Should Teams Still Return Punts?
 

There were two TDs all of 2021 on punt returns. In the entire league. Just two. I feel like directional punting and coverage have improved a lot. More so than the return units.

Meanwhile, there's a much higher likelihood of being penalized, fumbling, or injuries than there is a positive gain. I'm surprised teams even bother returning punts these days. The rules already favor the offense. Getting a head start isn't as important as it was when the league was more defensive. The extra 10 yards or so aren't worth the risk IMO.

Should teams just fair catch punts going forward? Does your stomach tighten whenever any player on your favorite team is fielding a punt?

I've thought about this all last year, so it's not just a Skyy Moore reaction thing.

Fair catching it still requires one to CATCH the punt. It wouldn't prevent fumbles. In fact, I believe Moore called for a fair catch and then let it go through his hands.

Inb4poll

I know. I'm talking about fair catching only. Obviously fumbles can still happen on a fair catch, though you take the indecision out if the coaches only want the fair catch. Sometimes players make a last second decision to field it and that costs them.

Let me be clear. If I never see another Chiefs punt return TD, but that also means no more fumbles or penalties on returns, I'll take it. We don't need Tamarick Vanover to carry us anymore.

The answer is OFC they should... Its about field position in some games. Sometimes you just have to get to the 40 for points if your kicker can make it.

Same line of thinking- I think the chiefs should definitely stop trying to take kickoffs out of the endzone. You have Mahomes- don’t risk an injury or a turnover and start on the 25.

Makes sense except the punting units have improved too much lately. That's why there's so few big returns. Or the refs have gotten tighter with calling penalties.

Agreed, except teams sometimes choose to kick it short to force a return. The Chiefs do this themselves quite a bit even though Butker could kick it out of the endzone each time. But yes, I hate seeing our kick returners fielding it in the endzone and then running it back.

Lets do away with kickers all together.. No punts, No FGs. No kickoffs. Everyone starts at the 25 after a TD and a 2 point attempt.. That would make it easier for the NFL Refs to control the game and further screw the fans.

The speed of guys and the way punters are not out-kicking the coverage is making it very hard to return punts for TDs.

I was just thinking this very same topic during our game thinking of not seeing any returns, punts or KOs for TDs.

Remember the days where almost every KC punt and kick return got flagged?

Sigh. Good times.

MORE LIKE JUDASPUSSING AMIRIGHT?

That feels like last season or the year before.

If they take the punt out of the game then it can no longer be called football. It's got to be called something else.

I don’t believe that is true. A punt return is normally 5 or 10 yards worth of positive yardage. It would be silly to pass that up drive after drive after drive except in situations where the kick or the coverage makes a fair catch the only option, or a touchback is a possibility.

Giving up that many yards over the course of a year because someone might commit a penalty or a turnover is kind of wacky. These are probably more common on plays from scrimmage.

Unless Tyreek Hill is on your team, and the coaching staff is willing to use him, then I agree with just having them fair catch.

Yeah, they need to quit ****ing with the game.

Don't worry...the refs will be happy to provide that nostalgia for you Sunday evening.

Each team add a roster spot for a guy who does nothing but return kicks and punts. Skilled specialists instead of clumsy part-timers to make it fun again. Could legalize blocking in the back too.

I would only return punts in the 2nd half when my team is down in the game. Never if leading.

I wouldn't even return kickoffs. It would be interesting to see the data on how often a team gets past the 25 yard line since the NFL changed the rule there.

It seems the Chiefs rarely get past the 20...

FYP

So if the other teams punter happens to out kick his coverage by 10 yards you would fair catch at the 10 yard line ??

Remember when football was football? Didn't have some bunch of change agents always wanting to change the game? This is why we have soccer. If you dont like punts and punt returns go sign up for some free kicks and time off the field.

If he outkicked the coverage by 10 yards and the ball is going to land at the 10, you let it bounce. You will probably end up with a touchback.

I wouldn't be totally adverse to getting rid of kicking and punting in the NFL altogether.

Imagine having a special teams coach that is so tragi-comically bad at his job, that members of your fanbase question the benefits of returning a punt.

Look inward.

Fire Toub. Hire competent special teams coach and decisionmaker. Bring special teams back to the level of helping your team instead of trying to ritualistically destroy it every time they are called upon to perform.

I dont know but i miss the days of Dante Hall and Devin Hester. The kick and punt return added a layer of excitement to the game that barely exists now.

Have to protect the players.

I just wish they'd move kickoffs back

Yes... dumb thread.

I'd buy into not trying to return a kick out of the endzone. However, you have to look at the 5-10 yard positive yardage gained gained on a punt. FTR, you do not have to catch a punt after calling for a fair catch. Time after time we've seen the receiver call for one inside the 5, only letting it bounce into the endzone for a touchback.

Depends.

Is Skyy Moore the guy you've tasked with doing it?

Maybe the question should be….. Should teams still punt???

