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This underrated aspect of football needs to get better for the Jets in 2020.
Talking about special teams.
Let’s start with the punter. The last four years the Jets punter was Lachlan Edwards. Great story with his journey from Australian Rules Football Player to NFL punter, but the Jets finally had to pull the plug because he was just too inconsistent.
You just didn’t know what to expect punt to punt.
The Jets got tired of playing roulette.
So they drafted Texas A&M’s Braden Mann in the 2020 sixth-round.
Jets special teams coach Brant Boyer felt he was the most complete punter in the 2020 draft, good at every aspect of the job, including kicking off, if they chose to use him in that role.
“He was very impressive because he was multi-talented,” Boyer said. “He can kick off. He has a very strong leg. He is very good directionally. He’s a very good holder. His get-off times were very good.”
Get-off times are so important in the NFL. In college, you have more time to get the punt off, so transitioning to a faster get-off can mess up some young punters trying to transition to the NFL.
Boyer also feels Mann has a strong enough leg to deal with the windy Northeast.
“The leg that can kick through the wind and the rain and everything like that,” Boyer said.
And he’s a good holder for field goals and extra points.
“I think he’s an outstanding holder,” Boyer said.
And this brings us to the question – Who will he be holding for?
The Jets will hold a kicker competition this summer between incumbent Sam Ficken and former Dallas Cowboy Brett Maher.
In training camp, everything will be equal. They will kick the same amount in each practice, all the same kicks, it will all be put on tape, and Boyer, Joe Douglas, Adam Gase and company will make a decision. It will be a totally even playing field.
The punt returner will be Braxton Berrios who did a solid job last year, and you get the sense that speedster Vincynt Smith is the leading candidate for the kick return job.
The main kick returner last year was Ty Montgomery, who is versatile and tough, but doesn’t have the ideal speed and quick twitch to make a lot of people miss as a returner in the open field.
Smith ran a 4.36 forty before the 2018 draft, is a smooth, long-strider, and is a threat to take it all the way every time he touches the ball.
As for kick and punt coverage, Boyer is stoked to get Trenton Cannon back. He landed on IR last year mid-season with a shoulder issue.
The Jets view this player as a top-five gunner in the league. This was a surprise to the Jets. They picked him to be a third-down band and returner, but then they discovered he was a heck of a kick/punt over guy – in fact, one of the best in the entire league. So his return is huge for Boyer’s unit.
July 8, 2020
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