Tuesday, August 10, 2010

Not Dodging Punts

Matt Dodge is having a good practice, but then again, so did Rodney Williams a few years ago.

Dodge has hit four punts for an average of 58.3 yards, including sailers of 65 and 66 yards. That's okay, but observations from up north indicate he's only got so-so hang time. As Williams showed us all in 2001, it really doesn't matter if you can boom a punt 80 yards if you don't give your defense a chance to get down there and cover. More than once, he left us all agog with his tremendous foot, only to disappoint when he'd shank his next punt.

The expectation here is that, with the help of Jeff Feagles, Dodge will find some consistency. He'll need it, because Tom Coughlin won't tolerate a bunch of shanks for long. Also, he's preaching a directional philosophy, so Dodge will have to get in some heavy work on that. Despite everything, though, you might chalk up today as a good one for the seventh-round draft pick.

EP

4 comments:

  1. If this kid sux in preseason like i expect him to, Feags better be waiting in the wings to put on a uniform. It is only the admirable thing to do after the shenanigans Feags put the team he won his ring and legacy thru this offseason.

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  2. wayno - Feagles hung it up because he realized he doesn't have it anymore. The guy couldn't complete his offseason program. I suspect you're in your twenties or thirties. Trust me when I say once you cross 40, your body just can't respond as fast and injuries take forever to heal. I tore my hammy two weeks ago jogging with my son and it feels worse than when I blew out my knee when I was 18. There comes a age when football is out of the question - even for punters. I'm 99.99% sure Feagles has hit that point. I give him all the credit in the world for making it to 44. I'm 46, in pretty good shape compared to most guys my age, and I know I wouldn't last one minute in the NFL. Unless they need a grumpy old man to yell from the sidelines. That I can still do.

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  3. LOL, Wayno hates people who grow old and people who almost die in car crashes.

    You're a regular Mother Theresa.

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  4. Oh boy here we go....another fight thread.

    Feagles can still be insanely accurate, but the distance hasn't been there in a while and that can really cost us (especially dealing with DeSean Jackson twice a year)

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