
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LumberTubs
As idle as a painted ship upon a painted ocean
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- Name
- Phil
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Westbrooks gave a little over half a mil I believe. Haven't seen official numbers for Hekker released yet.
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Tracking sites as of now haven't updated since the final contract details haven't been released yet. Won't really know that for a couple of days.
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- Fanotodd
Damn straight. Growing up in the Bay Area, I saw plenty of ray guy and he was good.
Hekker is better.
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- Stu
Ray Guy was the only punter before Hekker that I was ever a fan of.
That being said, Guy was a huge leg and IIRR right somewhat of a recluse rather than a big team guy. He was a great punter and known for long punts that hung in the air. He was a field flipper with not only long punts but lots of air.
The difference is that Hekker is actually making a science out of punting ALONG with having a huge leg. He has figured out how to make the ball bounce like none before him.
He has 7 completions and a TD to go along with zero INTs or sacks. The only times he has fumbled - two his rookie year - he recovered them.
He is a huge team guy and you can constantly see him pumping players up no matter the unit. He's simply a bright light on that team and if you've seen the Rams live, you know he does that more than the camera ever shows.
If he continues his current ways, not only will he be equal to or better than Guy, he will be far more valuable to his team.
And I would bet Johnny actually could not only hit the rafters of any stadium but could kick it out of the coliseum if asked to do so by the team.
This extension is GREAT news for us fans and I look forward to him retiring as a Ram.
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- 25,161
I sure hope he plays the rest of his career in horns.
However, if he becomes our only hope for a pro bowl again I think I might jump off a cliff
However, if he becomes our only hope for a pro bowl again I think I might jump off a cliff
LACHAMP46
A snazzy title
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- Jul 21, 2013
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- 11,735
I've been to Arizona....and there was a game we lost...and at the final whistle, players are walking towards the middle of the field, shaking hands...yada yada...I'm pissed. Just left Vegas and came up...and was GONNA go back to cash in...but naw...Anyhow, I'm watching, and ONE player is walking straight to the tunnel without yucking it up with any Cards players....and it's Hekker!!!! Eff this, he wasn't socializing...Loved it!
His directional punting...and that spin thing to down punts inside the 20...is extra-ordinary....or extraordinary...
If he can....I'd like him to kick one...at the end of the half...OUT of the Coliseum....just one...The fans would love it. that smaller end...near the torch.
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- Peter
http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.co...d-a-punter-as-the-leagues-ever-seen/#comments
Bill Belichick: Thomas Morstead about as good a punter as the league’s ever seen
Posted by Josh Alper on September 13, 2017
Getty Images
Patriots coach Bill Belichick’s press conferences and conference calls are often a combination of terse answers about topics he prefers not to talk about and expansive answers about topics that tickle his fancy.
Saints punter Thomas Morstead appears to fall into the latter category. In his introductory remarks at Wednesday’s press conference with Patriots media, Belichick called Morstead “about as good of a punter as this league has ever seen” before expanding on what he finds so appealing about Morstead and how he prepares the team to face him when he spoke to New Orleans media on a conference call.
“Everything,” Belichick said in comments distributed by the team. “I mean, he’s got great leg strength, placement, technique. He’s a good situational punter, handles the rush well, good directional punter, good plus-50 punter, can change field position. I mean, he’s really good, really good. …
Yeah, you take the jugs machine, crank it up on high and shoot the ball up 55 to 70 yards downfield a yard from the sideline, like he does most of the time. You know, not many guys that can punt the ball like him. Again, it’s not just his distance but it’s placement, accuracy. I mean, his plus-50 punts are like from the minus-40. He’s just different because of his strength and power and control.”
Morstead isn’t the first punter to draw raves from Belichick. Johnny Hekker got a lot of love before the Patriots and Rams squared off last season and Belichick then got to watch him do his stuff eight times during a 26-10 New England win. Belichick didn’t say so during either media session, but he’d surely like the same chance to watch Morstead at work this Sunday.
Bill Belichick: Thomas Morstead about as good a punter as the league’s ever seen
Posted by Josh Alper on September 13, 2017
Getty Images
Patriots coach Bill Belichick’s press conferences and conference calls are often a combination of terse answers about topics he prefers not to talk about and expansive answers about topics that tickle his fancy.
Saints punter Thomas Morstead appears to fall into the latter category. In his introductory remarks at Wednesday’s press conference with Patriots media, Belichick called Morstead “about as good of a punter as this league has ever seen” before expanding on what he finds so appealing about Morstead and how he prepares the team to face him when he spoke to New Orleans media on a conference call.
“Everything,” Belichick said in comments distributed by the team. “I mean, he’s got great leg strength, placement, technique. He’s a good situational punter, handles the rush well, good directional punter, good plus-50 punter, can change field position. I mean, he’s really good, really good. …
Yeah, you take the jugs machine, crank it up on high and shoot the ball up 55 to 70 yards downfield a yard from the sideline, like he does most of the time. You know, not many guys that can punt the ball like him. Again, it’s not just his distance but it’s placement, accuracy. I mean, his plus-50 punts are like from the minus-40. He’s just different because of his strength and power and control.”
