Punt returns next year

W

WildTurkey

Well-Known Member
I know its not a huge part of the game but is it 2 much 2 ask to get a guy back there that can field the football?

Way to many punts went behind Hyde last year. He looked shaky at times... catching the ball behind his head, letting the ball roll thru his legs, avoiding fair catches etc.
Dont get me wrong he did have a few nice returns aswell.

We need a difference maker on special teams. Its been long enough!
 
hyde was thought to be that guy a couple of years ago because of the interception returns.

he is coached to play like this in the return game. think about when colin sandeman was the returner. he called a lot of fair catches and let a lot bounce away. they dont want to take chances in the punt return game. just ask the 49ers about punt returns.

i personally think a wide receiver or rb should be doing it for field time and experience. let like staggs or shumpert or canzeri or bullock. but to use the play making ability the reins have to be taken off sometimes and i dont think that will happen under kf. this is one place i can actually agree with kf on how conservative he is. i think he needs to loosen up on offense and a little on defense, but punt returning is one of the biggest places bad things can happen for the team getting/having the ball.
 
I'm a 49ers fan and the punt return fumbles cost them a trip to the super bowl. that said I would much rather them try to make a play then run away from the ball every time its not kicked right at them.

you can take any situation in football and point to a time where something went wrong. but for each fumbled punt that costs a team the game, how many games are won due to a great punt return? you need to weigh the good with the bad. if more bad can happen then good with Hyde returning punts, then kirk needs to find someone else to put back there. if he can't find a single person on the team that makes the risk worth the reward, then he is not doing a good enough job recruiting.
 
people got spoiled by Dwight, there are not that many out there. that can do what he did. also i understand the fair catch or getting away from the ball to avoid a turnover,
a turnover can flip feild position instantly and is a lot easier to move 30-40 for a score than it is to 65-75 yards.
there are fewer chances for a mistake to happen is a 6-7 play drive vs a 10-12 play drive. i will take the fair catch over a risky catch any day
 
punt returns are by far the riskiest part of football. try to think of returners that when they touch the ball you expect good over bad. it isnt many that is why iowa had sandeman he was sure handed on the fair catch and knew what to let bounce. minimize the risk. you have to balance the good and the bad but in punt returns that cant be balanced. way too many bad things can happen.
 
Jordan Cotton? He is the fastest guy on the team. Or at least the fastest receiver. And I realize that speed isn't everything when returning kicks but with his speed and his not getting that much time at receiver most likely, it would be worth a shot.
 
the speed part i like as it would allow him to set up a little deeper to keep the ball in front of him, that is the most agravating part od PR letting the ball go over a players head and giving up a extra 15-20 yards on the roll,
and i never gave Cotton a thought at Punt returner, and was going to ask who the possible canidates would be
 
iahawks912 said:
Jordan Cotton? He is the fastest guy on the team. Or at least the fastest receiver. And I realize that speed isn't everything when returning kicks but with his speed and his not getting that much time at receiver most likely, it would be worth a shot.
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The only problem with him is that the kid has hardly no experience, game experience anyways.
 
iahawks912 said:
Jordan Cotton? He is the fastest guy on the team. Or at least the fastest receiver. And I realize that speed isn't everything when returning kicks but with his speed and his not getting that much time at receiver most likely, it would be worth a shot.
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Although the other huge part to the PR equation is awareness. And before i get railed for this just know i played with him in HS and we are still good friends. But he isn't the smartest guy in the world, but i do believe he has enough football awareness to be successful in this role.
 
superfan12 said:
The only problem with him is that the kid has hardly no experience, game experience anyways.
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Agree but everyone has to start somewhere. And he has been in the program for a while so it wouldn't be like just throwing a true freshman out there.
 
Foval21 said:
punt returns are by far the riskiest part of football. try to think of returners that when they touch the ball you expect good over bad. it isnt many that is why iowa had sandeman he was sure handed on the fair catch and knew what to let bounce. minimize the risk. you have to balance the good and the bad but in punt returns that cant be balanced. way too many bad things can happen.
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we don't need a Tim dwight back there to make the risk worth it. it gets old watching our defense get a stop and have them backed up deep, then our returner runs away from the ball and it rolls for 20 extra yards. we give up so much field position throughout a game by doing this and that's not even counting the yards he might gain after the catch. I can't believe that we are willing to give up 20 or 30 yards on a punt return out of fear that a division 1 athlete won't catch a ball.

I understand that being more aggressive will no doubt cost us a game at some point in time but how many games will it help us win? if it helps win more then it helps lose then its something that should be done. if fielding a punt was as scary as some people make it sound on,here then no one would do it. but the thing is, most everyone does it because its part of the game and coaches see the good that can come from it
 
ESPN does not show fair catches nor do they show the fumbles unless the other team returns it for a TD. there are what 56 games each weekend, and how many PR show up on the Highlight reel, 2 maybe 3, those are not good odds in my book. as long as the kid has good hands and has good judgement i don't care who's returning punts or kickoffs. this includes anyone from a true freshmen to a senior
 
gohawkz said:
hawkdrummer1 said:
I'd just be thrilled if KFz went with a punt "returner" as opposed to a punt "catcher"
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As long as he doesn't muff one that costs us a big game..
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the problem is you won't know if he is going to muff it till after the fact. so the question is are you willing to give up huge chunks of yardage so you don't have to take that risk. I wouldn't want to and neither would most other coaches. I know I watch the hawks more then any other team but it sure seems like every other coach thinks its common sense that when one team punts it you go and catch it
 
the other thing is how many chances do punt returners get at a open look catch, most of the time i see 1 maybe 2 gunners on top of the Iowa returner.
so my thought is why not concentrate more on blocking the gunner to give our returners the chance to make the catch to actually return it.
 
Even the greatest return man of all time, Devin Hester, yes I'm a Bears fan, lets them go over his head and calls for fair catches. I can't imagine what it's like trying to catch a ball knowing there is someone running h*&^ bent for leather trying to knock you senseless when you catch the ball.
 
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