Today, we're talking punters. They're
weird, they get made fun of constantly, and they look like
fifth-graders compared to the other guys on the field. They're also
the most underrated player on the team, without question.
Furthermore, the one who plays in KC might just be the team's biggest
unspoken hero. The Chiefs won't suck this year, but even if you
didn't notice (or care), the Chiefs' punting game has avoided sucking
for a long time. Actually, it's been an elite punting squad for
nearly a decade now, and we have Dustin Colquitt to thank for it. In
8 years with the Chiefs, the Pro Bowler has been consistently clutch,
and that kind of performance in crucial situations might give KC the
edge they need to reach the playoffs.
Colquitt ranks in the top ten for the
last two seasons in net punt yardage. He is also second league-wide
in punts within the 20 yard-line and return yards from punts.
Statistics can't tell the whole story with a valuable punter, though.
It's a very weird, very situational position. Although they're often
punchlines in the locker room, a good punter gives his team valuable
yardage in crucial moments, every single game of the season. I
wouldn't hesitate to call that clutch. In this upcoming year, KC is
playing for a playoff berth instead of playing for the sake of
avoiding embarrassment. If the season goes well, winning the field
position battle could earn them a Wild Card spot. To me, that makes
the penning of this 5 year, $18.75 million contract well worth it.
At $3.75 million per year, Colquitt now
has the highest average salary of any punter in the league. For the
record, that puts his annual wages just a shade above that of backup
QB, Chase Daniel. Chase, who has never started a game in his 3
seasons behind Drew Brees, was signed for 3 years/$10 million to
almost assuredly hold the clipboard this year, yet Colquitt, the
veteran Pro Bowler and special teams MVP, earns about $425,000 more
each year. Poor punters.
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