Chiefs All-Decade Team - Punt Returner
 

With the end of the decade, it's time for us to select our all-decade team for the 2010s. Credit to Direckshun for the idea; I'm just implementing it.

Here are the rules:

1. I'll put up lists of position groups one at a time.

2. Each list will contain guys who had at least one notable stat line in their career. I'll generally put them in descending order of some key stat.

3. The stats will contain ONLY their body of work between 2010 and 2019 for the Chiefs. No pre-2010 stats and no stats for other teams.

4. The number of roster spots will be the same as the number of roster spots on the 2019 Super Bowl roster for the Chiefs.

5. You can use whatever criteria you want to select the team. It can be total stats for the decade, it can be dominance in a shorter period, it can be playmakers who didn't screw up badly, whatever. It's your call. Feel free to use any criteria not listed in your decision. For example, if you know that Terrance Copper was an amazing blocker, you can build that into your decision.

6. In a subsequent poll we will determine which players are the starters on the all-decade team. In the first round, you're just going to fill the 53-man roster.

Our next position group is punt returner. ONE punt returner will make the all-decade team. So pick ONE punt returner.

You can win a lot of bar bets by showing that Dexter McCluster had a higher career return average in the 2010s than Tyreek Hill.

Seriously, this McCluster/Tyreek thing is freaking me out. It's like finding out that everything I know about the world is untrue.

I almost want to vote for Dexter but the vote goes to Tyreek Hill

Hill/ thread

There's got to be an explanation for this, right? Maybe teams were kicking higher and shorter to get coverage on Tyreek, right? Or maybe a lot punts went out of bounds unless they had the ability to pin Tyreek back in a corner, right? There has to be an explanation. THERE HAS TO BE AN EXPLANATION!

I really missed watching Tyreek return punts last season.

No disrespect to Mecole, but Tyreek is one of the most dangerous return men in league history.

It reminded me a lot of Jeremy Maclin at Mizzou. Every time the opponent had to punt you were on the edge of your seat waiting for something amazing to happen. That's how it was those few years with Tyreek.

I think this is it. Teams were far more afraid of Tyreek right away. No punter in their right mind would try to boom it when they’re pinned deep.

How punters treated Tyreek as our returner was the equivalent of Barry Bonds and intentional walks.

Teams kicked away from Tyreek a lot.

I don't remember McCluster having that much success either... All I think of is his stupid spin move that never worked and getting destroyed on screens and short passes.

Dex McCluster! That’s a name I haven’t heard in a long time!

Ol' Mc****stick.

I remember Andy Reids got the best possible version of McCluster out of him in 2013. Because of course he did. Andy Reid always puts players in position to succeed.

I think I'm gonna go Mecole here for the simple fact that I'm not sure he makes it as a wideout on my all-decade team but I want him on the team in some fashion...

I saw a McCluster Chiefs jersey at the NFL Experience in Miami Beach.

Dexter because I don't want Tyreek doing anything but catching passes from the MVP.

Dangit, I didn't look at the years. Was gonna vote Dante Hall, but gotta go 'Reek.

Dexter because his stats are good and reek will get in at wr. I'll take the variety in roster construction.

I'm curious. When Tyreek returned that free kick on Denver for a touchdown after a safety, does that count as a kickoff return or a punt return? Or neither?

This kind of gets weird. If Tyreek wins this one, does that mean we get to have an extra WR to fill out the roster?

I think we'll have a roster exemption for kick and punt returners. I wasn't sure how to handle that.

Reek-a-leek!

Dex was a damn good punt returner torpedoed by the disappointment he was on offense

He had a punt return TD in the opening of new Arrowhead in 2010.

That was one of the most lit games I've ever been to, probably because it was MNF with a 9pm kickoff, after a Royals game that afternoon. People must've been tailgating for 12 hours.

He had a couple of punt return TDs in 2013. Reids first year in KC. And decent receiving stats. 500+ yards

As mentioned, Reid knew how to use him. Then they knew not to overpay him and didn't re-sign him.

Those things did happen a lot but he also made some big plays here and there as well.

Teams are terrified of punting to Tyreek. That tells you everything you need to know.

Probably should have done Hardman. He returned really well in the playoffs. But it’s Hill.

**** all those bitches from Squirmin Herman Mother****ing Sack of **** Edwards and Scott Franchise Killer Pioli.

It's not close; Tyreek is the most dangerous PR the Chiefs have had in the 2010s. Maybe ever.

Part of it is dudes were like NOPE and kicked it away from him. That counts as a 0 on the return, right?

He also ran backwards a lot. It wouldn’t take very many negative runs to wreck an average. It’s fine with me because he scored on a bunch of that.

In the rain, if I recall correctly. I remember that play.

You're probably right, but I had higher expectations for him as an offensive weapon I think. That's why I look back at him as a disappointment. The numbers don't lie - he was a good punt returner.

Unless he fumbled a bunch? I don't really remember if he did. I know Hill has had a few fumbles on punt returns.

This is a good point. Stats occasionally lie, but our eyes don't.

It only counts on his average if he fielded it without a fair catch. So any he let go or thay went out of bounds or that he fair caught aren't included in the average.

Yeah. He virtually never fair caught anything. Thanks for clarifying.

Tyreek Hill

It looks like Tyreek eked out the punt returner spot on the all-decade team.