Dave Toub has been ranked in the top 10 as a ST coach for the last 17 years. In fact, he has been ranked in the top 5 for more than 13 consecutive years, making him the most successful St coach in NFL history.

But yeah, fire him and hire some guy that "is competent."

Lol, what a maroon.

Nah **** it.

Let's play two-hand touch, QB's in a tutu and touching the QB is illegal.

Saying mean things is already illegal, so...

From a strategic standpoint? Hmmmm...that is actually a pretty interesting question. If you choose to not return punts--as a matter of rule for your particular team--it begs the question as to whether or not you would actually want a returner back to recieve/fair catch the ball. If you *don't* have someone back to catch the ball, then that means you can rush the punter with 11 guys---and given the numbers, that means someone will always be unblocked. So can you get someone fast enough to either block the kick entirely, or at least get in the punter's face so that he can't perform a good directional kick?

You might actually get more net yards by harassing the kicker these days.

On the flip side, then, is the question of whether or not you should ever punt on 4th down? Personally, and I'm more of the gambling type-especially since we have Mahomes, but I'd just as soon never punt the ball.

There is no reason to field a punt if you are winning in the 4th quarter or towards end of 3rd quarter.

I agree.

If you are a team with a shit offense and zero passing game like Chicago… yes… you need an aggressive special teams to manufacture points.

When you have Mahomes, your main punt return objective should be to avoid a turnover to ensure that #15 gets the ball.

You realize Toub is one of the most respected coaches at his position in the league right?? Consistently has had among the best ST units for YEARS. But go on crying...

Or this too.

Guys, look at who Andy has on his staff. Steven Spagnuolo and Dave Toub. They are all gamblers, aggressive-minded coaches that want to put the pressure on their opponents as soon as possible if not earlier and often.

Toub is exactly the guy Andy wants running his ST. This is why we sometimes kick it short; to invite a mistake such as the one in the HOU playoff game where DD popped the ball loose and forced the turnover. It's why he put Hill in that Vikings game and got their punter to shank it. Et cetera and so on. Andy believes, as Parcells did, that punts and kicks are potential offensive plays.

Considering the sources, I'd say let them cook.

There's some here that act like we have the worst coaching staff in football

I think everyone not named Skyy Moore should return punts.

Blaming Toub seems like the time someone wanted to fire the "tackling" coach

Yes, well these are probably the same dullards that think we should be passing on every snap, regardless of situation or down-and-distance, because "potential points per play," or whatever metrics nonsense the likes of Frank Reich and Brandon Staley have been ****ing themselves with for several seasons.

And in spite of the fact that historical precedent shows quite clearly that an effective run game is necessary to success on an actual football field in the NFL.

But why let actual facts get in the way of a wild theory?

How many games would we have lost if it weren't for a return? Field position still matters.

Absolutely.

Field position decides games.

The league needs to tell refs to only call holding or blocks in the back when it is directly relevant to the play.

Seeing a return TD wiped away by a holding call either 20 yards away or behind is disgusting.

Does it really matter if our chances to score a TD increase tremendously if Mahomes gets the ball on the 35 yard line or the 25 yard line?

I believe you have to look at the situation. How much time is left, are we behind, etc. But the bottom line is we probably wouldn't be having this discussion if it weren't for Moore's muffed return attempt.

Yep. In that situation, at that point in the game, there wasn’t a reason to field that. Let it bounce. Just cannot give the other team the ball at the 4.

If by best, you mean drawing a flag on every return, sure.

That ST performance against the Colts was an abomination.

I don't give a flying shit what you've supposedly done over your career. Toub in recent history has been a flag collecting, dumb decision-making shitshow.

On top of that he appears to have zero common sense whatsoever in telling these returners to take the ball out of the endzone 5 yards deep. Yes, let's make Patrick start from the 12 this drive boys. He can handle it.

That's not how you gain respect abd it's certainly not top 10 st unit coaching. Christ we got Shady Mccoy junior out there returning a kickoff, slips, falls, and fumbles the football with nobody within 10 yards.

Let's be aggressive with guys who can't even handle the complexity of CATCHING the punt to start with.

Now let's run a fake fg where even if it had been caught, it doesn't count, because your unit can't execute without drawing the flag.

Yes. Spectacular coaching from Dave Toub. They lookedlike a bunch of reeruns trying to **** a doorknob.

That game was Toub's worst game EVER.

By a large, large margin.

Let me see if I can find the article.

There's a jon bois YouTube that I'm too lazy to look up where he looks into that data and it's basically around the 25 give or take a few yards. And I think it's also that having a good return doesn't really increase your chances of scoring a TD all that much but I think his video was about getting rid of kicking all together

Should we get rid of running the ball? Too many fumbles!

Yeah, pretty much.

Speaking of this issue. I have no idea why Toub even had anyone back there fielding the punt when Chiefs were up 41-24 with 7:58 left in the 4th quarter. The risk reward of a return vs a fumble or muffed point is not worth the expected yards in this situation. They only beat you at this point by you turning it over.