Punt returns.
- Thread starter CougPatrol
- Start date
He's not back there much. I suspect that was a 'punt safe' (watch for the fake) maneuver. Among the people we have I always figured Jamire Calvin would be the best option (best phone booth elusiveness) but maybe his judgement isn't where the coaches want it. Harris is clearly where he belongs on kickoffs
I've seen this happen numerous times in the past with the Cougs. You get a "better athlete" filling in, and they seem so anxious to make a play when given the opportunity, and then they completely blow it. I've seen it with kickoffs and punts. You usually don't see these guys again after their mistakes.
Sometimes it's just better to go with the guys with more experience that are less prone to making mistakes.
Sometimes it's just better to go with the guys with more experience that are less prone to making mistakes.
Exactly. This is why I've maintained that, with our offense, Kyle Sweet is the perfect fair-catcher on punt returns.
OSU lined up to go for it on 4th down, but then the QB dropped back to pooch kick it... That's why Sweet wasn't on the field, as Jalen and the rest of our base defense was. There was no "punt safe", no "better athlete" filling in.
Makes sense for that situation in a way, but it still doesn't change the basis behind my point. He still should have played it safe. Thompson does play on kick coverage after all, so he's familiar with special teams, and he's a veteran player.
Presumably they were ready for the pooch punt, that's why Thompson dropped back. Now, why he tried to field that punt instead of letting it go, or faking the fair catch to draw away the coverage, I don't know.
Well he was being aggressive, and that punt probably would have rolled quite a ways. He just got caught in the middle - not far up enough to catch it cleanly, too far up to let it hit first. Just like a short hop on an infielder. Bad play but a weird situation.
Rule number one---secure the football. Leach or any coach would rather have the ball on his two then the opposing team have it on his 12.
Jamire Calvin has been a big disappointment for me so far this season. He Has had the dropsies for some reason at his WR position. Thinking him at punt return might be a disaster. I would rather tolerate a conservative option like Sweet as opposed to turnovers.
One of the worst things about "losing your innocence"TM is having posters arguing about punt returns.