Morstead isn’t the first punter to draw raves from Belichick. Johnny Hekker got a lot of love before the Patriots and Rams squared off last season and Belichick then got to watch him do his stuff eight times during a 26-10 New England win. Belichick didn’t say so during either media session, but he’d surely like the same chance to watch Morstead at work this Sunday.
Tron
Fights for the User
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- Tron
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http://deadspin.com/johnny-hekker-pulled-off-a-trick-punt-that-only-other-p-1803140671
Johnny Hekker Pulled Off A Trick Punt That Only Other Punters Might Notice
Barry Petchesky
Alex Gallardo/AP Photo
By my count, there are two interesting punters in the league, and Marquette King didn’t even have to leave the bench very much in his game. The other one, though, pulled off the most unorthodox play on any unit of Week 1.
Johnny Hekker, the most envied punter in the sport, punted five times in the Rams’ 46-9 win, and put all five inside Indy’s 20. One of them, a third-quarter kick that went out of bounds at the Colts’ 6, looked at full speed like just another near-coffin-corner punt. But it was something much more than that.
Hekker dropped the ball onto his foot sideways, that is, with the ends of the football pointed at either sideline. He did so in order to strike the ball slightly off-center, sending it corkscrewing clockwise (from his perspective) through the air and toward the right sideline, so that when it hit the ground, it bounced unerringly to the right and out of bounds.
This is a remarkably difficult thing to do, to nail all the fine mechanics and still place it so perfectly, and while many punters mess around with it in practice, few have the balls or the skills to pull it off in a game.
Former NFL punter Pat McAfee was impressed as hell, and broke down the kick:
View: https://twitter.com/PatMcAfeeShow/status/906984445403688961?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw&ref_url=http%3A%2F%2Fdeadspin.com%2Fajax%2Finset%2Fiframe%3Fid%3Dtwitter-906984445403688961%26autosize%3D1
It’s called a banana kick, and it’s adapted from Australian rules football, where it can be useful for bending the ball when shooting from a bad angle—a situation that doesn’t come up much in NFL punting. But that spin does impart a predictable bounce, which matters very much.
Here’s an AFL instructional video showing how the banana kick is done, and this is pretty close to what the ball looked like coming off of Hekker’s foot. Note the ends of the ball pointing sideways upon contact, and the spin it imparts:
Hekker is already one of a growing number of so-called Aussie-style punters, who on normal kicks drop the ball vertically, with the nose facing the ground, rather than straight out. While decreasing potential distance, this method imparts more control and leads to more backward bounces, perfect for pinning opponents in their own end.
Add to that rapidly changing standard this even newer wrinkle, and it’s kind of heartening that there are still borrowings and innovations to shake up American football, even in 2017.
Johnny Hekker Pulled Off A Trick Punt That Only Other Punters Might Notice
Barry Petchesky
Alex Gallardo/AP Photo
By my count, there are two interesting punters in the league, and Marquette King didn’t even have to leave the bench very much in his game. The other one, though, pulled off the most unorthodox play on any unit of Week 1.
Johnny Hekker, the most envied punter in the sport, punted five times in the Rams’ 46-9 win, and put all five inside Indy’s 20. One of them, a third-quarter kick that went out of bounds at the Colts’ 6, looked at full speed like just another near-coffin-corner punt. But it was something much more than that.
Hekker dropped the ball onto his foot sideways, that is, with the ends of the football pointed at either sideline. He did so in order to strike the ball slightly off-center, sending it corkscrewing clockwise (from his perspective) through the air and toward the right sideline, so that when it hit the ground, it bounced unerringly to the right and out of bounds.
This is a remarkably difficult thing to do, to nail all the fine mechanics and still place it so perfectly, and while many punters mess around with it in practice, few have the balls or the skills to pull it off in a game.
Former NFL punter Pat McAfee was impressed as hell, and broke down the kick:
View: https://twitter.com/PatMcAfeeShow/status/906984445403688961?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw&ref_url=http%3A%2F%2Fdeadspin.com%2Fajax%2Finset%2Fiframe%3Fid%3Dtwitter-906984445403688961%26autosize%3D1
It’s called a banana kick, and it’s adapted from Australian rules football, where it can be useful for bending the ball when shooting from a bad angle—a situation that doesn’t come up much in NFL punting. But that spin does impart a predictable bounce, which matters very much.
Here’s an AFL instructional video showing how the banana kick is done, and this is pretty close to what the ball looked like coming off of Hekker’s foot. Note the ends of the ball pointing sideways upon contact, and the spin it imparts:
Hekker is already one of a growing number of so-called Aussie-style punters, who on normal kicks drop the ball vertically, with the nose facing the ground, rather than straight out. While decreasing potential distance, this method imparts more control and leads to more backward bounces, perfect for pinning opponents in their own end.
Add to that rapidly changing standard this even newer wrinkle, and it’s kind of heartening that there are still borrowings and innovations to shake up American football, even in 2017.